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Hello.

I did some googling but I am not 100% on this, but I didn't install Dizzy drive when building the case so i need to now install it afterwards.

I believe there needs to be 2 shims under it then it needs to be installed but are there any detailed tutorials or videos on how to install it?

Thanks

Rather than being vague about what you have, why not let the rest of us know?
The shim count can be one or two and some instances of two can be replaced with one (and vice versa).

If in doubt post a picture of what you have.

There were some early engines that used other arrangements (most of those had distinctive drive pinions with longer "snouts", and once in a great while you'll come across a case that was machined deeper requiring a spacer to compensate - but these days the odds of you needing anything other than two thin shims are extremely low. If, when you go to install the distributor you find that with the drive dogs misaligned it stands above its fully-installed position by less than half the length of a drive dog, investigation is necessary - but 99% or more of the time it won't be.

Coat the washers with grease to make them sticky, slide them onto a long stiff wire, dowel, Phillips screwdriver, etc. and hold onto them while you poke it into the hole in the base of the bore. Drop the washers in, then swirl the wire about to center them around the hole before you insert the pinion. The pinion will have to rotate clockwise slightly as it goes in and meshes with the worm gear on the crank, so you want to introduce it about 15° CCW of where it needs to end up when fully in. That position is dependent upon the distributor in use. Generally, all pre-`74 Type I are the same**. Best practice is to check that the bore fits OK by inserting the pinion upside-down with a few drops of oil on it and seeing that it rotates freely; remove it and put the distributor in the hole without the pinion, rotating the body until it's where you want it to end up, then turn the rotor until it lines up with the #1 notch in the rim. Now pull the distributor straight out and hold the pinion up under it to align its slot with the drive dogs on the distributor; set the distributor aside, then rotate the pinion about 15° CCW from that position and drop it in. You may need to coax it a little but don't force it - merely wriggling it a bit with a big screwdriver blade should align it so that it can fall in of its own weight. Insert the little spring into the end of the pinion (again, using a stiff wire or something to guide it into place will keep it from getting lost in the bowels of the engine). Install the O-ring on the distributor and insert it with the rotor intentionally misaligned, and note how far the distributor is from "home" before you turn the rotor to allow it to go all the way in.

**For most Type I distributors, the pinion (when fully inserted) will be oriented so that its slot is side-to-side (perpendicular to the crankshaft) and towards the rear bumper, so the wider segment of the pinion is towards the front of the car. Later-model distributors like the SVDA need it one tooth clockwise from there to have the vacuum canister end up in the "normal" position

Never ever rotate the crankshaft until the distributor is in without pressing down on the pinion to keep it from climbing up and chewing the brass gear on the crank.

Unless he is working with a type-4, that is why I wanted to know.
Also the cooling system and clocking of the distributor would be nice to know.

Marc wrote:There were some early engines that used other arrangements (most of those had distinctive drive pinions with longer "snouts", and once in a great while you'll come across a case that was machined deeper requiring a spacer to compensate - but these days the odds of you needing anything other than two thin shims are extremely low. If, when you go to install the distributor you find that with the drive dogs misaligned it stands above its fully-installed position by less than half the length of a drive dog, investigation is necessary - but 99% or more of the time it won't be.

Coat the washers with grease to make them sticky, slide them onto a long stiff wire, dowel, Phillips screwdriver, etc. and hold onto them while you poke it into the hole in the base of the bore. Drop the washers in, then swirl the wire about to center them around the hole before you insert the pinion. The pinion will have to rotate clockwise slightly as it goes in and meshes with the worm gear on the crank, so you want to introduce it about 15° CCW of where it needs to end up when fully in. That position is dependent upon the distributor in use. Generally, all pre-`74 Type I are the same**. Best practice is to check that the bore fits OK by inserting the pinion upside-down with a few drops of oil on it and seeing that it rotates freely; remove it and put the distributor in the hole without the pinion, rotating the body until it's where you want it to end up, then turn the rotor until it lines up with the #1 notch in the rim. Now pull the distributor straight out and hold the pinion up under it to align its slot with the drive dogs on the distributor; set the distributor aside, then rotate the pinion about 15° CCW from that position and drop it in. You may need to coax it a little but don't force it - merely wriggling it a bit with a big screwdriver blade should align it so that it can fall in of its own weight. Insert the little spring into the end of the pinion (again, using a stiff wire or something to guide it into place will keep it from getting lost in the bowels of the engine). Install the O-ring on the distributor and insert it with the rotor intentionally misaligned, and note how far the distributor is from "home" before you turn the rotor to allow it to go all the way in.

**For most Type I distributors, the pinion (when fully inserted) will be oriented so that its slot is side-to-side (perpendicular to the crankshaft) and towards the rear bumper, so the wider segment of the pinion is towards the front of the car. Later-model distributors like the SVDA need it one tooth clockwise from there to have the vacuum canister end up in the "normal" position

Never ever rotate the crankshaft until the distributor is in without pressing down on the pinion to keep it from climbing up and chewing the brass gear on the crank.

The last part is the one that most people forget about.