Help with distributor install....

[steve meltzer]

I pulled the distributor on my 427SO to replace a leaking intake manifold gasket. There's a lower rubber o-ring/seal where the distributor enters the block and mine was sorta mangled up, tho' i had no leaking. So, I was planning to replace it with the one included in the Fel-pro gasket kit. I slipped the distributor shaft through the seal and pushed it up onto the distributor's shoulder, but it was so thick that I couldn't get the distributor to fully seat in it's hole. Tried to lube the outer edge with some grease, but still no go. If you look down the distributor's hole, you can clearly see a small ledge or indentation in the block's casting, just above the oil pump gear, which I assume is the home of this ^%(*&%^# seal. Right?

Without the seal, the upper most part of the distributor sits flush with the intake manifold, no problem. Using the old seal puts the upper most aspect of the distributor about 1/16-1/8" proud to the intake, but it is seated. My pre-op photos don't show enough detail for me to rely on what was there before I got my grubby fingers on it.

Is that seal supposed to be there? If so any tricks to getting the distributor seated fully? I didn't try using a heat gun on the seal yet. Should I just use the old one and forget it?

thanx steve