Attempt to Pay Back # 2

So I decided to buy a new distributor and then proceeded to take it apart.

This is a follow up to the original post called Ping and the next being Attempt to pay back.

What I wanted to do is see if I could make a backyard mechanic version of a Sun distributor machine. This is real basic. Totally manual, but anyone can do it.

Now the second portion of this process was to make the mechanical advance on the distributor adjustable. I thought about welding and doing the JB weld approach, but that is not what I would call adjustable. What I did is indeed adjustable. In fact it could almost be adjustable in the car, but pretty hard to line up the screws with the holes in the distributo that just happen to be in the exact right position to adjust. Screws? Yup Screws. 2 56 allen head screws to be exact. Oh and if you try this, make sure you have a good 2 axis vice and a knat tight quill on your drill press.

Frome here I will add pictures and try to add comments with each photo.


Well I am not sure how to add comments to each photo.

So I will add comments here


The first pictures show how I made a simple degree wheel. The straw has two lines 180 Degrees apart the length of the straw. Wife gets credit for the straw. Bottom line is this distributor has total advance of 15 degree. 30 at the crank. The travel in the slot = .430 inches. That is the travel of the pin. Not the total length of the slot. I was able to confirm this with the 2 56 screw.


The other pictures are of the disassembled distributor.

That small flat M looking piece is the lock for the reluctor to the shaft. POS. I will replace with a roll pin.

The last is my idea of adjustable. I will have to cut the head off and put a small slot in the screw itself. Not enough room for the lock washer nut and the head. Oh an I know the total movement is .430 because if I screw in the 2 56 until it touches the pin and then count the turns until it bottoms the pin at minimum advance I get just under 13 turnes. 56 divided by 13 = .430. So each turn of the screw will reduce advance by 1.15 degrees. So once I get the idle set via vacuum and back off 1 " per crackedback, it will be easy to set the total mechanical to the advised 35 degees.

One think I think this does show is that all distributors are not alike. Once I get it dialed in I am going to take apart the old distributor and see what lind of advance it was offereing.