ignition · FF-0276

Why did the distributor try to walk out of this Flathead on the dyno?

The engine has an aftermarket timing cover that holds the distributor with a clamp squeezing on the distributor shaft. The standard Ford hold-down bolts to the cylinder head and works like a crow's foot, keeping the distributor in the engine and stopping it from turning. On this build the head's hold-down boss interfered with the distributor, so Steve sanded it for clearance and left the hold-down off because the shelf was then quite thin. In hindsight he says he could have modified it and fitted it, which would have stopped the distributor from wanting to walk out.

Expert

Steve Coppock

Evidence

expert attributed

Component

distributor hold-down

Applicable scope

Steve Coppock's supercharged 8BA-style Ford Flathead V8, about 290 cubic inches, on the engine dyno at Klein Engines