Hei Distributor install... Any tips or tricks.

Point the rotor toward the front of the engine, get your biggest BFH, and -- wait a minute, that's for a Ford Distributor!

Bring #1 cylinder to TDC on the compression stroke. Point the rotor toward the terminal on the cap connected to the #1 plug wire. Drop the distributor in, making sure that when the rotor swings a little because of the helical gear, it ends up pointing to the #1 terminal. Tighten the hold down so it doesn't move easily, but so you can still swing the body to adjust the timing. Use a light to get it where you want and lock it down. Good luck.

Tips on tdc...

the easiest way to get the engine to TDC on the #1 compression stroke ...
With a remost start switch or a friend, first remove #1 spark plug. Put your finger ofer the hole and bump the starter around until you start to feel the compression trying to push your finger off the plug hole. Bring the timing mark on the balancer up to the 0 mark on the timing tab (close is generally good enough). Put the spark plug back in and precede with your install. Good luck.

2 ways to find tdc. Remove #1 spark plug and hold your thumb over the hole. Bump motor over until you feel compression (your thumb being pushed off the hole by air pressure), then slowly turn motor over until the timing mark reaches zero. You are now at #1 tdc. Another way is with the valve cover off. Turn engine over while watching the valves for #1 cylinder and the crank timing mark. If the mark is approaching zero and NEITHER VALVE IS MOVING, it is the tdc you want. If the mark is approaching zero and both valves are moving it is 180* out.

Insert a screw driver or similar in through the number one cylinder spark plug hole. Turn over the engine until the screw driver or similar is at the top of the stroke. You can cycle it a couple times so you can feel the tdc or very close. You can line up the oil shaft slot to your distributor by inserting a very long flat tip screw driver through the distributor hole to line it up with the distributor. Rotor should end up pointing at number one cylinder when seated.

No need to line up the oil pump slot, just rotate the engine a little and the distributor will fall the rest of the way(it's already meshed to the cam). You will hear it and see it when it falls. Then either make more revolutions in normal rotation or backwards to your timing mark. If you have all the plugs out you can generally go backwards w/o loosening the balancer bolt. Always smart to make sure it's still tight after you have gone backwards.


Stab it at about 15 to 20° before, not at tdc.

Make a Sharpie mark on the dist body centered to the lug for #1 and if you line the rotor up on that and have the balancer about 15 before tdc on compression stroke it will bust right off and be very very close to in time.

Good luck and have fun.

I watch valves on 6 for overlap to find tdcc 1 if both vcs are off, otherwise I stuff a finger in the #1 plug hole. That's how I run valves too, watch for overlap on the companion cyl. That's one thing I don't like about a hycam, feeling for lash on #1 never makes me feel right. 30 years of industrial engines, if it doesn't have lash I don't trust it to be on tdcc. Back in the days of magneto's I used to go out on little 3300 Cats and just pull the breather which is right above #1, put the flywheel on 25 and feel thru the breather hole, no lashy, spin another round, lashy....stab the mag.

Change only the worn out parts.