Thread: SB distributor won't fit

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Hi all, I just joined and have never posted before, so be gentle! 1967 Camaro with th350 trans., 6 cylinder. Put in a 350 and now I can't drop the distributor in without pounding in the firewall! Anybody else ever run into this problem before?

Welcome to CHR, Grandpa! We're a pretty gentle group here, so hopefully you'll feel OK.

Thinking about the '67 Camaro with the in-line six I'm thinking that the distributor indent in the firewall was sized for the old point style distributor, which was about five inches diameter at the base. I'm thinking that your SBC 350 is likely running an HEI distributor, which is more like seven inches at the base of the cap? I have zero experience with Camaros of that vintage, but I'm wondering if that might be the problem? Someone else may be able to offer first hand experience to get you going.

I was gonna ask the same question as Mr. Spears. Which dizzy are you using.?

You might need something like this, it has a smaller cap

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdm-pce376109601

Well the site went down for a while, but I messaged Mike/34_40 that I was watching one of the hot rod build shows on MotorTrend the other night and they were bringing a '67 Nova SS back to "nearly stock", kind of a "resto-mod" with a 350SBC. When they went to crank it fired but they couldn't get it in time because the HEI distributor was hitting the firewall and couldn't rotate far enough. The guy explained that "...back in the day the engine had a points style distributor that was smaller..." Bottom line, they didn't want to cut the firewall, so they used a smaller top dizzy, fired it up and quickly got the base timing set.

Hope that you didn't give up on CHR because it was down for a few days! If you have time, we love to see pictures of projects!

Originally Posted by rspears

Well the site went down for a while, but I messaged Mike/34_40 that I was watching one of the hot rod build shows on MotorTrend the other night and they were bringing a '67 Nova SS back to "nearly stock", kind of a "resto-mod" with a 350SBC. When they went to crank it fired but they couldn't get it in time because the HEI distributor was hitting the firewall and couldn't rotate far enough. The guy explained that "...back in the day the engine had a points style distributor that was smaller..." Bottom line, they didn't want to cut the firewall, so they used a smaller top dizzy, fired it up and quickly got the base timing set.

Hope that you didn't give up on CHR because it was down for a few days!

I referenced that style of distributor in post#4 It's probably a Chinese unit so I would find a good rebuildable points style and rebuild it it using a Petronix or like style electronic module

make sure your fan is square with the rad. if you can raise the trans a little it will buy a lot of room for the distributor.

Originally Posted by rspears

Well the site went down for a while,

Brent is moving the site over to a better server

Welcome to CHR!

We’re an odd lot of mostly old hot rodders with a smattering of youngsters here that keep us on our toes. The well of information is deep and I continue to learn and enjoy the posts.

I would not alter the firewall and I think Ken is pointing you in the correct direction, re; a smaller diameter distributor. I have no experience with Procomp Electronics but my insides are having a tough time with a $78 distributor. It is the size you want, but the one review is not good and I would shy away from it. I have used the Mallory Unilite on multiple occasions and had very good success – however, it is north of $400! https://www.holley.com/products/igni.../parts/3748201

Another company that I have used on a few builds and highly recommend is Davis Unified Ignition (D.U.I). They make a really good product and have a kit built for tri-power and blower setups where firewall clearances are an issue - Chevrolet V8 Tri-Power Ignition System https://performancedistributors.com/...nition-system/

I checked their site and they are 8-10 weeks out on delivery of this product but if you can wait, it’s a hundred bucks less than the Mallory unit. It does require an external coil – come with the kit. They're located in Memphis and you could call them (901) 396-5782 and tell them about your build. They're nice folks and may have an another solution that will ship right away. I know from experience that if you ever have issues with their componnets they are super patient and helpful.

Hope this helps a bit – let us know what you decide.

Regards,
Glenn

If you still have the OEM dizzy. I can vouch for the Petronix kit. Swap out the points and insert their gear and never deal with points again . I've done a number a few change overs and never had an issue.

Originally Posted by 34_40

If you still have the OEM dizzy. I can vouch for the Petronix kit. Swap out the points and insert their gear and never deal with points again . I've done a number a few change overs and never had an issue.

I'll second that. I put a Mallory dual point in the 66 Mustang years ago and after a lot of setting points I went with a Petronix unit and matching coil and zero problems since.

And someone pointed it out to me that it is spelled Pertronix! Just in case you need to search it out! LOL

Thanks for all the responses. I do need to replace the trans. mount which might give me a little more room. It was an HEI distributor I was trying to drop in that a friend of mine gave me. I bought one from summit and haven't even checked it yet! I'm not home right now but that's the first thing I'll check
Thanks for the link NTFDAY. and I remember seeing wild Willie at OCIR back in the 70's! Quite a show indeed!

1/2 inch spacer under the trans is a lot cheaper than an over priced distributer.

I used a Pertronix D104600 small, stock appearing distributor in my T Bucket. 16,000 miles on it with no problems.