[DeTomaso] 351 and 302 Distributer Compatibility

Thomas Tornblom Thomas.Tornblom at hax.se
Mon Feb 22 03:14:56 EST 2010


MikeLDrew at aol.com skrev:
> In a message dated 2/21/10 15 40 32, dnunn at telus.net writes:
> 
> 
>> I'm pretty sure Thomas Tornblom can tell you
>> exactly what the differences are between the 302 and 351C/W distributors
>> because I believe he modified a 302 distributor to work in his fuel 
>> injected
>> 351C. I'm pretty sure there was more to it than changing shafts. I recall
>> the 302 housing being slightly smaller in diameter than the 351 housing 
>> but
>> I could be wrong.
>>
>>
> 
> He'll of course weigh in soon enough, but my recollection is that his car 
> has an Australian 351C which used a Bosch (not Ford) distributor, and the 
> hole in the block was a different size, i.e. 302-sized instead of normal 351C 
> size.
> 
> Thomas?   Am I close?

Yes, and no :)

A 302 distributor will not work in any 351, W or C. The pilot hole in 
the block is narrower on a 302 than on a 351, and this hole works as a 
bearing for the tip of the distributor shaft. It would probably work 
briefly, but you will most likely ruin the distributor gear on the cam, 
the shaft and the block.

The pilot hole differs between the US (.51") and Australian (.49") 
351C:s, so the distributors doesn't interchange between these either.

When I installed the EFI on my Aussie 351C I used a distributor from a 
7.5L (460) EFI, and turned down the tip from .51" to .49". When the 
motor ate a cam lobe in Italy, I built a new motor using a US block, and 
I had to get another 7.5L EFI dist to get an unmodified shaft.

I have since gotten rid of the distributor and run EDIS crank trigger, 
and I now use a cam sensor from a 3.8L V6, with a machined adapter to 
make it fit the block hole and the correct install height. The shaft has 
the correct diameter for both the gear (.531") and the pilot hole (.51").

I'm about to check out a Frankensensor I've made out of 5.0 truck cam 
sensor (housing) and a 4.0L V6 sensor (shaft). Using a thicker O-ring I 
believe I can make the housing fit the block properly, but the tip of 
the shaft needs to be turned down from .531" to .51".


> 
> Mike

Thomas

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-- 
Real life:   Thomas Törnblom             Email:  Thomas.Tornblom at Hax.SE
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              S - 754 40 Uppsala, Sweden  Cellular: +46 70 261 1372




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