The bushing doesn't look NOS or supplied in a FoMoCo box or anything like that. It's just like the pic, bronze/copper color. With an oil hole, so I doubt it's oilite.

It did fit fine on an old shaft. After installation into the housing though, no way. I thought maybe if it was just a little on the tight side I could spin the old shaft with some oil and a drill and knock off the high spots, but it's going to take more than that.

The problem is usually the shaft and bushing are best replaced together. The wear is mostly on the bush but if one is trashed the other is getting there.

The measurement should be taken from the flat machined surface at the bottom of the gear is my understanding. If you want to get fancy, from what I'm reading the way to do it is to measure the dimension from the actual thrust surface in the block to the mounting boss on the block. Then, with all that fancy-pants arithmetic and jiggery-pokery that I should have paid more attention to in school instead of Kathy, the proper clearances can be determined so the gear and shaft ends up exactly halfway in the endplay range. The camshaft gear drives the distributor gear down, utilizing the pad in the block as a thrust surface. That's why the measurement should be taken there, or based upon that point anyway. If you can measure the dimension of the individual gear, then subsequent measurements would be easier using the top of the gear. I have three distributor gears on hand and the machined pad dimensions varies quite a bit, and the holes are placed randomly basically. That's at least one reason why they can't be swapped around.

OK, I was only able to measure the gear surface, if I add the machined surface then it comes into spec. and that was with the shaft pushed up with the collar against the body. It must be correct as that engine ran for countless miles since 59 and everything is still tight.. I just saved it for a back up or some future use..

Huh. Well there you have it. Thanks Jim! I owe ya beer.

Ted, forget what I said, I confused myself again. The measurement from flange to gear was 4.965 + .030 to the machined surface on the bottom of the gear = 4.995 with the shaft PULLED DOWN.. Sorry

I thought I was done adding my 2 Cents worth to this Topic but I just did a search for the Cardone 30-2808 which was the original cause for this Topic. They don't appear to be available from anyone who usually sells them. Is it possible that Cardone is now admitting there is a Problem with the Frankenstein Distributors they tried to produce using the wrong Shafts? Everywhere I checked online they are "not available". About Time they stopped selling them if that is the Reason they are not available.

  

That could be a good sign.


Lawrenceville, GA

I hope it is a sign of them taking responsibility, it would help their credibility as a supplier.  If they just stop making due to a lack of proper shafts it could hurt people in the future needing them

They likely will stop making them,. I can't see them making new shafts where they were reusing the original shafts before. It probably wouldn't be cost effective. I think we Y-blockers may sowed the seeds of this situation by sending in Loadamatic units as cores when we bought the rebuilt '57+ units. Sooner or later they were going to run out of the later cores to rebuild. I don't know if the Loadamatic units use the same shaft as the later ones but maybe they could use those.