Completed Buttercup's HEI Distributor

[Jerry Forrester]

New cap, rotor, vac. adv., Mr. Gasket advance curve kit, Accel performance module and a Performance Distributors 50,000 volt coil. Top half of an Olds distributor and the bottom half of a Stude distributor.

[63t-cab]

Nice Jerry, top half of Olds eh. looks really great,and I really like the "DANGER" High voltage decal

[PackardV8]

Very nice work. Have you confirmed all that big, tall cap stuff will clear the firewall for installation, removal and drag strip launches?

jack vines

[Jerry Forrester]

Yes, I am sure it will clear the firewall. I have a BDH.

Very nice work. Have you confirmed all that big, tall cap stuff will clear the firewall for installation, removal and drag strip launches?

jack vines

[Studedude]

Nice set-up, great choice of engine color!

[Jerry Forrester]

Thanks, I copied it from Sheba and The Cart Hauler.

Nice set-up, great choice of engine color!

[1962larksedan]

Jerry: what was involved in building your Stude HEI? As in machine work, etc.?

[Jerry Forrester]

See this thread.

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?78232-Studebaker-distributor-and-Oldsmobile-distributor

Jerry: what was involved in building your Stude HEI? As in machine work, etc.?

[hawk58man]

"it is alive!!"..........................

[1962larksedan]

See this thread.
http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...le-distributor

Thanks! Although could you post up some measurements of the cut lines to show how it all went together? Like PackardV8 stated: HEI stuff is still quite common, both stock and high performance

[altair]

Some time ago I asked the question as to why you left the transmission in place when you pulled the engine and you replied there was no reason to remove it, I am more curious than ever as to wheather the transmission is still in place or has it been removed? Is the new installation going to be standard or auto? David British Columbia

[Jerry Forrester]

I took no exact measurements when cutting the housings.
I cut the Stude housing about an 1-1/4" above the flange that the dist. clamp clamps on and machined it down just enough to clean up the rough cast iron housing.




I turned the Olds dist. housing down just enough to clean up the rough aluminum casting and cut it about an inch below the square boss on the distributor.




I then made a coupler using 1-1/2" cold rolled steel shaft 2 inches long. I bored the coupler all the way through to the size of the Olds dist. housing, plus .0005". I then bored the coupler half way through to the size of the Stude Dist. plus .0005". I drilled and tapped holes for 3/16" set screws at 90 degrees on the Olds end of the coupler, Machined a 45 degree taper on the Stude end of the coupler and brazed it onto the Stude dist. part.




I put the housings together and cut the Olds dist shaft to the approximate center of the coupler.
With the Olds shaft installed, I used a dial caliper to measure from the bottom of the Stude dist part, added thickness of the thurst washer and then added another .100" or so. I then put the dist. gear and thrust washer on and slid the Stude shaft into the dist. and measured the clearance on the thrust washer and then, using a belt sander relieved the Stude shaft of metal until I achieved a .010 clearance on the thrust washer.
I removed the shafts from the dist. and I ground the Olds and Stude shafts (where they meet inside the coupler) on a 45 degree angle leaving about 1/8" blunt point on each one. I clamped the shafts into a piece of angle iron, butting the ground down points together. Mig welded the shafts together building up the weld so that it was higher than the shafts. Let it cool overnight still clamped together. Removed it from the angle iron and turned the weld down to the size of the shaft. Reclamped it into the angle iron with the unwelded half of the shaft exposed and welded up that side of the shaft. Let it cool overnight and then turned down that part of the weld.
I thought I may have to do same straightening of the shaft due to all the heat from the welding but I got lucky and the shaft slipped into the upper and lower dist. bushings with no problem.

I hope this answers you question 'cause now I'm tired of this hunt and peck typing.
I think I have less time in building the distributor than I do typing this.

Thanks! Although could you post up some measurements of the cut lines to show how it all went together? Like PackardV8 stated: HEI stuff is still quite common, both stock and high performance

[Batman]

Nice work Jerry. I had this conversion done by David Levesque in 1992. It has performed perfectly for over 20 years. One of these days "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" distributor, that is.