How to Install a Distributor in a 429, 460 BBF the Easy Way & Get it to go all the way down
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- The old saying is true, "There's no excuse for Bad Timing" so in this video I'll show you the tried-and-true method for installing (dropping) a distributor into an engine that will keep you right in Time all the Time.
Now in this video I'm doing it on a 460ci (7.4L) BBF (big block Ford) with a Weinand Dual Quad Tunnel Ram and it's a points system but the method doesn't change. I do the same thing with an HEI Distributor, and it also works on any engine that has a distributor (you can use this same method with Mopar, Chevy, Oldsmobile, Buick, Pontiac, ect ect ect). The only thing that will change is how each make numbers/labels their cylinders, and where you are starting with number one on the distributor cap.
As I mentioned in my other video on this topic • The Fool Proof Way to ... you can change where number one is on the cap, but if you are setting it for the stock location do your true research on where Number One actually is on the Distributor (Dizzy) Cap. For this I prefer to use Motor's Shop Manuals. They are the most dependable of all the DIY Repair Manuals because they are tailored for the Auto Repair Shops & Mechanics. In this case (Ford) the Rotor in the Distributor points to the number 7 cylinder (2nd on from the firewall on the driver's side (lefthand side) of the car) NOT number 1 like 90% of everyone says.
Also, I show some of the simple modifications I had to do to the Weinand Tunnel Ram to make enough clearance to allow for full rotation of the Distributor to make fine tuning a breeze once it does fire up.
Hope this all helps and thanks for watching me doing all I can to get out there and "Keep that Metal Hot!"
![Ford 460 7.5 Liter: Everything You Need to Know [Specs & More]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-k9_HfJpSVA/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you sir, im rebuilding an 86 with the 460 and this helped a lot.
Best info video I’ve ever found! Been fighting my jet boat motor all weekend trying to stab in pointing at 1. And now it makes perfect sense. It’s acting 180 out because my cap is firing 180 degrees from 1. I bet money I’m gonna go point my distributor at 7 and it’ll fire, or I could swap my cap around to fire where the rotor is pointing at 1. I’ve been hearing it can fire in 6 different locations. With your break down I understand fully now!
Well thanks Lucas Jackson 204 (lolol one of my all-time favorite movies man).
Yeah, it's so tight around that t-stat housing and everything, that you really don't have the options to move number 1 on the cap like other makes and models.
Also, that's actually a Berkley/Ford 460 you have there! it's exactly what I have in "Sir Rats-A-Lot" with the tunnel ram! We pulled this one out of a Jet Boat years ago! If you ever sell that boat, pull that gem out and drop an 80's tall deck down in it's place..... because you are sitting on the "poor boy's" Cobra Jet" with that thing!
@@BareRoseGarage I have a 460 with a panther pump in my sleek craft, my race boat is a vdrive with 500+ ci big chief motor
That's brilliant !! So simple but so effective. I've battled getting the dizzy in many times on the fords, now I just feel silly 🤪😎👍. Thanks for the tip!!!
You're very welcome, Kiwi and thanks a million for stopping by man!
And no worries at all my friend, I felt the exact same way when I finally learned this as well.
Good video as always 👍 I'm liking the way them Edelbrocks are lookin 👌
Thanks man and dang good to see ya again!
Great video Kim.
Nice job clearancing the Tunnel Ram.
You are absolutely correct about setting your starting timing point or position.
Have a great weekend. 👍 🇺🇸
Thanks Ed! Yeah I tried everything I knew to avoid nibbling on that TR but in the end I had to do it.
You know, I have an old Chilton's manual and even it says to point it to number one.
Dad was right, Motor's Manual's are the better ones.... lololol.
Great seeing you man and thanks a million for stopping by.
@@BareRoseGarage I agree Kim, the Motors Manuals were always better than Chiltons!
My Dad said this and is what he had also.
Chiltons are better than nothing.
Better than online stuff too.
Have a great day.👍🇺🇸
Great video...I was surprised about point to number 7....number 1 like many others is what I've always heard..but now I see what the book shows...thanks for sharing
Before doing this one I read a lot of forums, talked to a lot of people at the car shows, and even looked at an old Chilton's manual. All be dad gum they all say that. But the real shop manual "Motors" brand shows it plain as day with pictures even. No wonder why dad always said Chiltons wasn't very good.... lololol.
Awesome video KIM. Thanks for sharing. Nice tips. Keep the content coming. Hope you have an incredible weekend. Much love and RESPECT brother
Thanks a Mill Tim and Right back at ya man!
Man your title right on all things being good Damn right nobody got any excuse not to know how to stab that dizzy right in place in time everytime!😂😂 even some rich guy can do it 220 times!...😂😂😂
Thanks Moparnut! I think I dropped that down the hole 221 times trying to get it to clear around that TR... lololol.
That was really truly interesting!
Thanks Brother Hoop! I did miss a little bit in the end there though. When I'm finalizing it I'm actually going off of that second mark I made - the 10 degrees before TDC - mark. Had someone come into the shop while I was filming that and had to pause - take off where I was - and forgot to mention that bit in it..... oh well someone will catch that and it's not a killer if you do drop it in on the TDC mark. You just have to turn the dizzy back about a quarter inch when it fires is all.
Great video! Great tips and advice!👍
Thanks Mitch and thanks for stopping in man!
Good stuff brother!
Thanks Man and GREAT to see ya! missed you these past few weeks, but then again I've been on the Hot n Busy this whole year as well.
If the pump drive shaft doesn't line up, I just take an old distributor shaft and rotate it a little until it meshes. An 8mm socket taped to a long extension will work too.
I used to do it that way until I found this method, which is a lot easier IMO, but I totally use the taped-up socket on an extension, or the old distributor that I took the gear off of, to prime them!
Watching
Thanks man, and thanks for stopping by!
You mentioned this applies 69-71 but what about the 68’ 429? Should be the same no?
Yeah, same thing.
Also it's the same for most of the earlier FE's as well.
You never explained that 10 ° marks importance.
Had someone come into the shop right in the middle of filming that, and missed that little bit, but it's more for "timing" than dropping it in.
They all fire at 10 degrees Before TDC not at the actual TDC mark, so I set the harmonic on that mark and turned the distributor until the points just started to touch to make it fire at the touch of a key. HEI distributors you can't do that because you can't see the actual flick of the switch.... if that makes sense.
Later when I actually put a timing light on it to dial it in, that 10 degrees BTC is the mark I'm shooting for.
@BareRoseGarage thank you for completing your explanation. I have a situation where my 85 460 ford ran great then I,parked it over nite, and now it won't start. I replaced the coil, the , switch on the column tube, the spark module, and even the two wire p,ug with the flat bottom to that module, and no dice. I figured there's nothing else it can be except the dizzy pick up coil. Might replace just that part without pulling the distributor....that is if I don't have to, but if I do, I appreciate your video, and will do it your way. I have books that give tests for components, but if they are new, and not junk parts, I can't think of anything else it could be . Just had to tow it out of town to storage.... because the cops won't allow motor homes on the street for more than 24 hours, then must be moved 700' or they fine you big time. I've not been big on fords , but how can a truck run like a bat outa hell, then not start ? I DO KNOW THAT FORDS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WEAK ON GROUNDS. So I figure it needs more grounds, why else would it not be getting spark ? Have thought about replacing the old Ford dizzy with a chevy with the coil on top. Or I've even seen them wire up chevy ign modules inside those old ford spark control boxes also. I can't keep breaking down, as AAA ONLY GIVES YOU 4 TOWS A YEAR, AND WITH TODAYS TOW, I've used up two now. Any suggestions. It's hard with a 460 when you only get 6 mpg at 5.00 a gallon across the country. ( but love how it runs when it runs well. ) i rebuilt the C6 as a monster transmission,and it runs great, but I hate how hard it is to unplug all those plugs under the hood....it shouldn't be that hard to do. Fix or repair daily, unless you know the secret...I think this MH is haunted !
Yikes, tell the owner of that rod to scrap that whiny Cardone steering pump and go with a Saginaw.
It's got the "Ford Whine" for sure!
Good eye on that man!
So then you just hook up the wires in firing order to those cylinders , but on the cap... it starts at wherever one is , ( counter clockwise as the rotor turns) right ? Great, you helped me a lot. I have a 85 460 that I believe needs a new dizzy that has never been replaced. I've just about replaced everything electrical it could be, and still no spark. There's about 160,000 on it, but I guess it might need replacing. But it ran like a bat out he'll few days ago. Smuuthe as a baby's behind, but now just turns over, and won't start. Thanks for your help.
I'll start with the easy one first - make sure the vacuum advance is hooked up. I've called myself an idiot a few times for forgetting that one..... lololol.
Sounds like it's a tooth off, or that it needs a little more advance (getting you closer to that 10 degree btc mark on the harmonic) but we'll take it slow before we dive on in.
Do you have one of those "Bump Starters"? They are ultra cheap at Harbor Freight or even the ones at O'Reiely's, Autozone, etc etc are pretty cheap and VERY handy for doing this stuff. I highly recommend them and a "Spark Tester" looks like a spark plug with a clamp on it, you plug it into a plug wire, clamp it to a ground somewhere and watch it for spark as you turn the engine over. Those 2 tools will save you hours of frustration and they are really cheap.
1st thing I'd do is check for spark, then move on to making sure that spark is going where & when it needs to go.
If you didn't pull the distributor yet, do the spark test 1st and foremost, because these Motorcraft distributors will generally last a long long time, but everything else wears out around them. I've bought many coils & Duraspark Boxes that where DOA right out of the box, even the made in the USA ones.
Anyway if you have spark just no fire.... loosen the distributor bolt just enough that you can turn the distributor but it still holds it in place.
While it's turning over trying to start slowly turn that distributor clockwise (advance) and it should start to pop off (try to start).
If you run out of room and can't turn it anymore (vacuum adv is hitting the T-stat housing or what ever), you know you are a tooth off on the distributor gear, pull it and start over.
If it's dragging on the starter (making it sound like you have a dead battery) you've gone to far.
Oh!! and if you are using the "bump starter" to do all this..... make sure the key is on. If not all it does is turn the motor over without spark.... yeah, I've done that one too... lololol.
Once you do get it to fire up & idle, you can put a Timing Light on it to dial it right in to the exact degree.
I probably left something out in that, but that should get you started in the right direction with this, and I did my best to start with the cheap before you move to the money.
Hope it helps, and let me know how it goes man.
@BareRoseGarage I will, and I have had bad electrical parts right out of the box also. I will get a bump starter, but regarding parts.....they no longer check ford spark boxes, hei modules, coils, or regulators that are external any longer. They just replace them one time. That sucks because you could be getting A bad part as a warrantied part, how would you know except to know how to test the part with an ohm meter or some other diagnostic tool. Years ago I had an idea that ford or chevy should have had a job shop in factories to custom build old model cars for customers upgrading components, hiring more 0eople to put to work. I can recall when you could buy changeover books that also listed what parts fit on multiple vehicles, to save you money on parts, and stuff like disc brake kits for older cars. Nothing like that exists now. There's a guy from Denver that has a show on TH-cam called Schroedingers box that teaches modern auto repair science. He has a 3.33 a month subscription to watch all his repair videos, if you've never seen any of his free ones, look his video's up on you tube. Thanks for the tips.....I'll let you know whether I figure why my truck won't fire up.
When you pull the dizzy initially, if you leave it where it is, shouldn't all be lined up, including the pump .?
In theory yes, and I have gotten away with it a couple of times, but the oil pump drive..... it almost never does. (I've done many many many of these and can count on 1 hand the number of times that the oil pump drive just slid right in, when it happened on this video I was SHOCKED even though it was wrong..... lololol)
But it's also an easy way to get it a tooth off. 1 tooth is generally in-between two plugs.
If I do try it that way, if it doesn't work, I'll do what I did here and roll it up on number 1 compression stroke & set the harmonic pointer to TDC (or that 10 BTDC if you want) and start over.
This one I'm working on is a High Compression older BBF so I play it safe with starting my timing closer to TDC and dial it back with the Timing Light so it doesn't "ping" if that makes sense.
@BareRoseGarage yes it does....but this gas from Venezuela is crap, and my 460 is not being raced, so until we begin energy independence again, we all suffer . They need to hold gasoline to 99 cents a gallon for 8 years at least to just begin to help the drivers and the economy get back on it's feet. Harris won't do anything to fix anything...just giggles like she's high .