Distributor hold down clamp

[AUTOHOLIC]

Has anyone ever had a problem with a distributor hold down clamp for a 1965 Corvette with a factory aluminum intake manifold?
There were two different types, a wire type and the solid steel one. Mine keeps loosening up both hole threads are good so it’s not stripped.
I’ve never heard of anything special for the factory special high-performance motors.
You can sell it. It’s tight you drive it a little bit and it backs off a couple of degrees. This has happened to me three times now.

[vettemed]

how about adding a lockwasher on the bolt?

[mrvette]

about 2 drops of thread lock on the bolt threads, install as normal....let dry overnight....

[DJ_Critterus]

Has anyone ever had a problem with a distributor hold down clamp for a 1965 Corvette with a factory aluminum intake manifold?
There were two different types, a wire type and the solid steel one. Mine keeps loosening up both hole threads are good so it’s not stripped.
I’ve never heard of anything special for the factory special high-performance motors.
You can sell it. It’s tight you drive it a little bit and it backs off a couple of degrees. This has happened to me three times now.

did you put it on the right way? Lord knows I have made that mistake a time or six.

[JRD77VET]

Go to your local hardware store and purchase a brand new socket head cap screw in the correct thread.

It should thread in with your fingers and NOT wobble at all. If the top portion wobbles but the bottom seems snug, try using a 1/4" longer NEW bolt.

Make sure you have enough thread depth so you do NOT bottom out the bolt and create other problems.

If it wobbles, you will need to have somebody install a helicoil or a thread insert.

[AUTOHOLIC]

Thanks everyone I’ll give those different things to try

[VatorMan]

Thanks everyone I’ll give those different things to try

BLUE Locktite. Not RED-unless you never want to move it again.

[Don Rickles]

Intended to cont. a CAR conversation....

I was having a hard time figuring out a random misfire. Turns out it was a tiny broken spring on one of the distributor cap hold down screws. The cap would literally lift for moments causing the rotor to miss the tabs. It eventually wore the interior of the cap lugs to a point on just the one side.

[Rodnok1]

I put studs in and use better hold downs.

[Don Rickles]

I put studs in and use better hold downs.
:seasix:
Cheap NAPA caps must use weak(er) than OEM caps spring......? I do have some real ones I'll take a look.

[vettemed]

:seasix:
Cheap NAPA caps must use weak(er) than OEM caps spring......? I do have some real ones I'll take a look.

He was talking about the distributor hold down clamp.

[AUTOHOLIC]

I put studs in and use better hold downs.

It already has a stud rather than the bolt for the hole down

[slewfoot]

If you need to remove your loctite screws later on and find it difficult, you can hold a soldering iron to the metal around it or to the screw head and the transfer of heat will soften the loctite a bit.

I have had to do this many times to my cars, hobbies and general stuff

[GTOguy]

My '61 runs the wire hold down on the original dual 4 aluminum intake. No issues, and I'm using a '67 Corvette dizzy. I would use blue locktite, and not much of it. The stud was my first idea, but you're already there.

[Frankie the Fink]

The chrome after market ones are the dickens to keep tight, but I never had much trouble with the wire type, I snug 'em down pretty good...

[GTOguy]

The chrome after market ones are the dickens to keep tight, but I never had much trouble with the wire type, I snug 'em down pretty good...

Chrome is slick, so it is a poor choice if you want things tight or leak free.
Chrome valve covers, timing covers, rear end covers, etc.=junk that will leak.

[DJ_Critterus]

If the clamp looks like this, the two forks point down or the dizzy will slip out of time without fail.

https://www.crateenginedepot.com/Assets/ProductImages/10096197.jpg

[Don Rickles]

He was talking about the distributor hold down clamp.

Yes, I was clear.

This is why I started my post the way I did. (to cont. a CAR) :seasix:

[AUTOHOLIC]

If the clamp looks like this, the two forks point down or the dizzy will slip out of time without fail.

https://www.crateenginedepot.com/Assets/ProductImages/10096197.jpg

Yes, I am aware of how they hard to be installed, thank you

[Frankie the Fink]

Intended to cont. a CAR conversation....

I was having a hard time figuring out a random misfire. Turns out it was a tiny broken spring on one of the distributor cap hold down screws. The cap would literally lift for moments causing the rotor to miss the tabs. It eventually wore the interior of the cap lugs to a point on just the one side.

I had a random misfire on my 61 Corvette coming home down a country road at night with no street lights or shoulders. A bumppity-bump feeling every so often. I nursed it home somehow and the Corvette gods smiled down on me that night, this is what I found and I don't pretend to know how I made it back to my garage:

[Ronins2ndCuzzin]

Dayum. I don't know how the engine would run like that either.