Charlie
That is a GREAT idea. Something that Pertronix might just go for as there isn't too much R & D needed.
Excellent thought
Jim

Might be a good time for people looking for a distributor to start asking Pertronix.  They make pretty reasonably priced stock looking distributors for other engines.  If enough people ask there's a slim chance they could do it.  All they would really have to do is make a shaft and source a gear.  Everything else from the distributor body up, which they already produce for other Fords, should work.  This is practically what that other guy does.


Lawrenceville, GA

nt[quote]john2747 (5/24/2018)

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You make some  good Points John. The Company making the Aftermarket Distributors are using a machined Sleeves to join the Hybrid Shaft together. I can see that working if the machining is Accurate. I don't have much faith in the Examples Cardone is using when they claim their Inventory of 30-2808 is "fine". They just don't seem to care. Avoid their Distributors unless  You want problems not too far down the Road.

  

Go back to page # 1.I am a retired machinist worked in a machine shop for 44 yrs.I have worked with some very talented welders,I doubt that any of them would claim they could weld two shafts together and maintain a .005" tolerance in length.If it has ever been done it was due to lots of talent.Both length and straightness would be a big challenge.The measurement is taken properly from bottom of distributor housing flange to the bottom of machined pad on the bottom of the gear,not to the bottom of the gear teeth.I have built tach drive distributors from scratch using some original parts.A SBF distributor shaft is about .958" too short to use in a y-block.Like they say there is no substitute for length.SBF distributors can not be reconfigured to ford spec's for y-blocks,it is simply impossible without making the shaft longer That picture from Cardone is simply ridiculous,the measurement to the top of the gear is meaningless,distributor gears differ in height from different producers only the bottom pad on the gear comes into play.

                         john2747

Duuuhhhh!  Why didn't I think of this before.  I talked about splicing the shafts to get the correct length.  Why not take a Cardone distributor, cut the shaft somewhere between the gear and the housing, and weld in a piece of shaft to lengthen it.  It's a shame to have to do that, but if it makes it work I guess it is worth it.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

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Hi John. If You go back to Page 4, the Company making those Aftermarket Distributors are doing exactly that. Combining the lower Part of an original Y-Block Distributor with late new Production upper Distributors. They  want to purchase any Cores just to get the lower Shafts.I wasn't sure if the lower end of Shaft rides on the Block. That being the Case the Shorter Shafts will not work even with a longer Oil Pump Shaft. So much for that Idea. Thanks for the Info.

  

I have a comment on this shaft length issue.  Did you ever notice that the bottom of the driven gear is machined?  I think this is because the machined surface mates with the machined surface in the block.  The angle of the teeth on the camshaft would tend to push the distributor gear down and the machined surfaces would become a thrust surface.  If the gear location is 1/4" short, not only would the gear mesh be off, but the thrust surfaces would not touch.  The thrust surface would become the bottom of the distributor housing bowl and the flange on the shaft.  That area is typically not well lubed, so wear will be present.  Just my 2 cents.

As for the load-o-matic shaft exchange, the shafts would not interchange.  But, the load-o-matic and SBF shafts could be cut and spliced to get the desired length.  Back in the sixties I wanted mechanical advance for my '56 Bird, so I grafted the lower part of the '56 shaft to the upper part of the '57 shaft and gained mechanical advance while keeping the tach drive.  I couldn't afford a '57 Bird distributor then, and still can't.  I have a couple hundred thousand miles on my hybrid with no problems.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Mark: you mentioned the pre 1957 Load o Matic distributors. Does anyone know if the shafts interchange with later units?  And would they fit the SBF housings? If so, that would be a way to get usable cores into rebuilders hands. There must be some Load o Matics around gathering dust.. Also Mark, you mentioned  Autoline, are they still operating in Canada? 


Paul

It would be helpful to know that Information. Perhaps Ted could do a little checking when assembling one of the Y Blocks He rebuilds. I found an Article Ted wrote several Years ago regarding using different Drive Shafts when He modified an Oil Pump into a High Volume Pump. A different length Shaft was required to make it compatible with the Distributor. If Cardone is not going to fix the Problem then maybe We  can figure out how to make them work. The big Problem really is that the correct Cores are hard to come by because they don't get turned back in. So I guess this is Cardone's Solution to the Core Problem.  These 30-2808 Distributors can be recurved using Mr. Gasket Spring Kit., the Vacuum Advance is Adjustable, Aftermarket Electronic Ignition or Fords EEC  Ignitions can be installed. They can be a low $$ upgrade over the original Loadomatic if they can be made to fit correctly as far as Dimensions and Shaft Length.