Gauging interest on TIII distributor plates and machined cam ends!

[Clay]

According to the thread I linked to, if you use a 1/2 thick plate, no dist mods are needed. Yep, just notch out the exhaust cam end.

according to John (Omniboy) the distributor will spin the opposite direction, so you will have to do some internal distributor mods/wire swaps/etc

[turbovanman²]

according to John (Omniboy) the distributor will spin the opposite direction, so you will have to do some internal distributor mods/wire swaps/etc

Thats been covered, you don't need to mod the distributor itself.

[Clay]

ok, cool. I just want to make sure I understand whats going on for future reference!

[turbovanman²]

ok, cool. I just want to make sure I understand whats going on for future reference!

I'll know more myself after I get one done.

[Omniboy]

I don't see how it could possibly work without modifying the distributor. The exhaust cam will spin the distributor in reverse direction. The way I over came this was to grind the little bit of plastic off of the pick up wheel so you can reposition it one hole back. Then glue it back down. Then you need to swap the trigger wires. Then swap the #2 and #3 plug wires. I don't know of any other way to make it work other than the way I did it. Unless there was some sort of custom calibration that could be done to make it work.

[Omniboy]

The way I described above is the way I did it like 4 years ago on my T3 minivan. I at first thought it would just be a matter of cutting the cam and making the plate. Once mounted I soon found out that just swapping the plug wires was not enough. So then I swapped the pick up wires and this got me closer but still the pick up window was in the incorrect location for reverse rotation. Thus the need for moving the pick up window. I will take some pictures of my setup tomorrow and some pics of the pick up wheel. Has anybody else successfully ran a distributor like this and did it without having to modify the pick-up window ?

[turbovanman²]

The way I described above is the way I did it like 4 years ago on my T3 minivan. I at first thought it would just be a matter of cutting the cam and making the plate. Once mounted I soon found out that just swapping the plug wires was not enough. So then I swapped the pick up wires and this got me closer but still the pick up window was in the incorrect location for reverse rotation. Thus the need for moving the pick up window. I will take some pictures of my setup tomorrow and some pics of the pick up wheel. Has anybody else successfully ran a distributor like this and did it without having to modify the pick-up window ?

I see what your saying and know about swapping the PU wires but why cylinders 2 and 3? the firing order is still the same.

As for the pickup window, the slot is centered in the vane so thats not the problem, maybe the #1 sync is in a different spot on the pickup, or X amount of degrees before/after the #1 firing point.

[turbovanman²]

Ok, just looked at a dist and pu, it looks like the #1 sync sits at 11 oclock looking at the block, so that is going to be an issue. Even turning the HEP around, doesn't alter that location.

[Omniboy]

#2 and #3 will need swapped as well because it will be going in reverse rotation...TRUST ME...I have done it and this is what you have to do to make it work correctly.

[Omniboy]

you have to change the pick up location because of swapping the pick up wires.

[86Shelby]

Omniboy- I'm not following you for the reason the vanes need to be moved. I could understand moving them if someone was dead set on having the body of the distributor in a certain position. When you get down to it if you remove the vanes and move them over 45*, you could have just moved the body of the distributor 45* and accomplished the same thing- granted the flat side of the distributor body won't be in the same position you originally wanted. Am I totally off base with this thinking?

[turbovanman²]

#2 and #3 will need swapped as well because it will be going in reverse rotation...TRUST ME...I have done it and this is what you have to do to make it work correctly.

I understand that, sorry, got lost earlier and yes, the firing order needs to be changed.

Omniboy- I'm not following you for the reason the vanes need to be moved. I could understand moving them if someone was dead set on having the body of the distributor in a certain position. When you get down to it if you remove the vanes and move them over 45*, you could have just moved the body of the distributor 45* and accomplished the same thing- granted the flat side of the distributor body won't be in the same position you originally wanted. Am I totally off base with this thinking?

The TDC spot doesn't change wether the distributor is forward or backwards, its the #1 sync, if you take the top cover off the HEP, you can see the sync sits at 11 oclock, this is the issue whengoing backwards.

[86Shelby]

I still don't understand why you need to remove the trigger wheel and place it in a different position on the shaft. That is a lot of work to do something that can be taken care of by putting the body at a different position. What do you do when the oil pump line is not perfectly aligned with the block? Do you remove the wheel and reposition it? Heck no, you simply rotate the distributor body. Sure, the flat part is at an angle, but that's a whole lot easier than melting the plastic, removing the wheel, and then remelting the plastic to reinstall the wheel. Follow me now? Am I misunderstanding what Omniboy wrote?

Swap pins so the HEP signals are in the correct order- understand. Firing order changes- understood.

[turbovanman²]

I still don't understand why you need to remove the trigger wheel and place it in a different position on the shaft. That is a lot of work to do something that can be taken care of by putting the body at a different position. What do you do when the oil pump line is not perfectly aligned with the block? Do you remove the wheel and reposition it? Heck no, you simply rotate the distributor body. Sure, the flat part is at an angle, but that's a whole lot easier than melting the plastic, removing the wheel, and then remelting the plastic to reinstall the wheel. Follow me now? Am I misunderstanding what Omniboy wrote?

Swap pins so the HEP signals are in the correct order- understand. Firing order changes- understood.

Your not getting it. The #1 sync is at 11 oclock looking at the block, now reverse the rotation and now the #1 sync is at 1 oclock. Moving the distributor does nothing except change both of them, which still puts the #1 sync out. The only way to mod the sync is to move the PU to the other side or somehow mod the window.

[86Shelby]

I'll dig out a dizzy & hep tonight and take a look. There's something I'm missing here. Are the hep pickups possibly at different heights?

[Omniboy]

Here are some pics of my setup. I swapped the trigger wires on the van side of the harness so if I ever needed to buy a pick-up while on the road i could just stop at any auto parts store and buy a new pick up. The only mod to the distributor was moving the pick up wheel window to the other side of the pick-up .

[Omniboy]

If you don't move the pick up wheel the rotor will be in the incorrect location in reference to the pick up and window. This is why you have to move the pick wheel because just turning the distributor will not accomplish the correct alignments for reverse rotation.

[Omniboy]

[Omniboy]

Here are my picks of the rest of the stuff that I'm working on for my T3 into the omni

60 trim turbo


My start to a header

[Omniboy]