The one point nobody has made is this: Chevy uses a slot drive on the oil pump drive...180 degrees one way or the other. The distributor will slip in the right place or 180 degrees out as long as the oil pump drive hasn't been disturbed and the motor was at TDC when the distrutor was removed! Murphy's law says the motor wasn't at TDC when the distributor was removed. From the posts it sounds like it was. My experience is it's funny how things move when they shouldn't have or are not where I thought they were!

Griff...Very explicent instructions...hope it fires up and Cadillac!

I know what you're saying about the slot oil pump shaft. I implied it several times, just never got into it. I figured start from scratch just in case something moved. Getting the distributor to drop the last 3/8" into the slot is secondary. Once the gears are mated correctly, you can just bump the starter and the dist shaft will move and eventually drop into the slot and the gears will stay in the same position.

Griff,

I have to commend you for having the time and patients to walk a fellow boater thru this situation.Your the kind of guy that is the backbone of OSO.

Backbone? He's the heart and soul. Griff what are you like on delamination repairs online?

I can give some step by step mapquest directions to a fiberglass shop

You're the MAN.Now whats step 1 ???

#1 Ship boat to the US

Griff,

I have to say that YOU ARE THE MAN. I did everything that you said step by step and the engine is set at 10* BTDC and is running better than it has ever run before. Now you have to give me your address. Now is setting the roller rockers on the other engine easier or harder than what we did with the timing on this engine.

This made my head hurt. The thing that sux is those engines will run for years! If I went thru this they would blow in the garage!

I will say to the administrators of this site that I am joining this site as a VIP member because of GRIFF. As somebody said before people like him are why forums like this succeed. As I was explaining to my father who came to help about what Griff had done for me he was amazed that somebody actually cared and was willing to help. Thanks Again Griff You are the man