Distributer shaft direction

[Dennis]

My '57 Eldo Seville and '62 Sedan deVille have been sitting, unstarted, for a little over two years and now it's time to bring them back to life.  I want to prime the oil system prior to turning the engines over.  I have an old distributer shaft that fashioned into a drive shaft.  My question is, that after I remove the distributers, and engage the drive shaft mounted in my cordless drill, which way do I spin the oil pump.  If I'm looking down, should I spin it clockwise or counter-clockwise?  Years ago, I mounted an oil pressure gauge permanently under the hood of both cars so I can monitor that while I tinker with the engines.

Thanks,

Dennis

[Doug Houston]

If you pull off the rotor, look at the shaft, and there should be a tiny arrow, stamped in it, showing rotation.

[PHIL WHYTE CLC 14192]

I just looked at the manual for my 54 and it shows the direction of rotation for the rotor arm in the distributor [looking down on it] as counter-clockwise [or anti-clockwise as we say here in Britain !!].
Hope that helps,
Phil

[35-709]

And if all that fails, just take the distributor cap off the car and have someone hit the starter for a second and watch which way it turns.

[TJ Hopland]

Personally after 2 years I would not go through the bother of removing the distributors unless they were stored under poor condtions and in poor condition when you parked them.   I may squirt something down the spark plug holes and crank it without the plugs till the pressure cam up.   Most of time on engines that have been sitting I crank them with the ignition disabled till the oil pressure comes up.  My theory is you could cause stress on things trying to start them with the timing wrong although if you mark them carefully you should be able to get it back in close.

[greg surfas 15634]

Regarding directi0on of rotation. When in doubt, the direction of rotation of the distributor can be determined by just removing the distributor cap, leaving the rotor in place, and gently by two fingers and no tools,  turning the rotor in both directions.  It will only go in one direction, that movement is the certrifugal advance and the direction the rotor CAN turn is the direction of rotation.
Greg Surfas