After many inquiries, I have decided to continue making my "Trash Can" condensers for sale. I had decided to give it up because, with my advancing age and physical infirmities (arthritis), I could not handle the lathe work. My partner in this venture has come up with a way to have all of the components manufactured by a third party, so all I would have to do is assemble them. He did all the computer work required and after a false start or two, we believe we have come up with a winning combination. We received the initial order of 25 sets of components and were very impressed with the quality of the components. Upon assembly, however we came upon a problem; the commercial capacitor we are currently using is just a bit too long to fit in the new cases. Fortunately, the supplier of our current capacitor makes the same thing in a considerably shorter version. This capacitor has exactly the same specifications, only in a different "format". It sounds like a "no-brainer" to just switch capacitors, but I have found that they vary greatly in reliability, even though they have the exact same specs. I don't want to take the chance of losing the reliability we have experienced with the current units over the last 10 years. I have already made two condensers using the new format capacitors. The first went on my '51 Ford with a Mallory dual point distributor. Of course, it started immediately and runs fine. However, since I am in Minnesota, my time to test it is limited. Therefore, we are looking for someone to run the other to make sure it is as reliable as the previous units. The person we are looking for should have the following qualification : 1. Have a vehicle with a conventional ignition. 2. Lives in an area of the country where the climate allows year around driving. 3. Drives the vehicle often, hopefully as a daily driver. 4. Be a known "H.A.M.B.er" with at least 5000 posts (Credibility on both sides is important). I would send the member a test condenser to be mounted on his vehicle and used over the course of a full year. At the end of the trial period, we would want the unit back so we can analyze it to determine if any deterioration has taken place. We do not expect any problems, but do not want to make a change without fully testing the new capacitor. Another advantage is that I will be able to shorten the unit so that is the same as the original Mallory's. One of the few complaints I have received is that the condensers look "long" compared to the originals. And the "conventional ignition" requirement is serious, as I have sold several to use as dummies with Pertronix setups. Anyone interested, please PM me. I have checked with @Ryan, and he has approved this post.
The Jalopy Journal
