Oil pump driveshaft alignment tool

[6667fan]

Replacing intake on 482 to hopefully combat some oil smoking, ( suspect intake gasket seal failure). I went to stab distributor and it was fighting me. I could see the pump driveshaft was not centered in opening. As a result I could not get distributor to drop all the way down. I fiddled with it and I could not get it to stay in the center of opening. This was pissing me off! So I decided to use the tool in the pic. It enabled the the driveshaft to center in the opening so I could couple the distributor. Voila

[Gregwill16]

Now that is thinking outside the box 

[chilly460]

Good thinking!!!  They can be the worst!  I’ve started getting a glob of moly wheel grease and using that to hold it centered in the bore, works pretty well. 

[Rory428]

Providing the oil pump drive rod is installed correctly, with the pointed end up, I have never, in 45 years of dealing with FEs, had a distributor not drop down, by turning the crankshaft a bit, so that the distributor gear and the hex shaft align. even if the shaft was perfectly centered, the dist. gear and drive rod still need to mesh properly for the distributor to drop all the way down.

[blykins]

Replacing intake on 482 to hopefully combat some oil smoking, ( suspect intake gasket seal failure). I went to stab distributor and it was fighting me. I could see the pump driveshaft was not centered in opening. As a result I could not get distributor to drop all the way down. I fiddled with it and I could not get it to stay in the center of opening. This was pissing me off! So I decided to use the tool in the pic. It enabled the the driveshaft to center in the opening so I could couple the distributor. Voila

I've had it happen a few times on the stand.  It's usually in a situation where the front of the engine is hanging a lot lower and the shaft was sitting up against one side of the bore.  I basically do the same thing you do, lift up on the engine to get it level, or wait until it's on the floor on an engine cradle before I drop the distributor in.

[My427stang]

Providing the oil pump drive rod is installed correctly, with the pointed end up, I have never, in 45 years of dealing with FEs, had a distributor not drop down, by turning the crankshaft a bit, so that the distributor gear and the hex shaft align. even if the shaft was perfectly centered, the dist. gear and drive rod still need to mesh properly for the distributor to drop all the way down.

Every time I say never, I am soon eating my words, but I haven't seen any issues in likely 35 years of Ford distributor installation either.  That being said, given the choice, the starter always is a smidge easier than a ratchet on the stand to get them to drop.

[My427stang]

As I said before...never say never, Brent pointed out I am full of beans..privately but postively LOL

On my EFI truck motor, pre-dyno, we had a hard time dropping the borrowed MSD distributor and fixed it by aligning the shaft.  So that's one that I forgot (or more likely considered it a unique incident and didn't look close at the distributor bottom).

However, in all these years, it really was the only time I have ever done that and I really chalked it up to a freak incident or I was tired after making the run.  In car, out of car, on dyno, on stand.  It also was one of the few times I used an MSD distributor.  Most of my builds have modified stock distributors, a good handful of Mallorys, and a few recent Pertronix. 

Maybe the end of the MSD distributor is slightly different?  but even coming home, the same engine got a Duraspark, then Edelbrock distributor, and they dropped right in, the ARP, and any shaft I have seen, is beveled on top, should never lock tight against the side unless upside down.

Is your 482 an MSD distributor? Would be interesting if that is the common variable

[6667fan]

Yep, a ready to run unit. ARP shaft. Shaft and distributor are old friends.  But this time the shaft played hard to get. I was reluctant to turn motor via crank as I did not not know if it would put stress on my plastic distributor gear while it was not fully seated. DON’T tell Brent about the plastic gear! I will be in so much trouble!

[My427stang]

Yep, a ready to run unit. ARP shaft. Shaft and distributor are old friends.  But this time the shaft played hard to get. I was reluctant to turn motor via crank as I did not not know if it would put stress on my plastic distributor gear while it was not fully seated. DON’T tell Brent about the plastic gear! I will be in so much trouble!

Makes sense, and too funny with the gear. It’s just between us

[Falcon67]

A blob of grease on the end of a long screwdriver works pretty well too. 

[Keith Stevens]

Interesting subject. I have used the FFP/ POP products pump drive for years. I always use a distributor housing to verify alignment via the intake opening/block. I have a couple times used a quarter inch drive socket to re-clock the shaft but never had a distributor fail to drop.
I think the worst issue I had was a drive shaft installed without the washer. When the distributor was pulled out to service and replace the dual point plate the shaft pulled out of the pump and just as the drive gear cleared the intake the shaft fell into the oil pan.

[Falcon67]

Same as far as lining up the rotor - I keep several housings with the shaft and no gear, so it's easy to grab one and use to tweak the shaft orientation.  They double as priming tools.