I sure most everyone can relate to some extent. While navigating life situations develop that cause, or force, you to part with things you look back and wish you still had. I recently acquired back such an item. A Sun distributor machine. Sun machines are odd in the fact that the numbered series were not rolled out in numerical sequence. I just acquired a Sun 680 which is actually in the older numbered series since the 400 and 500 series came after the 600. The 600 is unique that the dwell and tach functions share the same meter so you only read one input at a time. So having a four meter 400 or 500 series would be my preference, but with patience the 680 gets you to about the same place. And this one was just repaired and updated by Mark at Paramount so it's actually better than new. Did I actually need this new toy? No. Did I want it? Very much! At 72 things don't need to make sense.
According to my grandson (who is currently a mechanic at a GM dealership), you are an "old car" car guy if your car still has a distributor!
I would confuse him. My car appears to have a distributor. But the ignition is controlled with a MSD 7 AL-2 and crank trigger. There is nothing in the distributor but a rotor.
I’ve had this Allen Synchrograph since the mid 70s, and used it frequently well into the mid 80s. It still works great, but is currently apart for a little bit of cleaning up the insides. It’s amazing how much stuff gets into something like this from decades of use. And you’re not alone in collecting old stuff. There’s a bunch of machines out in the shed, acquired because I don’t like seeing this stuff just going to the dump or scrap yard. And the Allen IS on an old kitchen cabinet… scavenged from a house being renovated in 1976. The cabinet is an old steel cabinet with a Formica top. Yeah, it’s not a pretty sight…
IDK, the kid is pretty smart. He grew up on old cars, his first car was a 64 Chrysler, took a few years of auto mechanics in college, worked a couple years as a road mechanic for a trucking company, and is now a certified GM tech. He has had hot rods, go karts, 3 & 4 wheelers, and has a 70s Dodge pickup he has had for several years. Might surprise you what he knows.
Nice distributor machines, I need a sun 504 machine more than my AAMCO brake and flywheel lathe. Lathe is something car club needs... with lots of cars.
The Jalopy Journal
