DIY: How to rebuild a Ford 289 V-8 standard points distributor - Hagerty Media

If your distributor isn’t working correctly, you’re gonna have a bad time. As an integral part of your engine’s ignition system, it’s imperative that it operates correctly. There are some relatively simple fixes for distributor problems, like changing your points and condenser or installing a new cap and rotor, but sometimes it needs a full teardown and rebuild. Fortunately, Hagerty’s Davin Reckow is here to help, and he walks you through the detailed steps in rebuilding a standard points distributor from a Ford 289 V-8 engine.

Any job starts with the right tools, so Davin starts off by showing you what you’ll need for the job. From there he gets right into tearing down the distributor, pulling the rotor, checking the spring, removing the condenser and wire, and unscrewing the connection to the vacuum advance.

The teardown continues, as Davin gets into the nitty gritty of removing the distributor gear and cleaning off all of the burnt oil and such that’s glommed itself on from years of use. If you enjoy getting your hands dirty and giving oily, greasy, old parts a new lease on life, this will be right up your alley.

There’s much, much more in the video, which spares no detail—down to the final installation of the cap. When it comes to step-by-step instructional tutorials, it doesn’t get better than this.