Another Flathead Ford Distributor ?

I have been looking around and I am wondering who is rebuilding, setting the earlier distributors . The Helmet style is what I am running and I am kind of guessing with it to try and get my truck running correctly. I see that MAC's auto sells them and I am from NY so they are a possibility but I am not sure how their service is with this particular item. I also see that our own Bubba does not offer these on his website so I am kind of at a lost for the moment

 

Charlie Schwindler
Orchard Park NY

He goes by Charlie NY on Fordbarn, check him over there

Paul McCarthy
McCarthy Automotive
Clarence, NY
716-759-1930

He does the engine building for MACS in Lockport NY

Also

Mark Moriarity ? SPELLING (not the one in Wisconsin)

Warsaw, NY

he is another flathead builder in WNY

 

you can but an adapter plate to convert the three bolt front cover to a two bolt Crab (42-48) distributor, That then opens up a world of aftermarket distributors, or a good rebuilt stock one, which if done right are a great upgrade over the earlier diving helmet dist.
someone will chime in where they are available in the states im sure. If you RANG Bubba, no doubt he would have given you all this info directly, so try that.

 

Bubba does helmet distributors.

 

Thanks guys, I have been in the garage througout the night and reading stuff on Vanplet,s and my old NAPA V* repair manual that only goes up to 1936............lol.......and they both state that you pretty much need some kind of a machine to hook these things up on .......well I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this one. So now it is time to call in for help.

 

BUBBA at his finest

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=472146

 

I did not see it listed but then again that does not mean he does not do them. That is why I posted

 

Thanks!..I didn't bother trying to look up the earlier ones mine is off a1939 and is very similar but still different in some ways.

 

go to philbingroup.com and check out the flathead doctor. They did a great job for me on the mallory distributor on my flathead. Theyre located in in Portland, Or.

 

Contact GMC BUBBA he is the dizzy master.....

 

What tierod said. "GMC BUBBA" he is your distirbutor friend.

 

Another possibility is Skip Haney (skip@fordsrus.com) in FL. He rebuilds and sets up flathead distributors, as well as rebuilding coils and water pumps. He, too, is highly thought of in the flathead crowd.

 

I found a KRW distributor fixture a few years back and decided to do my own distributors. I`m not a Mensa member, but all four distributors i did complete rebuild on and set up in the fixture, fired up within the first three rounds, and runs nice and cool.
Nice to be undependant with this stuff.

 

I have bought parts from Mark at Norwich carshow last year. I have his bussiness card somewhere. He is a very nice guy and seemed very knowledgeable about this stuff. Thanks

 

I would like to know how did anyone back in this era mess around with this style distributor if they were racing and wanted to adjsut the timeing at the track with out one of those machines........

 

Both the helmet type ('33-6 and '37-41 are the common types) and the crab can be timed with a ruler. Different procedures for each type...I posted the tech here a year or two ago. This method checks out fine against a KRW fixture. Setting points with a feeler is adequate IF the points are properly made...good points will have both gap and dwell very close to spec if you set by either. Dwell can be checked (you check each point, then both together) with a primitive degree wheel tool, either a vintage one (see the Echlin-Bear model in your '32-6 manual!) or the deluxe Home Depot one I described on here long ago...
You set points by gap then check the 3 dwell figures to see if your points are right or sleazo imports. As I said, with good properly made points just setting gap will put you very close to correct dwell...do you think Joe Dirt Farmer in Oklahoma had a distributor machine for his truck in 1937?? He had a HAMMER, by God, and made do.
Ford supplied both ruler timing methods as acceptable field expedient timing for those without a full dealer kit, and at one time patented a timing plate (which aligns exactly as the ruler does...) that was to come welded to the firewall of '34 Fords.
The '37-41 helmet with the 1941 version of the advance is exactly equivalent to the crab mechanically; the crab is superior in that you can remove it from the engine in 30 seconds in the dark, fix and time it in the comfort of your kitchen, and reinstall it in 2 minutes still in the dark. The helmet is much harder to R&R because of its size tangling with fan and belts.

 

Thanks Bruce, I was hoping you would chime in after I had posted this. You are all kinds of smart and I really appreciate your time and knowledge.

Joe

 

I would go for the adapter and upgrade to the crab style. I just did it to my early engine and it was very easy to do. The dizzy is simple to work on and time off the engine and the parts are cheaper. Just make sure you use a good set of points and a decent condensor. I know a few guys run vertex ones which work well.

 

When any of the '42-48 distributors need work, I just remove the bolts, pop the cap, and reach into the gap to flip off the rotor. At that point the distributor just slides outta there and you can do the points, timing, and any advance cleanup in comfort. Slide it back in, put on rotor, use rotor to turn it over till the drive tab aligns and then put bolts back in.
Cap just hangs on the wires until the distributor goes back in...no need to remove that stuff unless you have a reason.
Once you have done it and figured out the offset drive tab and what it feels like, you can do all of the R&R by Braille very quickly and easily. The helmets are a pain to get out of the same space.

 

Here's a summary of timing the helmet by field-expedient ruler method that I sent someone on Fordbarn. Note that this gives same alignment of cam as both the referenced Ford patent and common 1930's aftermarket timing fixture, and the result jibes nicely with a real KRW fixture.
Orientation is important...note how drawings are oriented, and I mark proper rotation on back of distributor with a sharpy so I don't get dyslexic...
Also mark L and R by points when checking dwell and firing cycle, as of course L and R are as seen from driver's seat, CAR left and right without reference to how you are holding the thing...this can get confusing like rotation seen from behind, etc.
Look at the dwell wheel (Sold by NAPA in the '30's) in your '32-6 manual. My design works about the same way, and requires about a $5.00 trip to Home Depot to purchase the perfect wheel.
Study the rotational point dwell pattern and firing cycle...you want to see that correct dwell on EACH point corresponds pretty well with correct gap (if not, point pivot is drilled wrong or something) and that both points checked together generate correct total dwell. Books list dwell degree numbers for '37-48 as very slightly different from '32-6.




No...but look at this patent 1963657 for a fixture* to come with the car and you'll see it: http://www.google.com/patents?id=Xn1...3AFord&f=false

All pictures there are from the front view...get a distributor and get oriented. Beyond that, for mechanical convention, LEFT points are those on driverside, RIGHT points are passenger...the L opening when R is already open fires the spark...
So, put a ruler across BROAD side of the drive on back of distributor, turn it in correct direction so edge of ruler bisects the upper hole in passenger side as the line in patent shows, broad side down.
Retard distrib at the adjuster on side, then advance til L point opens...indicate this by test light or by placing thin paper between point contacts.
All timing is done with coil screwed on, as the spring thing moves the plate down a bit.
Also, you should have set points with coil attached (or equivalent contact on late distrib)
Bruce

*aftermarket sold fixtures just like this...plate with 3 legs, a fixed slot properly aligned

Crab--1948 uses a different but similar ruler method, which is available online in what amounts to a summary of Ford instructions from 1946 service book.

 

I just had Bubba do a '42 - '48 crab cap dist for Endlessearth's '29. Way happy!!! He asked me a few questions about how the engine was set up and took care of the rest! literally all I did was bolt the adapter on ('38 21 stud flatty), bolt the dist on and fire it up. No more messing needed - trust me, I tried!

 

So where do you buy the adapter? to make my Flattie.........Crabby...

 

Dick Spadaro! Harmon Collins doesn't answer the phone anymore.

 

Dick Spadaro

http://dickspadaro.com/ignition_adapters.htm

 

Hate to admit it, but I got mine through Speedway.

 

Ok I found in my stash of flathead stuff a 2 bolt distributor. but it is not for the crab style cap. Can this be altered for the crab cap? It looks the same except for the clip that hold the distributor cap down.

 

I also found the front cover for the 2 bolt distributor as well but don't know if it is worth changing over or what is all involved to do it. other than direct bolt on or not.

 

1946-48 distributors are the same as crab except for caps, rotor, and clips...I assume this has 8 lobes on the cam, as there are also 2 6 cylinder distributors that live in same housing!
The '46-8 is a bit longer due to water proofed cap, and assembling wires into cap takes a while. '42 is super short and easy to wire, but was changed due to moisture problems.
if you want to convert one to the other, everything is readily available.
2-bolt cover use depends on cam: 3 bolt setup uses longer cam snout, BUT many actually conceal a short cam with a small adaptor on front for the needed length. Grab the front of your cam, the part with the slot, with pliers and yank. If a little slotted plug yanks out, you are all set to slap on a 2 bolt cover. If nothing moves, you have an actual long cam and adaptor is the best way to go, as it gets bolt circle right and spaces out the late sparkler right amount. for cam length. More trouble would be 2 bolt cover swap and a spacer for length, also I think available from DS.

 

Thank you very much Bruce, the distributor iis defintely a V8 one and it had that crazy looking cap that had two coming off of it. I am going to clean it and install new points, rotor and cap and the hardware to hold the crab cap on.

 

Hey i have a question, do any of you have an install walk through link? i have a 47 ford with 59 ab flathead.. i installed a fresh dizzy i got from Bubba. i left the cap off and placed the rotor on to see if it spins. I bumped the ingnition but it doesnt move. is it possible to put the distributor in wrong? i know there is a tab on the back, i just wiggled it till it was flsush and screwed it in. do i need to line it up with the timing side?