[konwal455gto]

Greetings' Do I need to remove distributor from my 65 GTO to change vacuum advance?
Thanks Bill

[Kenth]

No, long arms help though.

[pfilean]

No, long arms help though.

Yes - and good eyes at that distance.

[Scott Thelander]

Pull it ...
Is it points time ?
top dead center aimed at number 1 on the cap ...
a little scribe mark on the base of distrib and block to line em back up

there is a bit of a hassle getting the ground wire off and then the other screw
is kinda under the points plate ,,,and you have to advance the plate to get
the screw out from under the plate... the screw is about 2 threads longer than the
distance between the plate and the distributor body, soit comes out with a little prying.. then ..you need to twist and push down the vac advance arm thru the
points plate..

and your half way ... all the while wondering if your belt buckle is digging into your fender and how do you get the screw out you dropped into the distrib body..

I like pullin' 'em

Scott T

Itcan be done and guys do it all the time ... but ....

[GT182]

I'm with Scott on this Bill. Better to pull the distributor and know you've done it all the "right" way and no parts are missing.

I don't know how correct your car is but think about a Pontiac HEI unit. Way less trouble than points. I changed to an HEI 5 years ago and wouldn't go back to points at all.

[konwal455gto]

You guys sure are not the bearer of good news lately First lifting the motor to install the ramair manifolds and now pulling the distributor to change the vacuum advance. I guess it is easier to pull it than crawl in there, lol Thanks Bill

[Goatracer1]

I disagree. I was a mechanic for over 30 years and I can see NO reason to pull the distributor.

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by Goatracer1

I disagree. I was a mechanic for over 30 years and I can see NO reason to pull the distributor.

Agree! If you have the "Extra Tools" to do it right you do not have the Belt Buckle on the fender.

1) I wear Sweat Pants when working around my car. Either regular length or cut off in the summer, so no paint scratches.

2) I built a "Put-together" wood bench that is 18" high and 16" front to back and 3 feet long"
This "bench gets me much higher up on the fender when I bend over so I can easily reach the distributor and other parts of the car. There are two 9" steps so I do not have to "climb" on the bench. The bench has rubber feet so it does not slide on the concrete.

3) I use a heavy/soft piece of "Patchwork" Blanket I found at a Garage Sale over the fender so again no scratches and soft to lay on.

All That being said, with those tools and depending on what I want to do on the car, I can easily pull a part in a very short period of time to bench repair it or lube it or can just swap parts, (On the Car).

I built these "Tools" to have an "enjoyable experience" working on the car/driveline parts, not as a "PIA to work on"
but "to have to work on the GTO" deal.

Sorry for the commentary but each to his own on this deal, no wrong or right.

Tom V.

ps If you love your HEI and it never fails on you on the road, I am happy for you.

[64speed]

What Tom said. Soft pants and a fender apron. Small step stool if you need it. No reason to pull it

[geeteeohguy]

I've been a mechanic for almost 40 years and it's easier for me to pull the distributor. I can have it in and out in less than 5 minutes. Much easier to do this work on the bench, and a good opportunity to rehab the distributor if it needs it. Different strokes for different folks, though. If you want to do it in-car, that's a viable option as well, especially if you haven't r&r'd many distributors.

[Rich-Tripower]

If it is a tripower it is a little more difficult all the way around, the rear carb gets in your line of sight a fair amount for either working on it in place or pulling the distributor. That said, I'd leave the distributor in the car myself. I installed a Crane XRi with the distributor still in the car, not really that big of a deal. All the benefits of an HEI (more actually because it contains a rev limiter) while retaining the stock look (same distributor, no extra wires).

**update** I guess the XRi sells under the FAST brand name now. Same thing, just a new brand name.

Also, concerning the rev limiter, it is a a "soft" rev limiter that takes out random firings to stop the revs from increasing instead of cutting off ALL ignition firings above a certain RPM. This is a much gentler way to rev limit and it works very well. I found it very helpful since I often drive Chevys that rev to 7000 and when switching to the Pontiac it helps me not over rev due to habit.

[konwal455gto]

Would the fast xri clear a 65 tripower ?

[Rich-Tripower]

Originally Posted by konwal455gto

Would the fast xri clear a 65 tripower ?

It fits entirely under the distributor cap, so yes. The XRi module replaces the points set.

I should add this though. Even though I stated above that I installed the XRi with the distributor still in the engine, I will admit now that it would be easier to install if you pull the distributor. But THAT said, it can still be installed with the distributor in the engine without a lot of trouble.

But, to your original question about installing a vacuum advance can, I'd do that with the distributor in the engine.