OK, I got the whole thing down to the upper and lower shaft and plates. Weights and springs removed, little weird circlip with the two tangs on it off of the upper shaft in the hole at the top.
Everything ready to pull the two shafts apart, 'cept they wont budge ! !
There's maybe an eighth inch gap, but that's it and I've run outta stuff to remove. Totally down to two plates and two shafts and . . . . nothing.
How do they come apart? Given that there was a circlip holding them together I can't imagine that it's a press fit. Most other distributors have a small allen head or whatever at the top, but nothing there like that.
Anyone know the magic trick and wanna share? I could use some help.
Thanks,
T
you have the shaft out of the housing? because the gear needs to be knocked off and the main shaft pulled out before you can take the pieces totally apart.
Yeah, and the gear is held on by a roll pin.
Gear and collar have had the pins knocked out and the main shaft is out of the housing.
The weights have been removed from the advance plate as have the advance springs.
The small cir-clip at the top (inside the upper shaft) has been removed as well.
All that remains is the main shaft and base plate that the advance weights and springs attach to and the short upper shaft and plate that rotates as the mechanism advances.
These two shafts are supposed to separate into to two pieces/assemblies once stripped down and the retaining cir clip removed. They won't come apart and I'm wondering why? Is there something that I missed here. There are no more clips or washers or spacers or screws or pins of any kind. Wondering if maybe it's a press fit and I need to get out a drift and hammer or what?
I'd like to get them apart to clean and polish the shafts and plates for reassembly/rebuild.
Anyone ever had this issue/problem? Anyone found a solution? Guess that I'm looking for some real world knowledge from someone who's done this before.
Thanks,
T
Is it a dual advance distributor ? the cam should pull right off
there is only one shaft. the part with the pegs that the cam fits over does not come off.
Hope that helps.
Nope single advance distributor, EVERYTHING'S off of it, cam (What cam?) and all of the rest. There are definitely two shafts otherwise the damned thing wouldn't be able to mechanically advance, would it? A lower shaft that has the gear and collar on it and a short upper shaft and plate that mechanically advances when the RPMs are brought up. The advance weights and springs are all a part of this assembly where the two shafts and two plates come together. Above all of this is the two piece points plate with the points and condenser and attachment for the vacuum advance.
Like I asked . . . I REALLY need some GENUINE info from someone who has reconditioned a stock Ford distributor. Single points, vac and mechanical advance, bone stock 1968 289 distributor.
No speculation, OK? Just some hard, fast, empirical information, from someone who has broken this distributor down to it's component parts and refurbished it back to perfect original. I need to get this repaired and need some REAL help to do it ! !
T
(I could post some pics, but they'd be meaningless to anyone who hasn't open up this distributor before and unnecessary for anyone who has.)
If you can't slide one off the other, they are:
Seized, which would be obvious because they wouldn't move in relation to each other.
Still held together by a very small circlip somewhere. Is the shaft under the rotor hollow? Look down there very carefully. If there is a piece of felt, remove it and look for the retainer as shown in the picture.
"Failure is always an option." 
If I remember (or if you still don't have any success), I'll look through my SBF engine rebuild book and see what the distributor rebuild section has to say on the matter.
ps: Your problem might be not asking it politely to come apart instead of beaking at it. They don't like being talked down to. 
Thanks all, a hammer and a drift and success ! ! ! !
T
inertia welded? Don't waste your time on details .
