I am putting a new dizzy in my 317 lyb. There is no cap on it yet. There are no wires or plugs in yet. I want to be able to put it in right, first time.
I have changed the oil pump and shaft to one that fits this dizzy out of a 60 292 fyb.
I know that I need to get the number one piston tdc but have no idea how to turn the dizzy to the right position.

Brad
Sierra Vista Arizona
1954 Lincoln Capri

Take the #1 side rocker cover off, turn over the engine with a breaker bar on the nut of the damper (tightening) until the #1 intake opens and closes and the timing mark comes up to the pointer. If you have a manual it should show you where to aim the rotor it’s normally towards the carb but to some it doesn’t matter. Insert the distributor and seat it on the flange. Set the cap on in its notch and the post the rotor is aiming at is your #1. The plug wires can now go on the cap in the correct firing order follow the direction the rotor was turning. If the spark plugs are not in mark the wires with the number they should go to. 

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

What direction does the engine turn so I can place the wires correctly?

Brad
Sierra Vista Arizona
1954 Lincoln Capri

Most Ford engines have the distributor rotating CCW.  You can verify this by just twisting the rotor against the internal mechanical springs and the direction the rotor turns against the spring tension is the direction the distributor turns.

See if this link to an older thread helps in regard to dropping in the distributor.

http://forums.y-blocksforever.com/FindPost158583.aspx 

As mentioned, you do still need to make sure you are coming up on the compression stroke.  Observing the intake valve as it closes, checking for compression out of the #1 hole when turning over the engine, or just observing that the #6 cylinder has both its valves on the overlap cycle are all indicators of being at the compression stroke for the #1 cylinder.  Because most of these methods rely on the damper reading TDC at the correct position, a slipped damper ring will lead you astray.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Next question, changing the gear on the dizzy. The pins holding them on are a little different. How do I get them out and where do I find a new one to hold gear on?

Brad
Sierra Vista Arizona
1954 Lincoln Capri

Some form of ‘roll pin’ is usually tasked with the job of holding the distributor gear in place on the shaft.  With the lower end of the distributor supported firmly in a horizontal position, a drift punch that is sized slightly smaller than the roll pin is used to drive the pin out of the distributor gear and shaft.  While the roll pins can be reused if not damaged in removing them, they are a hardware store item.

Before removing the pin, it’s important to measure the distance between the bottom of the gear and the ledge on the distributor that fits on the block.  I always measure that distance with the gear pushed up and also another measurement with the gear extended down.  The measurement of the cavity in the block where the distributor fits should fall in between those two distributor gear measurements.

Be forewarned that the holes are not in the same exact locations on the distributor gears.  If installing the gear and you get the measurement correct while the hole in the distributor gear and shaft are not aligned, you need to turn the gear 90° and drill a new hole in the shaft using the existing distributor gear hole as a guide.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Would measuring the original distributor work the same ? To my eye, without measuring, they appear to be the same length. Would measuring the distance from the gear to the ledge on the old one give me the placement of the Lincoln gear on the Ford distributor?

Brad
Sierra Vista Arizona
1954 Lincoln Capri

That is a YES in that the gear placement on the replacement distributor needs to match the gear placement on the original.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)