Chinese slant/6 HEI / Ready to Run / sold on ebay Distributor

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Dave999

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A friend in Oz asked me to collect and store a load of Jensen Interceptor wheels for him so that he could arrange shipment from UK to Oz once, rather than per wheel. As payment/thanks, and at my request, he sent me a Ready to Run distributor from an Australian supplier of car based Chinese ingenuity.
mine is a 7005-b for a hemi 6
for a slant you would have the slightly shorter 7005-C

it arrived well packed in a in triple thickness sealed plain box
its a six cylinder distributor but they (the seller or manufacturer) appear to have accidentally put a V8 cap on it.... first failure
to try it out i needed a Cap but no way was i going to pay £36 shipping and import of a $19 cap for a distributor that could be scrap out of the box.... so a solution needed to be found


Research followed

first impressions
Nice well machined casting with good fit into the bore of my spare engine block
the black nylon gear engages well.
shaft is same size as slant.
the shaft appears to ride on bearings in the head and standard bushes in the base
the pickup and reluctor are robust
there is nothing new or innovative about the advance armature apart from instead of a snap ring it is held on with a cross head threaded bolt and lock washer under the rotor.
the vacuum advance pod arm was at an angle which meant you could unlatch it from the advance mechanism by twisting the advance plate. it worked to advance the plate but could be disconnected by twisting it back, but i want it to stay engaged. ham fisted assembly by the look of things
The wires from the pickup are solidly mounted and flexible in soft insulation, wire follows a sensible route.
the advance mechanism follows the bosch style. swing out weights driving the rotor armature round with a standard spring and a long loop spring
the weight stops are pressed metal poles that can be bent in or out to adjust max mechanical advance
the weights have plastic bushes and a plastic foot.
the module is a generic copy of an australian bosch module
on the whole not bad apart from the 2 failures noted previously.
to fix the engagement of the vacuum advance i made a very slight bend in the arm and now it stays engaged all the time
the vacuum can is fully activated at 12 "Hg

I did google & google image search etc to find a Cap but, really got into it and ended up with this lot

Chinese Ready to run
in the 70s Holden and Chrysler In Australia both used the Australia/Asia Pacific Bosch company for their distributors for some of their cars , Lucas or parent OEM for the rest dependent on motor and year.
"Euro" Bosch below the advance plate and manufacturer specific coil switching above.
The hemi 6 slant 6 and Holden Red and black 6 Cyl motors all have the same sized bore for the distributor...
the only difference is the depth. meaning you can make a distributor and cut shaft and housing to length to fit all 3 which means the advance curve is probably not very good for any of them.

The "Ready to Run" chinese HEI seems to be based on a mid 80s Australian Bosch designed HEI system created for GM Holden "black Engine" a 6 cylinder.

DSM in sydney seem to be the Australian importer of an Engineworks product line which includes 3 versions of this distributor
DSM Motorsport Their advertising doesn't necessarily inspire confidence in their knowledge of ignition systems.
Hemiperformance in Australia also seem to have their own unique contract with a factory in china for the same/similar distributor line branded HPI X and S Search results for: 'HPI' | Hemi Performance
Goss Performance Australia also brand this stuff as an "RAE drop in" distributor

However regardless of who you order from, the Distributor may come in an Engineworks branded box. presume the factory had an excessive number of them printed.

About Us | Engine Works
engineworks appears to be a product line of nickels-performance.com a USA based comnpany from Piney flats TN USA who are unlikely to care or know about hemi 6 and holden 6....
Nickels Performance, Piney Flats, TN | Home

These are also sold as 7000 series and 8000 series speedmaster distributors by ProComp through JEGS
https://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchResultsPageCmd?q=Speedmaster+7000+SERIES

Even the guys I have trusted in the past, with my standard distributor are in on the ac,t but seems to be charging $350 on the standard price for their expertise... it may well be worth it.....
BLUEPRINT HEI DISTRIBUTOR TO SUIT SLANT 6 VALIANT CHRYSLER 225

A curious case.... 1 design numerous applications, i guess you pay for someone to set it up so it works for you

presume an Australian company went to china to get a copy of the orginal bosch manufactured, and after the contract ended the chinese carried on.

chinese/ Australian parts numbers 7000 series distributors

7005-A female cap Holden "Red motor" 6 cylinder distributor with a red blue or black cap
7005-A male cap Holden "Black motor" 1980s
7005-B female cap Australian Chrysler hemi 6
7005-C female cap Any Slant 6
You can also buy a version for australian ford 6 cylinders used in falcon and cortina which is the same from the engine block up but not below
they all use the same cap and Rotor but more machining done to the bottom to fit, these do not share the same nylon drive gear.
makes me wonder if we got ford cap and rotor on a distributor rockin a GM pickup and module using a chinese version of Bosch mechanical advance

The Cap is a copy of an australian Bosch GB834 cap (female connection). 2 versions seem to be available one male one female, presume the male version has a different number. this cap is a slightly bigger diameter version of what is found on standard slant 6 distributor just a bit bigger in all dimensions except the connectors. but obviously won't fit a standard dizzy its the same diameter as the small HEI from the US i think, a UK made copy is the INTERMOTOR 46860. Why the hell a company in Nottingham UK felt they needed to make these in the 80s i do not know. i can confirm they fit and they are very cheap because nobody here owns what they are for.
listed as fitting Australian ford engines in
FORD FAIRLANE 6-cyl. 4.1ltr. ALLOY HEAD (ZJ & ZK MODELS) 1980 - 1984
FORD FALCON 6-cyl. 3.3ltr. & 4.1ltr. ALLOY HEAD (XD & XE MODELS) 1980 - 1984
FORD CORTINA 6-cyl. (TE & TF MODEL) 1980 - 1981
FORD LTD 6-cyl. 4.1ltr. & 4.9ltr. 1982 - 1983
FORD F100A / F2350A / F350A - 6-cyl. ENGINES 1981 - ON

it looks like you can get a male cap as well but have not tracked down the genuine bosch part number
no idea if this works with the standard rotor, use of the word tall and a fish eye lense photo doesn't help raise my confidence, but it most likley does based on picture of the distibutor it is used on
HOLDEN 6 CYLINDER ELECTRONIC BOSCH DISTRIBUTOR CAP TALL WITH MALE ENDS - Hume Performance

The rotor appears to be a GB786, Australian/Asia Pacific Bosch again

the magnetic pickup is
PC1004 (presume PC means ProComp)
Rare Spares | More than just a part in your project
also known as a ProComp speedmaster 7000 series pickup
jegs do em. the word ProComp probably causes worry in many, can't remember if was procomp or proform that had the poor reputation back in the 2010s

https://www.jegs.com/i/Speedmaster/746/PCE374.1012/10002/

spares for 6 and 8 cylinder versions here
Speedmaster 7000 SERIES - JEGS High Performance

The ignition module is an Australian Bosch BIM024 or a chinese copy which does the same job as a Delco 4 pin HEI module. its just a different shaped case, apply the same common sense, if there is no name on the box and no name or part number on the module i'd pay more and get one where the manufacturer is not embarrassed by their product.

So if you were willing to put in the time and effort you could probably make one of these work well, you can replace generic chinese stuff with branded parts or even original bosch parts if lucky enough to find them at sensible prices
spare parts that i presume to be of generic chinese origin can be had from australian suppliers and Jegs and possibly Nickels performance in the US
there is potentially still Australian/AP genuine Bosch production of caps and rotors that fit and if not a number of local suppliers produce equivalents FuelMiser etc.
If push comes to shove, as in my case, there has been UK manufacture support in the past

You could use a GM 4 pin HEI module where the bosch BIM024 sits if you don't use the metal cover

You can find these distributors intermittently on Aliexpress for appx $120 just get the correct C version for a slant or run a hemi 6 one with a 5 mm collar to site it up a bit

I'd strip and rebuild it before use
hopefully you get the correct cap :)

When i fit mine and try it, i'll report back, it will need work because it is replacing a standard Australian distributor with lighter springs and only 6 degrees of distributor advance, it was welded up and recurved by performanceignition.com.au (link above) years ago for my not quite standard motor.
Out of the box the curve in these new ones could be anything.

dunno if this is of use...... but there we go....

Dave
 
Do not know about the six cyl dists but I have used many Chinese HEI V8 dists. Never had a problem. Well made & reliable. Shaft/weights were lubricated & the centri weights were chrome plated [ original GM not plated ]. Prices have increased, but they used to be $80 for the Chebby, $100 for other brands. If I wanted an adj vac adv unit, it was about the same price to buy one of these HEIs versus buying a Crane adj VA unit.
 
Oh and for what it's worth.......I HIGHLY recommend AGAINST those distributors and any others that have steel distributor gears. Chrysler designed them with plastic gears for a reason. If the distributor ever fails and locks up.......and they do from time to time, all you get with a plastic gear is a stripped gear. With a steel gear, you take out the camshaft gear too and likely the oil pump gear as well. So no way I would use that junk above.
 
Black nylon, not steel, normally, no idea why they have done that....
most i have seen have a standard, if wrong colour, grey or black nylon gear...

the jeep guys have to put up with this as well, message boards full of warnings about NOT ruining your cam with a steel gear from china, put back the nylon......
 
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Black nylon, not steel, normally, no idea why they have done that....
most i have seen have a standard, if wrong colour, grey or black nylon gear...

the jeep guys have to put up with this as well, message boards full of warnings about NOT ruining your cam with a steel gear from china, put back the nylon......
The ad says equiped with a 4340 chromemol;y bottom gear.
 
Black nylon, not steel, normally, no idea why they have done that....
most i have seen have a standard, if wrong colour, grey or black nylon gear...

the jeep guys have to put up with this as well, message boards full of warnings about NOT ruining your cam with a steel gear from china, put back the nylon......
It's the same style distributors Skip White was selling. They work ok, but that gear. lol
 
distributor from an Australian supplier of car based Chinese ingenuity.

That word "ingenuity" does not mean what it looks like you might think it means.

its a six cylinder distributor but they (the seller or manufacturer) appear to have accidentally put a V8 cap on it (…) the vacuum advance pod arm was at an angle which meant you could unlatch it from the advance mechanism by twisting the advance plate. it worked to advance the plate but could be disconnected by twisting it back, but i want it to stay engaged. ham fisted assembly by the look of things

All very confidence-inspiring. Sure sounds like exactly the kind of parts I want to be betting my life and convenience on (not).

Their advertising doesn't necessarily inspire confidence in their knowledge of ignition systems.

Guess I'd best add that to the pile of reasons to buy this slop.

These are also sold as 7000 series and 8000 series speedmaster distributors by ProComp

Oh, hey, ProComp! Now, there's a brand name with a long and consistent track record (of ѕhitty parts that don't fit right, don't work right, and fail at random).

So if you were willing to put in the time and effort you could probably make one of these work wel

…until it doesn't work at all, while you're in the middle of using the car to get from an A to a B.

you can replace generic chinese stuff with branded parts or even original bosch parts

So…spend money to buy Chinese slop, then spend more money to replace all its elements with actual real components, then.

You can find these distributors intermittently on Aliexpress

Aliexpress! Good quality stuff on there, you betchya.

Out of the box the curve in these new ones could be anything.

Y'hafta ask y'self one question: Do I feel lucky?
 

Nice detailed break down and review.
Or is that breakdown? :D

Some technical reviews of Skip White's cheap HEI distributors.
Highlights include:
The end-play, as out of the box, was 62 thou, a bit much.
After 1,500 highway miles the reluctor stator came loose, the teeth of the rotor then started to make contact with the teeth on the coil pick up.

My observations so far, 'junk'.

-Al's428
-----------------

ahh yesss, the fabulous Skip White $50 Fake HEI. I can't begin to estimate how many of these chinese junk distributors have been bought, installed and left the car owner stranded on the side of the road on the first drive or soon thereafter.
-tmoble

--------
If my distributor machine could talk.

Some Ming Dynasty distributors have the guaranteed to damage your engine advance curve, no extra charge.
I have seen them come out of the box with absolutely no lube in them, seize the upper bushing and spun it in the housing.

-Tuner

And another brilliant bit of manufacturing reported in this one
Carbon button in distributor cap broken off, melted
 
That word "ingenuity" does not mean what it looks like you might think it means.
Sarcasm. flippant etc
Nothing ingenious about ripping off someone else's design.. but i find it interesting to have a look at the internals of a device that is not well liked in the US at least.... hence when given the opportunity to get one for nothing i took it.

each of the parts of it when produced by the OEM seem to give trouble free miles...
pickup GM via bosch Australia module is bosch Australia
cap and rotor seem to be ford--Bosch Australia

advance ---- ? don't know... i need to find a holden black engine orginal bosch distributor and see what it looks like in side...

the more reputable companies I have listed have sold a lot of them in Australia and the message boards and facebook are not A-flame with hate. hemi performance and the blueprint branded...same thing potentially different manufacturing contract... or different factory/supplier... are jegs a reputable supplier...i once purchased some piston rings i dunno?

Dave

aliexpress, well plenty of happy people running Jilin Fajs made Weber IDFs and DCOEs,
the castings are often better than the originals and the alloy isn't porous .... although i'm sure there is a lot of junk as well.... presume someone got one for free and had a look and found it wasn't as bad as expected... :)
 
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To me, this is just 'evolution'. First we had the Japanese junk of the 1950-70s. If you bought a transistor radio, you did well if you made it to the store exit & it still worked.....
Fast forward a couple of decades, & if you wanted quality, you buy Japanese.
I see history repeating itself with Chinese products.
My friend has a Pontiac 455 with US cast alum heads. One head had a leak somewhere [ used coolant ] that could not be found from pressure testing. He built a new stroker engine, bought the same brand of heads. The deck surface is full of tiny pinholes & I have seen much better made Chinese heads.
I have a Chinese made range hood in my kitchen, not cheap. It is light years better in operation & sophistication than other western brands.
Just shows ignorance to continually bash Chinese products across the board.
 
Sorry photo are a bit crap..nice sunny 63F day until it rained a weeks worth in 5 minutes

1) V8 cap and I6 cap, same size, the red one is just closer and got fish-eyed by my old phone camera.
2) Pickup in place needs to be properly centred, metric allen headed bolts with split/spring lock washers.
3) Rotor and reluctor removed, reluctor sits on a non standard sized circlip/snap ring, with holes so small your snap ring or clirclip pliers are useless, and is held down with a spring washer and a standard size circlip/snap ring, you can see the non standard lower circlip/snap ring in place down the centre of the pickup. not easy to get out, jewelers screwdrivers and a fight.
4) Vacuum can off.

5) it rained, got a rainbow on top of a rainbow! with a rainbow above.....strange weather.. i had to hide with the barbeque till it passed

6) module and wiring. see stud under main pickup ring for the vacuum advance connection. no circlip.
7) pickup coil solid plastic spool with tape
8) module part number and brand (oh.... same as some 4 pin HEI, that come in boxes with the name xxxxxTron) Mobiletron Electronics CO., LTD.
9) advance mechanism plastic foot and plastic bush for weights, metal, pressed weight stop pillars on the periphery.

Seems like a reasonably competent design. although i have no qualification to say so.
I don't see anything obviously bad.

re assembly

1) pickup can go on in two positions one for V8 and one for I6. put it in the wrong place the phasing will be off and you would need to use a different shorter arm vacuum can.
2) pickup needs to be centred, do it now so you can twist advance to check no touching between reluctor and pickup points in all advance positions.
4) asememble pickup, put on the on the non standard circlip in the bottom position place the reluctor star on, then clamp it down with the spring washer and standard circlip. Now position your pickup whilst the vacuum advance is still disconnected. do up screws use screw driver to move pickup to achieve centering. do screws up tight and check.

spend some time getting the eye of the vacuum can linkage back onto the stud do up screws
this isn't easy but is doable, explains perhaps why mine needed attention in the first place, heavy handed install during manufacture perhaps. you could imagine someone getting frustrated. small screw driver and patients helped.

based on what i see, i won't say "don't buy one".
Make your decision knowing that, who you buy it off, and their efforts, will probably dictate how much they care about your custom, and therefore what you need to do for your own peace of mind in respect to it being ok for your motor. The advance curve as standard will at best be incredibly conservative, at worst totally wrong for the state of tune of your engine running modern fuel.
but you take that risk with a swap meet original, you don't know who has been in there even if you match part numbers to your standard engine spec.

if yours comes with a metal drive gear swap it for an original and check the end play
i might even drill a hole for oiling the bottom bush.

The Benefit. for once you would be using a pickup with the correct signal output voltages for the rpm and the correct impedance for the ignition module it is connected to, therefore the dwell control should work properly.
a mopar pickup and 4 pin set-up may not be totally aligned on this front because they only work together by luck rather than design.

The drawbacks? well read everything posted about cheap crap...

and make up yer mind

I've touched on a few of the issues mentioned in the "its all cheap rubbish" namely phasing and metal-metal touching of pickup parts.

but that doesn't mean i've landed on a cure for every instance...


Dave

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left upper circlip for above the reluctor star
far far right, the spring washer for on top of the reluctor star
middle the, tiny-hole, non standard circlip for below the resultor star
right a stretched standard clip just to see if i could keep it functioning if i broke the none standard clip... reasonably successful given my lack of imperial sizes 3 metric boxes found around the place, no imperial

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