The bronze distributor gear in my car is at least 2 years old, and I have several high mileage road trips planned for this summer. I figured I’d rather replace it in the comfort of my garage than along side the road 10 miles northeast of nowhere.

I spent 20 minutes on the phone with summit trying to find the part number I needed. Clue number one that I should have expected trouble: when I told the guy 3 times I had an Oldsmobile, followed by the “what is that” silence that always follows. I didn’t know what the diameter of the Holley distributor shaft was, but I figured since he had access to the catalogs it wouldn’t be difficult to figure out.

Clue #2: the guy kept telling me that GM uses a .500 shaft, and he wasn’t sure what Oldsmobile used. Obviously, in his mind, GM means “Chevy”. I informed him numerous times that Oldsmobile was a division of GM, he either didn’t believe me or hear me.

Clue #3: I told him numerous times it didn’t matter what the factory shaft diameter was (Chevy, Olds, or GM) since the car didn’t have a factory distributor. I needed to know what shaft diameter Holley used.

In the time I spent on the phone trying to explain and figure all of this out, I could have run out to the garage and pulled the distributor out and measured. Other option: call Mark!(CutlassEFI). He had the answer, and I didn’t have to listen to the silly “your call is important to us” hold music.

Just in case anyone else needs the number, it’s Comp Cams-442. That should be a pretty easy number for an Olds guy to remember!

Thanks Mark!

 

Yes part of the sad reality of being an Olds guy. Our favorite beloved company is fading into obscurity. The first and one of the best dwindling to nothingness... Save for us loyalists, I consider us keepers of the flame.

15 years ago people thought my 87 442 was a Monte Carlo. (the 442s appearance was completely stock)
10 years ago I was asked if the 69 was a Nova. (she still has her factory name and manufacturer identifiers)

Currently whenever I am putting gas an admirer may walk over and compliment her, rough as she is. Every now and then the what is she comment comes up. When I tell you the answer often goes over with a thud. Both the name Cutlass and Oldsmobile, and we are talking adults to middle aged men. Shocking for me a 55 year old that remembers when Cutlasses were a dime a dozen. Often you can see the fact that the name has zero resonance with them, but because the essence of the meeting was complimentary it just falls flat. I will throw in the yeah the oldies are great cars etc bit, to try and end it on a less awkward note.

 

CompCams 442 is a 0.491 gear. Holley uses a 0.500 gear.

 

You can start your return on the Comp gear right now. They're not bronze anymore; they're brass and won't make 1500 miles. Contact BOP Engineering in WI, and get a carbon gear.

 

Great advice! BOP makes the most durable gear for difficult situations. They list both the 0.491 and 0.500" bores.

Go to https://www.bopengineering.com/olds_v8.shtml and look at the seventh item down.

 

Great. It was delivered 10 minutes after I left for work. Always something!!

 

At least you didn't install it yet! I went through all this about 4 years ago. C19 screwed up a LOT of stuff. Actually, had a brass gear leave me on the side of highway after a friend's funeral. It started popping and missing, then just died. I have probably 15k miles on the BOP gear with zero issues, and it shows no visible wear.

 

Ignorant phone weasels started at least a quarter century ago. For example, I tried to make a hotel reservation for Albuquerque and the weasel told me I needed international reservations desk for New Mexico.