spin the wheels ?

A 78 with points??

Hmmmm..old distributor, or an aftermarket?

BDK

Sorry - I do forget its relevant... the motor is a 73, the car is 78

Rich

Oh, OK. The frozen vacuum advance is going to be a problem..

BDK

Yeah - I guessed that !!!

Any ideas how to fix it ? Can I spray with WD40 etc or is that a no no ?

Rich

Replace the distributor with a HEI model to start off with. If that is not possible then buy a distributor rebuild kit and or replace the vacuum advance module.

...Ron

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This sounds good to me. My 79's distributor had the typical HEI rusted weight problem and I used a honing stone to smooth them out and get the rust off, and used some gun lube on them every six months to keep them free, but the rusting was always a problem on some cars. The rusted weight problem was solved permanently by running an external coil. Coil life in Las Vegas went from about a year (When it got a big blue spot on it)to pretty much forever. I put the cooked coils in my emergency box of parts in the trunk. A cap, rotor, pickup, some vacuum hoses, high end duct tape, loctite, and fuses for everything were there, but I never used any of them, that car was pretty much 100% reliable.

I was so stupid to sell it.

BDK

thank you both

I will try cleaning it lubing it 1st. I had though about a HEI, will keep an eye out on ebay.

Are they easy to get out and put back ? Chilton sasys they are, but they usually do !

Rich

Yes, pretty simple to change the distributor. Just remove the cap and wires, mark somewhere on the engine or firewall where the rotor points to, loosen the hold down clamp, remove the distributor (keep an eye on where the rotor ends up as you pull it out), drop the new distributor and gasket back in (making sure to get the rotor pointing at the spot you marked), rewire what needs to be rewired (usually just a keyed power source), start the car, and set the timing.

Chiltons or the like has step by step instructions to go by.

...Ron

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