Distributor question.

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gdrill

gdrill

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Of course @halifaxhops is the first member that comes to my mind when distributors come up. But I want to hear any opinions. It may be nothing but this distributor has a box in the side that I have not seen before. It is with some other 71 440 parts I plan on buying, but I can’t determine what this is for. I found one picture in the internet and it implies unique. True or not? I have no clue. The picture is rough but you can see the box. I'm currently trying to get a part number from it. Ok got that #3438694. But the box on the side is weird.
Thanks my FABO friends.

B45EEAE2-EAE3-4E4B-9F58-E58419E51FC8.jpeg
 
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That is smog. Idle retard solenoid. There was a contact switch on the carb, when the throttle came down on the contact, it grounded, and activated the solenoid, retarding the timing at idle. Unless you can modify the dist to eliminate or render it inop, , or sell it to someone for "restore correctness"
 
Thanks Del. So basically it makes the distributor kind of not usable to me then.
Unless like you said it can be removed. Oh well, it's just a distributor. There's plenty out there!
 
67Dart273 said:
That is smog. Idle retard solenoid. There was a contact switch on the carb, when the throttle came down on the contact, it grounded, and activated the solenoid, retarding the timing at idle. Unless you can modify the dist to eliminate or render it inop, , or sell it to someone for "restore correctness"
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I like it
any idea how much it retards the timing?
 
I don't remember it might be in the shop manuals. There is an emissions section in addition to electrical, that might explain. It has been a LONG time since I've fiddled with those. My 440-6 did not have it, a friend with a GTX did My 70 440-6 came factory with a Prestolite dual point
 
67Dart273 said:
That is smog. Idle retard solenoid. There was a contact switch on the carb, when the throttle came down on the contact, it grounded, and activated the solenoid, retarding the timing at idle. Unless you can modify the dist to eliminate or render it inop, , or sell it to someone for "restore correctness"
Click to expand...
Totally agree some years it retard when shut off anti dieseling. Stupid set up the ignition is off.
 
gdrill said:
Thanks Del. So basically it makes the distributor kind of not usable to me then.
Unless like you said it can be removed. Oh well, it's just a distributor. There's plenty out there!
Click to expand...
Depends on what you want. a 100 point car you want it if not a standard advance with the same advance number will work fine.
 
halifaxhops said:
Depends on what you want. a 100 point car you want it if not a standard advance with the same advance number will work fine.
Click to expand...

Ok, I think it is a 71 as the other parts are 71. The picture I saw, the only picture, said 440 6 pack. Is that because they required the retard at idle and harder advance at rev?
 
I don't remember anymore. It might be that the 440-6 automatics got the retard and the stick cars did not. Might also be CA cars and not Federally. Smog "shet" changed pretty fast through those years, and was often not uniform in all states, 'specially CA
 
The retard gizmo was used for passing emissions at idle. It allowed more fuel to be burned inside the chamber.
 
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