Rick,
I have seen the problem on distributors right out of the box from MSD, where the installed height is right where the spec says it should be, but the motor it went into disagreed. The broached hex in the shaft for the
oil pump drive can cause a severe binding as well, if not deep enough. I have seen that on a couple of MSD pro-billet distributors. The
oil pump drive puts a huge thrust preoad on the
oil pump, and the distributor gear acts like the weak link and wears itself down to knife edged teeth, or the pin shears. ANyhow, paying carefull attention during assembly should catch any of these problems, before they become a problem.
I made an early moring mistake when I mentioned the intake manifold flange, as we all know, the Winsor's distutor doesn't go through the intake, and you are correct that decking the block won't affect the Windsor's distributor height, unlike say a chevy. I ought to have my first cup of coffee before even reading CC. Do'h