Yes you are correct about it staying aligned with the shaft and no it won't slip down the hole. I figured I could turn it with a long screwdriver if necessary. just wanted to see if others experienced the same thing. I stabbed the dist upside down and sealed it.
Thanks!

 

I usually put the shaft on the pump and put them in place together from the bottom. Mine isn't attached to anything, but never had an issue of it lifting up while indexing it. I use my oil priming shaft as an indexing tool.

 

I wanted it upside down to install the gaskets and seals. I think it all worked out well. I have an old dist to prime with and when I time the dist.I'll index. It's just sitting there now plugging the hole. I want the motor all sealed up,covered and in the other room before I start to cut and grind to fit the new rad.

 

rydeer that radiator and headers look really sharp,i always put my oilpump in from the bottom too,might take a little work to get that radiator to fit but will be worth it in the end as they cool much better,and them headers are sharp let me know how they fit i may get a set too.

 

So admittedly I forgot to install the shaft in my motor. They dot fit through the top, thats how I know they don't fall out. As for lining it up.. I don't I set the dizzy with the rotor pointing where I want. Then roll the motor over until it drops. I have aggravated myself long and hard with a screwdriver. My buddy showed me once and I have done it ever since.

 

They don't fall out if the collar is fixed to the shaft. If the collar that connects it to the oil pump is a slip fit, then the shaft will fall out when the engine is upsidedown.

 

Damon, I missed it what did your buddy show you?..... Catch the dizzzy, turn the motor till the dizzy is where you want, pull the diz and reset tdc? or something else?

 

I'm trying to visualize this too? If you lower the distributor in and then turn the motor until it drops, how do you know it's pointing in the correct correlation? The rotor will keep turning, even if it's not fully in and the shaft will usually have enough friction to want to follow. Do you hold it up slightly from the oil pump shaft, or just let it sit as you crank? Or do you just keep cranking and cranking until it finally lines up and drops?

 

I put the motor together and it will go away for storage. The rear shackle kit arrived. The headers fit the motor good.They are dimpled for the angle plug heads correctly. I noticed that one is longer than the other.The collector adapters are the same.I'll have to get some new wires,I don't know why two wires have the straight bendable end. and the lengths are all over the place.

 

it probably was one of them universal wire sets,and they didnt cut them to the right length and installed diffrent boots for some reason.