I am having a tough time getting my new vacuum advance installed on my distributor, which is all completely stock. It has a hard line/tube connecting to the vacuum advance unit, which makes it very difficult to get the nut started on the advance. Now I can't get the little tiny screws to start, which hold the advance to the side of the distributor. If I remove the vacuum line to the advance and install the screws holding advance onto the distributor, I can't get the metal line to start into the advance unit. I have tried bending the metal line, but can't seem to get it perfectly lined up. Does anyone know of some old surefire trick to get all of this to line up. I have not removed the distributor from the car to install the advance unit, because I know I will still have the same problem getting the metal advance line nut to start on the unit itself.
Thank you
Jim Greene
Can you loosen the advance line at the carb end or remove some clamps to get a little more movement in the line?
I don't know the layout of a 50 at all but can you mark the exact position of the distributor then loosen the clamp so at least you can rotate it and maybe improve the alignment to get things started? If you have a timing light then you don't need an exact mark just something to get it close.
On my '49 with the same engine, I used to have the same problem. I solved it by cutting the tube in two parts about 2 inches from the carburetor using a tube cutter. Then I screwed the short piece back in the carburetor end. You can then start the threads at the distributor end relatively easily. I then joined the two pieces together with rubber tubing about 1½ inches long of the correct diameter. There are no air leaks and it works perfectly.
If you want the rubber tubing less visible you can cut the tube closer to the distributor.
I was gonna say that but figured I would get kicked out of the club. I have done that more than one time with various hard lines that just don't want to play nice.