65 Riv - potential rusty/stuck distributor bolt?

[moran75]

Hi all

 

I've attached a pic of what i'm assuming is my distributor hold down bolt ..

 

Looking at  it has got me thinking - what happens if it's rusted tight and/or breaks off when i attempt to adjust timing? Maybe i think too much! But i'm just curious and anyway would  prefer to plan ahead for all eventualities...im giessing it would be a major PITA

 

While i think of it does anyone know the bolt size? I only ask as my wrenches are all too long to get under there and i'd prefer not  to buy a set of shorter ones if i can just get away with buying the one i need...or a specialist distributor wrench..

 

Cheers

 

Kev

 

 

 

 

[Seafoam65]

                    I believe you will find the bolt to have a 9/16 head on it. I've never seen one that wouldn't come out so shouldn't be a problem.

You may need a distributor wrench to get on it straight.......I'm not sure you will have much luck with an end wrench. I have a set of distributor wrenches that I bought 45 years ago....If you need a distributor  wrench, wal mart and advance auto parts show them for sale online

Edited May 18, 2018 by Seafoam65 (see edit history)

[KongaMan]

If you need a distributor wrench on the cheap, go hillbilly: get a standard 9/16" box wrench, heat it up with a torch, and bend it.  You also might be able to use a crow's foot.

 

I was in Sears a few years ago (back when Sears was an operating concern) when a customer came in to exchange just such a modified wrench.  Seems that it broke on him and he wanted a replacement under Craftsman's lifetime warranty.  They gave him one.

[SwedeDownUnderR63]

I haven’t tried a crow’s foot but this seems to be a success story:

 

[RivNut]

When you buy a wrench, make sure that the open end and the closed end make a square shoulder with the body.  I bought a set of line wrenches at Advance Auto that were beveled.  All they do is slip over the head of the bolt/nut/barrel.  My dad's Mac set from 70 years ago are still doing great. He didnt leave me one in the size I needed to hook up a brake line to a wheel cylinder so I bought the cheap set.  

 

An old Mac Tools wrench is on the left, the newer Autocraft is on the right.  You can see that there's not much surface on the Autocraft for grabbing anything with a narrow head.

 

 

 

[gord14080]

A short 12 point wrench should do it !

[1965rivgs]

Kevin,

  I highly doubt the bolt will be frozen...and yes, you are thinking too much. Best to get busy putting tools to fasteners before creating potential problems. It can be done with a typical inexpensive short box wrench, like a Craftsman, but depends on each individual car and what may or may not be in the way. They make specialized wrenches called dist wrenches and they work quite well. I dont think a crows foot would work because the right angle offest of a typical crows foot would not be enough to get to the bolt and clear the dist base circumference. Anyway, a decent quality crows foot is probably more costly than a dist wrench. Once you begin leaning over the fenders you`ll figure it out

  Tom

[Garysriv]

I cut a 9/16 open end in half.  Use it for my riv and corvair....