Tool Tip: TBI distributor hold-down bolt

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Daveo91Burb

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There's very little room for a regular wrench or even a specialized distributor wrench - offset was too big on mine to get any rotation at all. Just too many obstructions (like fuel lines) in there. I made my own dizzy wrench by just bending a junky 9/16" wrench I had laying around. Bent it probably about 70-80 degrees, worked perfect. Map gas would probably be best, but I just heated it up with a propane torch which was hot enough to hit it with a
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hammer and get it to bend.


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Honky Kong jr

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I just would add this to would be wrench benders......be careful some cheap wrenches will shatter and you don't want to have to get metal pieces picked out of your face and eyes.
 

74 Shortbed

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I made a few of them before, lol..
 

MrMarty51

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I have a KD 104 3 piece wrench that has always woorked well. 9/16ths on one end and a half inch on the other end. Works well for the enjuns in the square bodies and also the TBI enjuns too.
The bolt does not need to be removed completely to remove the distributor, just loosened quite a ways then the clamp will slide back so the dist. can be pulled out of the hole, shoved back in too. LOL.
 

Daveo91Burb

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I have a KD 104 3 piece wrench that has always woorked well. 9/16ths on one end and a half inch on the other end. Works well for the enjuns in the square bodies and also the TBI enjuns too.
The bolt does not need to be removed completely to remove the distributor, just loosened quite a ways then the clamp will slide back so the dist. can be pulled out of the hole, shoved back in too. LOL.

Yeah, I have one of those 3 piece wrenches, not sure if it's a KD or not, but the offset is like 3 or more inches. It sticks out quite a ways past the body of the dizzy and there's no room to rotate it. The one I made just barely clears the base of the distributor so more room to rotate it. Yeah it was helpful not having to remove the bolt and clamp, but my problem was in initial loosening and then final tightening after timing. I actually disconnected both fuel lines to get the dizzy out but then I realized, ummmm, yeah, that wouldn't do too well for re-installing since I needed the engine to actually run during timing.

As for the safety aspect....yeah cheap forged tools could definitely be brittle. At least some sort of heat should be applied. That and safety goggles.
 

87scotty

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Do this with a ratchet wrench I've made a few of those as well for our trucks and John deeres old starters
 

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