Corvette questions
 

I've been working on my uncle's '69 390 hp 427 4 speed Corvette for a few weeks now and it's almost finished. One of the problems that he has been having for many years is the tach cable. Seems that it keeps breaking because of the angle of the cable coming out of the distributor. It's pointed almost directly at the firewall. He installed a 90 degree gear box on it which moved it too far and it's still breaking. I was wondering what the orientation of the distributor is supposed to be. Seems to me like it's not installed in the correct position.

Also, should this car have the 7029201 Q Jet carburetor or should it have something else? It has a 7040202 on it right now and I know that is not correct.

It might help if you remove the distributor and position it (the tach drive) more towards the driver side firewall

I was going to do that, but I think that will put the vacuum canister against the spark plug wire bracket. I need to take another look at it, but I think that is why I didn't do that already.

As far as the correct Carb you need. Is your corvette a 4 speed? does it have factory A.C.? if it is an AC car you will need the Rochester with the fast idle connection. This info is needed to help with the correct carb. ROB

https://i.postimg.cc/rFdcRyrG/ooooo.jpg

Just posting this photo so that someone in the know can describe the position of the distributor. Engine is an L88.

A Corvette with a Tach drive distributor must have the distributor properly positioned to achieve the proper timing AND proper placement of Tach cable coupling. Many distributors will not be able to achieve both and the most common reason is the distributor gear placement. Gear has a small indented circle. That indentation must line up with rotor. Gear will install either way. This is not a problem in other than Corvette installations. It is a tight fit between intake runner and shielding bracket and vac advance will prevent proper setting when gear is 180 degrees out. If it has been apart and not reassembled this way you will have a problem like you describe. The assembly manual shows a patron the proper angle. I am guessing this is your problem. Do most of you other guys know this?

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Or if correct unit, could wire placement be off @ cap and moving them all one would allow dizzy to rotate into correct operating position w/o need for the adaptor?
:hmmm:
~ Pete

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I'll have another look at it tomorrow and see if I can move the wires 1 position and move the distributor. There is a lot of stuff around this thing that makes it hard to do anything with it. Thanks for the replies, I'll see what I can do with it.

No AC on this one.

Did the L88 not have the shields around the distributor?

7029215 Q-jet

Thanks. Wow, people want a lot of money for that one!

L88's weren't supposed to come equipt with radios, so no need for shielding.

I had a similar issue with my 67 L79 Vette. The VAC was hitting the intake causing me to not get the initial timing set correctly. I would wager that the drive gear is out 180* as TWB said. This is an easy fix. After you pull the distributor take the correct punch knock the pin out align the rotor point to the indention on the gear reinstall. In my experience my car ran a lot smoother at idle. I could dial in the timing so much better. I would expect you will have the same experience and your tach cable will not be in a bind.
Good Luck

I’ve been looking for an October 1969 Q-Jet 7029215 for a bunch of years. Prices are just plain crazy on them. I’ll find one priced fair someday. Half the fun is the hunt !! Rob

Thanks for the help guys. I was able to get it in the correct position and get the cable connected the way it's supposed to be. I would have never thought of rotating the distributor gear 180 degrees, but that is what I had to do. I would have bet that it had never been off before, but after I looked at it I could see where the pin had been driven out before. There is VERY little room to adjust the timing after the shield is in place and the cable is connected.