Thread: Do I need sealant on an SBC Distributor Gasket?

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Thanks, Denny. But why did the slotted part down in the engine rotate? The distributor would only seat properly when the slot was lined up - but the point at which it lined up kept rotating clockwise. If I had the teeth lined up to fall on the marks correctly, it would not seat all the way down flush.

The point where it would seat all the way down kept changing, and that has me wondering...

That slotted part down the dist. hole is the oil pump drive. Because the dist. gear is helical cut, it turns the pump a bit when you pull it out. Put the dist. back in the same way as you took it out, allowing for it to turn as it goes down. If the pump drive doesn't line up, "bump" the starter and it will drop in.

Originally Posted by R Pope

That slotted part down the dist. hole is the oil pump drive. Because the dist. gear is helical cut, it turns the pump a bit when you pull it out. Put the dist. back in the same way as you took it out, allowing for it to turn as it goes down. If the pump drive doesn't line up, "bump" the starter and it will drop in.

Thanks for the help, too, R-