crazy happening

[18Fiatsandcounting]

You gots lots o' craziness going on here, Geo, but I'll just stick to the distributor craziness.

The baseplate of your centrifugal advance mechanism looks fine. Your rotor would mount on top of this, and note that there are two holes on the outer rim, one of which is square and one of which is round. Very important: These round and square pins on your rotor cap must (repeat, must) fit into the right holes in the baseplate. Once that is done, the two screws hold the rotor securely.

Your distributor shaft looks fine. It's been staked where it attaches to the centrifugal advance baseplate, which results in those indentations around the edge of the shaft. Perfectly normal, and all well and good.

So, if it were me, I'd get a new rotor and cap and check the clearances, put it all together, and fire that bad boy up. Lord have mercy!

-Bryan

[geospider]

yep realize that about the rotor now (way dif than the old days)
the 4 ridges for lack of a better word, as they rotate hit the elec pickup. seems there should be some clearance there. basically worried that something else went bad when it all happened.

and...No craziness at all with the rest: went great/
geo

[manoa matt]

As others have said, one of the rotor screws backed out. The screw is responsible for the scratches on the advance weights in your first photo. It's unlikely the rotor or cap will bend the distributor shaft enough to where the brass end of the rotor will impact the contacts in the cap. However, if the magnetic pickup is hitting the star wheel, you can and should adjust that. There is a specification for the gap I can't recall it at the moment.

Regarding the two rotors that Paul C posted. The one on the left with the in-line resistor is the correct rotor for the 79-85 electronic distributors. The rotor on the right with the solid brass bar is for the early block mounted distributors. You can install it on the later electronic units, however the underside clearances are not the same. It will lock the advance weights from moving.

[SteinOnkel]

brb, going to add some loctite to the rotor screws in my distributor.

Same part, same vendor, bought around the same time...

[RRoller123]

Deleted my posts. My error, this is what happens after a 14 hour day. Just confuses the issue.

[geospider]

thanks for all the info.
the last time I was in a distributor this much; wasn't electronic. hopefully find the gap spec in manual.
geo

[geospider]

Amazing: AR is sending me a new distributor. no questions; sent pics and they totally stepped up.
Could not have been more proactive.
Man, This is my month for customer service....I guess that ends in a week.

thanks to Csaba and all

Geo

[spider2081]

going to add some loctite to the rotor screws in my distributor.

I install new internal star washer on the screws that hold the rotor in place each time I replace a rotor. Knock on wood I have not had a screw loosen on its own.

I think manoa matt's entire replay is correct. In fact I believe the brass colored screw in the first photo is the remaining rotor screw. The other one is missing along with the rotor. I saw a cap cut into 2 pieces by a rotor whose screws backed out. It would be nice if the new rotors came with new screws and lock washers.

[geospider]

may not have bent the shaft, and I can see how that would be unlikely.
But, there is no way to adjust the pick up. and I am told it is .014 gap.
the base that the mag pickup sits on was somehow damaged. I does not seat securely, wobbles up and down, tilts into the contacts.
But a new one coming.
Will rebuild old to have around.