I posted a message a few weeks ago looking for bushing source, have decided I"ll need to fire up the lathe & get out the reamers for that but...I have learned that all C-263 distributors are NOT created equal. Apparently the advance varies according to tractor model. So finally the question: How do ya do it & how do ya know?? I"d love to find a book on this stuff and so question #2: Where can I get one that will do me some good? Thanks for your comments.

If there is any difference-I don't have the advance specs-the difference is the advance springs and/or the weights, I think only the springs that determine the advance. The rest of the distributer is the same. Same thing with the 4 cylinder engines. The C263 is used in more than one tractor, the advance probably depends on the compression ratio, also if the owner changes pistons with more or less compression in the same tractor.

You are correct as they are curved for the tractor that they are to be used on . It is not only springs and weights it has to do with the plate . Do not just use some brass stock for this as it will not work . Don't ask how i know . You can get oil lite bronze from Applied Tech Ind. . I am going to try one more time to rebush the dist on our 706 just as soon as it warms up . As i not only have to redo the dis. but also have to put a new oil pump in as the last try failed after about 4hours and seized up and took the end of the oil pump shaft off . sofar i have not found a dist. for a C291 as it is different then a C263 .

The dist. came off a 560 Farmall that had an occasional miss. I thought it was a sticky valve until it out of the blue started missing, backfireing and just being bad. After gas was checked, & carb messed with, nothing helped. Dist cap showed rotor to be hiting- leading to checking for slack in rotor shaft..about .050 movement. To verify i took dist out of my 656 and stuck in. In spite of being wrong advance, the 560 now runs without any miss, has excellent throttle/governor response and good power. Just how criticle is this curve if not pulling hard? Thanks for the above comments.

The advance plate has slots on it that limit the total advance. The weight of the weights, and the springs tension rate determine the advance relationship to the RPM. When making a new bushing, be sure to measure the shaft accurately. A worn shaft will still wallow the bushing, and you cant get the gear on a smaller (turned down) shaft.
Sometimes the bushing can be made longer to operate on a new place on the shaft. Make sure it does not interfere with the other components. Jim

The advance curve is vary critical . also with the gas today you varywell melt a pistion and score a hole or all six. I do not have my books here at the house to compare the curve between a 560 and a 656 at this moment . Also while working on the re bush pay close attention to the BOTTOM bushing as it has a slot cut in it , now as to why i am not sure if it allows oil to move up or it is a drain for oil to run down. When we tried the first time to rebush we used bearing bronze and we had the shaft lightly reground to clean it up and make it round again , we had to make a new bottom collier that goes over the oil pump drive . we thought that we had it as we had .0015 clearance it turned smooth , well maybe we needed a bit more clearance i do not know but she did lock up tight as a drum and twisted off the new oil pump i just installed . That dist. was out of a 263 706 and we upgraaded that tractor to a C291 and i recurved the 263 dist to 291 spec.'s . I can not do that anymore as my dist. machine bit the dust and there is no fixen it . And i do not know anybody around here that has one as most of them have been throwen away . So i guess i will not be recurving anymore dist.

It is the plate with the size of the slots that determines the total advance.

The only one I have ever done is on my SM with fire crater pistons, meaning 22 degrees advance. Everything was worn on the plate so I just replaced it all. I have not reassembled the tractor yet, so I have not been able to check the advance to see if it is correct.

The 560 had a 30 degree advance, 656 22 degree, early 706 25 degree, next 706 still with 263 had 22, 291 had 17 degree (or 19 can't remember for sure). Early 706 you still set full advance at wide open throttle to 22 degree btdc. When IH came with an engine improvement package for the 263 in 706 the pkg included new complete distributor. The total advance is controlled by one limiting hole in the advance plate on shaft. The curve is controlled with the springs. The curve is far less critical than the total advance and I have tweeked many with a little pliar pinching of the ends of the springs.

Thanks for all the comments---misery loves company I did find some brass stock(NAPA) that is slightly oversized so I can clean up the shaft and maybe ream if necessary then turn to press fit, slot outside as noted and hope for the best. plate looks good and i see springs have different p.n. & color so I should be ok there.(Spendy little buggers!)maybe I"ll wait to see how your project works-I too have a new oil pump that i don"t want to crader...other than the fun of it maybe i should just send it in to somebody that knows what"s up but green grass is comin"