I bought this Mallory distributor for my Model A via craigslist a few months ago. I finally got around to disassembling it this morning, and was hoping I may be able to find some more info on it through this forum. Based on what I have found online about these old distributors, I think this one is a model YA-11A. Could anyone help me confirm that this distributor is intended for use in a Model A? Does anyone have any information about how to set this thing up? It has a little port on the side of the body for oiling the shaft. Would it be alright to eliminate this port and just grease the shaft? What type of grease should I use? The driven tab on the bottom of the distributor shaft is damaged. Does it look usable as is? Should I build it back up with weld then mill it down to restore the tab? Andrew
11 models were indeed for the A & B. Yours appears to be an early cast iron version. Is that a vacuum advance? Don't think I've ever seen one with that feature. Best bet would be to send it out to Bubba's & have it rebuilt.
gwhite, It some sort of vacuum advance/retard. There is a little spring loaded piston that rubs against one of the advance plates when no vacuum is present, then pulls away when vacuum is applied, allowing the plate to advance or retard, not sure exactly which yet. I am not sure if it needs a full rebuild as the internal parts are all in pretty nice shape; good points, good cap and rotor, none of the advance springs/weight/pins/etc seem worn, broken or corroded. I like doing as much as I can myself, and am looking forward to attempting to get this going in my car. Andrew
Send it up to Salem Speed Shop in Salem, Oregon. Call Glenn up, I'm sure he'd be happy to help you and can also look those numbers up off the tag to tell you exactly what its for. Most likely you will need a new condensor as well, he has those as well. Here is a phone number, open tuesday thru friday and call at least afternoon if you are interested in him. 503-364-4832 Conner
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