390 distributor

[oltrukr]

Went to pick up the truck yesterday but ran into a couple of glitches . 1st, the trailer wasn't avaliable so I figured I'd just redo the timing, get the plug wires into the correct holes, fire it up and have it ready to load when the trailer was ready. WRONG. 2nd glitch. When the PO (cheby man) had removed the distributor to redo head and intake gaskets he managed to lose the intermediate shaft. After a few questions he tells me that maybe he heard something fall. Yeh, right into the oil pan. The engine had been turned over quite a bit and I never heard anything that would make me believe it had hung up any where.

I pulled the distributor and took a look into the deep, dark hole, and it ain't there. Well, that shot my day in the a**. Put everything back in the correct holes and called it a day. Stopped at NAPA on the way home
and got a new shaft, $ 9.00, will go back later and install it.

Now before I do this all again does any one think that old shaft lying in the bottom of the pan is going to cause me problems in the near future??? I'm not sure that's where it's at, I only know it's not attached to the distributor and the PO doesn't know where it's at.

It seems my Chilton has hidden itself from this old, blind man. It's been a long time since I had a ford apart so I'll ask. The shaft has a round stop staked about a inch from one end, this is the end that goes towards the oil pump, right ???

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

CW

[CH3NO2]

I did the same thing on my 360. I did'nt want to take a chance on that shaft getting wrapped up on the crank so I took a hole saw & cut a hole in the front of the oil pan as low as I could,fished the shaft out with a magnet.I then flushed the pan with mineral spirits. After it dried I mig welded the piece I cut out back & it's good as new.

[67highboy]

The staked ring, hmm... I remember this phenomena... It actually goes to the top so it hits the boss on the block when the dizzy is pulled and retains the shaft from doing what the old one did... (fall into the pan)
The only way to properly replace this shaft is to pull the oil pump off, install the shaft in the pump with the ring up and reassemble everything.
However I have successfully removed the ring and stuck the new shaft in the dizzy with a little grease and got it to work with an old shaft in the pan and never had problems, actually the car still runs everyday with the old shaft still in the pan, it was a 71 comet that we shoehorned a 351 Windsor into.
So I think you should be safe... But no guarantees because it is a gamble...

John

[oltrukr]

Thanks much for the info. I winched it up on the trailer and got it home this afternoon. It's sitting outside my shop and I'll get to it this weekend. Gotta work out of town for a couple of days but at least it's home.

Thanks again
CW

[390Nut]

Make sure your engine will turn over a couple revolutions by hand, and visually check to see that the sahft isn't hung up in the crank area. If it turns over fine and you can't see it (it's down in the oil) you've got no worries, and can fish the old shaft out when the next oppurtunity arrises.

I've had this happen twice over the years, and I've known quite a few other FE owners that have had it happen. If it isn't hung up on the crank shaft, it wont GET hung up, and will idly rest at the bottom of the pan.