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Cadillac 331/365/390 Aftermarket Distributors

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by terd ferguson, Mar 7, 2011.

  1. pitfarm
    Joined: Nov 5, 2007
    Posts: 63

    pitfarm
    Member
    from UK

    <TABLE class=tborder id=post2345301 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e5e5e5 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #e5e5e5 0px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #e5e5e5 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #e5e5e5 0px solid" width=175>
    Join Date: Nov 2007
    Location: UK
    Posts: 6


    </TD><TD class=alt1 id=td_post_2345301 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #e5e5e5 1px solid"><!-- icon and title -->[​IMG] Re: caddy magneto
    <HR style="COLOR: #e5e5e5; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->This conversion is dead easy to do, and cheap !

    I run a warm 331 in my Allard (ancient US/UK Hotrod !). I had real trouble with mis-fires and bad running and changed just about everything except that old Delco dizzy. She had to go, but as you guys have been saying...mags are hard to find. I took a gamble and bought the first new cheapish Mallory dizzy on ebay, hoping i could make it fit........turned out to be perfect, because it was a bit bigger everywhere, so a lathe could do all the work. Here goes.......

    Mallory "25" series dual point distributor part# 2555101 H fits Ford 62-80 (ie common as hell) and is LH rotation.

    Strip the thing out so you can machine the separate components, and your old Delco job so you can measure everything.The locating shoulder below the main flange needs to be turned down a bit, to fit the hole in the block. (I threw an "o" ring away at this stage!!). The bottom of the main stem needs to be sawn off then faced up in the lathe to the same length as the Cad stem. (NB critical dimension...take care !). Then shorten the drive shaft and turn it down at the end for the Cad drive dog, and carefully drill the hole for the roll pin.

    Use the old dizzy to measure everything, and the distances are critical because when you clamp the dizzy to the block, there is a little curvy thrust washer between the drive dog and the bottom face of the stem, which needs to compress a bit but not go tight. Get it wrong and you'll either get sloppy drive, or a nasty squeeking sound and then sloppy drive !

    Do all that and enjoy whoppin' huge sparks on time every time and lovely quality spare bits till you're old and grey (if youre not already !)

    Toms Tech Tips
    <!-- / message --><!-- attachments --><FIELDSET class=fieldset><LEGEND>Attached Thumbnails</LEGEND>[​IMG]
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  2. terd ferguson
    Joined: Jun 13, 2008
    Posts: 3,734

    terd ferguson
    Member




    Good info! Thanks Tom!!!
     
  3. terd ferguson
    Joined: Jun 13, 2008
    Posts: 3,734

    terd ferguson
    Member


    Did you ever get a pic of this conversion?
     
    ls1yj likes this.
  4. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 25,747

    Roothawg
    Member

    Back from the dead. Any pics or memory of what distributor you used?
     
    warbird1 likes this.
  5. ls1yj
    Joined: Sep 14, 2011
    Posts: 465

    ls1yj
    Member
    from Kentucky

  6. cretin
    Joined: Oct 10, 2006
    Posts: 3,059

    cretin
    Member

    geez!
     
    ls1yj likes this.
  7. Great thread so far,thanks for all the info.
     
  8. ls1yj
    Joined: Sep 14, 2011
    Posts: 465

    ls1yj
    Member
    from Kentucky

    [​IMG]

    I bought this off the web last week... it’s a Pontiac, but it has correct rotation, and does not look like it will be to hard to modify to fit into the cad block... just got to round up the right gear

    Edit: found a crack in the cap late yesterday... now on the hunt for a good cap to replace

    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2018
  9. ls1yj
    Joined: Sep 14, 2011
    Posts: 465

    ls1yj
    Member
    from Kentucky

    I finally got all the pieces to put the Cadillac dizzy together

    IMG_1341.JPG

    IMG_1342.JPG IMG_1343.JPG


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    Jet96, cretin and 51box like this.
  10. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 25,747

    Roothawg
    Member

    Nice. Caddy distributors are made from unobtanium.
     
    ls1yj likes this.
  11. ls1yj
    Joined: Sep 14, 2011
    Posts: 465

    ls1yj
    Member
    from Kentucky

    Roothawg

    You got that right... I had to buy 4 to get enough parts to build this one


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  12. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 25,747

    Roothawg
    Member

    I just wish they made a new standard style distributor with hei innerds.
     
    ls1yj likes this.
  13. caddyguy
    Joined: Aug 29, 2005
    Posts: 55

    caddyguy
    Member
    from canada

    There are hei distributors on ebay for sale for this motor.
     
  14. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 25,747

    Roothawg
    Member

    Yeah, but they are Charlie China stuff. I don't put a lot of faith in $39 distributors.

    I went out and looked and it appears that Pertronix has started making their own version. I wonder if it is just a rebranded China verdsion with a Pertronix Flamethrower II module?
    https://www.jegs.com/i/PerTronix/751/D170700/10002/-1
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2022

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