Reply to "My new 71 pantera, need help"

13, be aware that NO 351-C distributor is a 'drop-in', since the factory and the aftermarket continue to use a cheap spring-pin to hold the distributor drive gear on the end of the distributor shaft. Spring-pins are made of a coil of very thin hardened steel and simply won't take repeated impacts without progressive cracking, culminating in a broken drive. So even on brand-new assemblies, push out the spring pin and use a REAL roll-pin- which is a single coil of much thicker steel. Then put a second smaller roll pin inside the first one. Over the years, this has proven to fix this one weak spot in all Ford distributors.
Where do the 'impacts' come from? The distributor gear also powers the oil pump thru a short extension shaft off its bottom. Small pieces of crud fall into the oil pan, work their way past the screen on the oil pump and get into the pump body. Ford oil pumps are 'gearotor' type and are very good at supplying pulse-less oil flow, but are also highly intolerant of any debris. Stock oil seals harden over time, then crack into small pieces that wash down; sludge accumulates and even tiny chips of metal and casting sand have been found. All cause hesitations to the oil pump which cracks the drive pin. High rpms also seem to play a role in pin failure. The proper pins cost less than $3, so no excuses about being poor.
The most glaring recent example was a brand new electronic distributor in 'Mad Dog' Antenucci's Silver State Pantera. The drive pin failed in 60 miles, leaving him waiting alongside the highway for a tow truck during an open road race in the Nevada desert- the ONLY event he didn't finish that year. He's still using the same distributor, but with an upgraded drive pin.