Distributor Pin Replacement

[timinator]

Has anyone actually removed a pin in good enough condition to measure it and confirm it is tapered??

Yes I remove them, and technically they are not tapered. One side of the gear has a slightly larger hole that the pin deforms into when it is peened. The other end of the pin has modest head caused by the deformation which makes it larger than the hole in the shaft. I usually reuse the pin unless someone before me had attempted to remove the pin and was unsuccessful.
If you are going to use a roll pin you should drill the gear and shaft to the size of the larger hole in the gear. Otherwise all the load will only be on half of the roll pin. Ford used to only put the roll pin into half the gear. It would shear and the gear would eventually spin enough to change ignition timing to the point the engine would quit running. A hardened roll pin would be a better replacement than a galvanized pin from a hardware store.

[spider2081]

Thanks, that is what I was thinking but was not sure.

One side of the gear has a slightly larger hole that the pin deforms into when it is peened. The other end of the pin has modest head caused by the deformation which makes it larger than the hole in the shaft.

So what procedure do you use to drive them out? I have been grinding off the smaller of the pin end and have found the pins hard to remove.

[timinator]

So what procedure do you use to drive them out? I have been grinding off the smaller of the pin end and have found the pins hard to remove.

I clamp the dist. in my mill and machine both ends of the pin flat. Then I put the dist. on a holding fixture in my press and push the pin out. It is a good practice to indicate the gear and shaft to retain the proper alignment for re-assembly.

[spider2081]

Thanks, I guess my last question is, if you remove the heads off the pin what confidence do you have it will not come out after reinstalling it. Do you use a punch to expand the ends??

[timinator]

You only need to remove about 0.03-0.04" off each end, just enough to bring the pin down below the surface of the gear. It will still be a press fit into the dist. shaft. Then stake the gear around the pin. Always better to deform the softer material into the harder material, that is where the interference fit is most consistent.