ignition · FF-0180

Why can the distributor bottom out on a Flathead after the block and heads are cut?

Ed cut the deck again to make sure it was flat, and says an engine this old may have had the deck cut before. With everything closer to the crankshaft but the front cover and distributor mount unchanged, the electronic distributor bottomed out when it went in. He added a small washer underneath to make up for what was cut off the head and the deck, so the distributor is not squeezed down into its drive, which would bottom out and ruin it. He holds it with the small distributor clamp from a 302 Ford, with a little edge ground on the back, so it tightens at the clamp and sits in there loose.

Expert

Ed Smith

Evidence

expert attributed

Component

distributor mounting on a decked block

Applicable scope

1949–1953 Ford Flathead V8 with a Mercury crank, built for a 1949 half-ton panel truck