Chevrolet: 1985 chevy celebrity distributor, chevy celebrity, pickup coil

Question
My son has a 1985 chevy celebrity.  It has no spark.  We've changed everything but the pickup coil.  We've checked this and it is bad.  How do you go about changing this?  Do you have to remove the distributor to do so and if so, how? (there is not enough room to pull it out)
Thank you in advance for any help!

Answer
Hi Devona, yes you have to remove the distributor to change the pickup coil. To remove it you have to remove the cap and electrical connections, remove the bolt and hold-down clamp and pull it out. On the lower part of the shaft there is a gear, there is a pin through the gear that holds the gear on the shaft, punch out that pin and remove the shaft from the distributor and replace the pickup coil. Before you remove the distributor mark the position of the distributor rotor and put it back in the exact position so you dont have to retime the distributor. Once you remove the distributor DO NOT turn the crankshaft until you have the distributor back in place. I hope this helps you if you need more info just let me know. Regards, Keith.