Distributor reluctor air gap problem.
 

Installing a new pickup coil in my 440's distributor.
Air gap setting is supposed to be .008
My problem is that the vacuum advance plate moves and wobbles too much to get a proper gap setting.
I installed the distributor in the car and it ran for a minute or so before I goosed the throttle a bit and then I hear the grinding of the pickup hitting the reluctor teeth.


The only thing holding the advance plate to the base plate is a triangular spring clip.
Anybody had this problem?

if i remember right there is two plates, the top one slides on the bottom one, on some brass pegs. and a spring pulling the two together. sounds like the pegs are worn or the spring is lose. the clearance on the reluclor should not change much as the top plate moves. heres a free hint. the coil can be tested using an analog meter. set it on the lowest A / C setting. put the probes in the wires, going to the dist, direction not important. then spin the shaft. if the coil is working the meter will move. i have done this only two times so i dont know how much it should move. i think any movement is all you need.

They all wobble. but if it hits either the gap is too close, or there is something worn, or otherwise damaged. check especially for bushing / shaft wear, and even BENT. These do get dropped once in awhile.

well I managed to get it to work with about a .012 -.013 gap
I believe that possibly the triangular spring clip isn't quite strong enough.
I bent the tines up a bit but it didn't give it much more rigidity.
Now on to another problem. Overcharging. but that's another post..

.008 is the correct air gap but it is crucial to use a brass feeler gauge otherwise the steel feeler gauge will give you a false reading because of the magnetic field and stick to the reluctor ...Bill

Yeah, that helps. I had a single .008 brass from an earlier job.

The problem was that when I tightened the set screw and pull the feeler gauge out the coil would bend forward (as if under spring pressure) and close up the gap.
I ended up using a mic on a couple pieces of paper/cardboard to set the gap at .018 then when the pulled the paper out the gap would eventually close up to .012 ish which was good enough to make it run.

Even then, if I touch the back of the coil with any pressure it would close the gap.