What is this distributor? Weird one.

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MoparMike1974

MoparMike1974

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I found this oddball distributor that appears to be small block. It has a mechanical tach drive, electronic pickup and some weird air lines that run to it. Anyone know what this is?

Dist1.jpg


Dist2.jpg
 
I'm taking a guess, but is it off a "lean burn" engine? They all had had ideas in the 70,s. Lean burn was mopars had idea
 
A Dirty Dizzy.
:lol:

But seriously; clean it up a bit. Tag number should help.
 
That's a heavy duty truck distributor. Looks like it has an air assisted advance mechanism somehow.
 
I have seen plenty of lean burns and they look nothing like this. The two air lines are what throws me off. Its obviously off something industrial.
Cant say I have seen a mech tach drive on anything other than points distributors.
 
Might be a governor, I don't remember, some of these had a vacuum setup on a 4bbl that would pull the barrels shut, been a long time
 
The tach drive is obvious. But the mystery is what that air line is.
 
That looks like a race distributor similar to one Mallory makes for RB engines. It’s got an adjustable advance unit on the outside. I can’t tell if yours does from the picture you posted though.

Jake

129C49D6-8830-455C-B514-DA8FBDF38716.png
 
dodge truck with a governor uses vac to regulate the rpm. Run, run, run..... Believe Holley made most of them only had one and it was a POS! Those lines are for cooling the distrib with pumped air I believe.
 
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Either way, I don't think its a race part, I may be incorrect. It looks like some 70's pre fuel injection smog junk to me. The kind of thing you would take off an engine and replace with known working parts like dual points for example to make it run right.
 
A tag number would be helpful....it looks like there is one on there.....
 
Lets look at this logical. We all agree the green line is an air line right? So there needs to be compressed air to provide air to said line, right? No car I have heard of has a factory air compressor on board. Has to be a big truck with air brakes, and an air compressor. Might retard timing while shifting using air controlled splitter. OR retard timing to aid in braking? Connected to the air supply to the brakes.
 
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Mopar Tim said:
Lets look at this logical. We all agree the green line is an air line right? So there needs to be compressed air to provide air so said line, right? No car I have heard of has a factory air compressor on board. Has to be a big truck with air brakes, and an air compressor. Might retard timing while shifting using air controlled splitter. OR retard timing to aid in braking? Connected to the air supply to the brakes.
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Agree. Tag and looking inside would both help. This is an interesting mix as it appears from the rust to be a cast iron housing and magnetic pickup. If all original, that narrows its manufacturing date to late 60s - early 70s.

PS. Ford and a few others had venturi controlled timing advance on some vehicles, late 40s - 50s. A different way to skin the cat!
 
Dartswinger70 said:
Or some sort of vacuum line....could it be off an RV or marine application?
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Might be a marine application.....But I dont think so. Also doubt that is a vacuum line. Looks like air lines on a semi truck. I have seen enough of them....
 
The tag is corroded but I can see if I can get some numbers off it. The lines are definitely air lines and not vacuum lines.
Also, it may be a big block dist. The shaft measures 1/8" longer than a small block.
 
If you look through the link I posted above, re: IHC they explain the IHC governor. This is somehow hooked to a huge ugly Holly 4BBL with a governor. I don't remember, and have no books on it anymore.
 
That is one type, yes. The "air fittings" on the dist. are vacuum
 
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