Distributor interchangablilty?

[Anonymous]

Will a later model distributor work in a 62 170? If not why? The engine in question is a 62 block with a 75 head, offy 3x1, custom ground cam, split exhaust manifold.......and the wimpy stock single point ignition. I'm thinking duraspark, but I suppose I could settle for a Pertronix. I see Mallory made a dual point for it, but they only list it for back to 1964.

 

[63redtudor]

You can't use one of the later distributors in your early block without some machining. The dizzy hole is actually smaller on the earlier blocks, like yours. Sometime in the mid year '63, ford changed the oil pump shaft size from 1/4" to 5/16". The also enlarged the dizzy shaft diameter as well. What you'd have to do is drill out the shaft hole in the block & replace the oil pump with a later one. I discovered this several years ago when I had to replace the oil pump in my (early) '63 170. However, if I remember right there's a couple guys who've drilled out the dizzy hole with no problems. Either that, or I suppose you could take a later dizzy & your old one & try to mix & match parts. Don't know how that would work though.
Edwin

 

[addo]

Why ream the block? I really think that's the hard way. Turn down the pilot end of the D-II shaft, below the gear. Install a 1965 oil pump and drive shaft. You're done, and there's no shavings to clean out the block.