Distributor rebuild parts - alternate sources?

[mvliotta]

Tom,

The washers I’m talking about are the soft ones that come in the kit below...

 

On 008 distributors, they fit underneath the weights where they attach to their posts... at least that’s where they were on the dizzy I rebuilt 

 

Vince

['76mintgrün'02]

2 hours ago, mvliotta said:

The washers I’m talking about are the soft ones that come in the kit below...

 

Yes, we are talking about the same washers.  I think they are made of plastic.  You can see woven 'cloth' in the fiber washers.  The fiber washers disintegrate, but those little red ones have an easy life, underneath the weights.

 

Here is a photo comparing the thickness of an original red washer, compared to the ones that came in my rebuild kit (like the one in your photo).

Those washers need to be the same thickness as the nylon pad on the weight, so it sits parallel to the plate.  They also set the height of the 'heel' of the weight, so it aligns with the bottom of the center post.

 

I have not looked into a source for replacements.  I am just saying the ones in the kit are the right color, but the wrong size.

 

There were two 008 distributors used on our cars.  One is mechanical only and the other has a vacuum retard pod (I believe).  It is helpful (sometimes) to give the full part number for the 008 units. 

 

(the distributor in my photo above is from a 009 Bosch VW distributor, mechanical only, SUPER common replacement unit.  I just photographed that because it was already taken apart.  Ours don't have that washer under the clip, on top of the weight... nor does the weight on the other side of the 009.  The weights are not symmetrical on those distributors, which sort of boggles my mind.  They also added a plastic 'tip' to one weight, where it hits the stop

and a plastic 'toe' to the other weight, where it hits the center post. FWTW).

 

Another plastic bit that should come in our 'kits' is the one that goes on the outside spring attachment.  The little tabs often break off, or the whole thing goes missing.  They can be seen in the VW pic above, but you'll notice the one in the picture above that is missing.  I may have put it on a BMW distributor.  

 

One last plastic part to mention are the little red pieces that fit over the tabs on the bottom of the center post.  You can see the flat spot where these hit the end of their slots, limiting the mechanical advance (travel).  I twisted them on their posts, to get at new meat.  They should be good for at least four twistings : )

[Brandon]

On 9/10/2018 at 3:40 PM, Andrej said:

I decided to rebuild the spare 008 distributor I've had on my bench forever. When I went to order the rebuild kit, I discovered that the good folks at Robert Bosch GmbH seem to have recently developed a taste for champagne and caviar, or possibly crack, as the price of the kit is now hovering around $90. For a few shims and other bits. While my first instinct is to head over to corporate and break my foot off in someone's ass, I figured perhaps it's better to see if some enterprising individual has found an alternate source for these parts. Seriously, it can't be that hard to replicate these things. Anyone? And while you're at it, anybody found a good source for "Bosch Sucks" bumper stickers?

Did you ever figure out the miss you were having...is that the reason you’re rebuilding the distributor?  Was wondering if the pertronix tested out good.

[MikeD]

On 9/10/2018 at 4:01 PM, jgerock said:

Where are you located?   I highly recommend shipping your dizzy to Jeff at Advanced Distributors for a rebuild with recurve.

 

This ^

['76mintgrün'02]

Aw.  It might come to That ^ , but I applaud people being willing to open up a distributor and take a l@@k.

 

It is almost like it's Taboo or something.

 

Axial play is cheap and easy to fix.  Worn internal bits... not so much so.

 

If the internals look tired, you can always slap it back together, drop it in a box and send it off to Minnesota.

 

Or, as is so often offered up, "for just twice the cost of a rebuild, you can have a 123 !"

 

Points and condensers make me happy... but, to each their own.

[02Pilot]

I know there are good, logical reasons for letting other people fix certain things, but when I grew up if something broke you fixed it. And if you didn't know how, you learned. Paying someone was a last resort and something to be mildly ashamed of. So while my distributor might end up going out for service eventually, I couldn't live with myself if I just jumped to that step.

 

5 hours ago, Brandon said:

Did you ever figure out the miss you were having...is that the reason you’re rebuilding the distributor?  Was wondering if the pertronix tested out good.

That's what sent me down this particular rabbit hole. I'm still chasing it, but I haven't had a lot of time. The Webers are coming off to be rebuilt this winter anyway, so if I haven't found it by then I'll just rip everything apart.

Edited September 12, 2018 by Andrej

[Simeon]

6 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

"for just twice the cost of a rebuild, you can have a 123 !"

 

 

Not in Australia. I was quoted, by the one place that would do it, $600 AUD. I should ship it to Advance too. 

['76mintgrün'02]

17 minutes ago, Simeon said:

I should ship it to Advance too. 

 

I assume you mean after you drill the pin to peek within?

Don't you want to see what the bits and pieces look like?

If I sent one in, I would include a note requesting that my old parts come back with the rebuilt one.

I'd probably also drill the new pin and peek inside again, to see what had been done to it.

 

Apparently $600 AUD = $430 USD today.  Double the cost.  Yikes.

 

[Simeon]

3 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

 

I assume you mean after you drill the pin to peek within?

Don't you want to see what the bits and pieces look like?

If I sent one in, I would include a note requesting that my old parts come back with the rebuilt one.

I'd probably also drill the new pin and peek inside again, to see what had been done to it.

 

Apparently $600 AUD = $430 USD today.  Double the cost.  Yikes.

 

 

You are right of course, I have two distributors on the shelf. One is my fall back and is carried around in the car in case the 123 fails and the other has loads of axial play. When I get chance I will have a go at that one myself (along with the old brake calipers that I am determined to rebuild and my old steering box that I am also determined to rebuild). 

[jgerock]

3 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

 

I assume you mean after you drill the pin to peek within?

Don't you want to see what the bits and pieces look like?

If I sent one in, I would include a note requesting that my old parts come back with the rebuilt one.

I'd probably also drill the new pin and peek inside again, to see what had been done to it.

 

Apparently $600 AUD = $430 USD today.  Double the cost.  Yikes.

 

I've peeked inside BMW and VW distributors but the little parts like the fiber pads and springs are pretty expensive and I don't have handy access to a distributor machine.  My tii distributor rebuild by Jeff was less than $200 and it works very well.  I have a crusty spare tii distributor that I can take apart just for grins.

 

One older article from a car magazine described the owner had  used springs  from a Chevrolet to customize his curve.

[Healey3000]

On ‎9‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 12:54 PM, Andrej said:

The OE pin is spec'd at 4x20, but it measures more like 4x18. I was going to order 4x20 roll pins, but if 5/16" fits I'll just run to the hardware store. Thanks for the tip.

I recall reading somewhere that a hole for a tapered pin is drilled with, well, a tapered drill.  If using a tension pin instead, the hole should be drilled out to remove the taper. I bought some 4x20 tension pins but based on your measurement, I probably ought to ream it out to the correct diameter.  Overkill?

['76mintgrün'02]

3 hours ago, Healey3000 said:

If using a tension pin instead, the hole should be drilled out to remove the taper.

No. The idea is NOT to drill the shaft. 

 

If you'll read my second post in this thread, it talks about this process.

In the parts description, they call it a grooved pin, I believe.  Those probably help it grip, or something.  Maybe it gives the steel someplace to go, when it is driven in tight?  If you know you don't want to get back in there then spend the $6 for a pin and peen it in.  I've not had trouble with my roll pin and I like the easy accessibility it gives me.

 

These roll pins are .750" long and the gear top diameter is around .700", so a little sticks out at each end; but that does not seem to matter.  This 5/32" roll pin measured .164" before stretching.

I measured a factory pin I'd punched out and the fat end is .163" and the skinny is .158", so five thousandths difference.  The hole through the shaft is not tapered, I don't believe; or at least not much. 

 

The pin is .158" through the shaft and then the larger bit happens in the gear hole. 

 

As mentioned, the gear has one hole that is larger and needs to be aligned with this punch mark on the bottom of the shaft.

I find that bamboo skewers make good temporary pins, if you split one end and add a little shim.

 

[Simeon]

7 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

No. The idea is NOT to drill the shaft. 

 

If you'll read my second post in this thread, it talks about this process.

In the parts description, they call it a grooved pin, I believe.  Those probably help it grip, or something.  Maybe it gives the steel someplace to go, when it is driven in tight?  If you know you don't want to get back in there then spend the $6 for a pin and peen it in.  I've not had trouble with my roll pin and I like the easy accessibility it gives me.

 

These roll pins are .750" long and the gear top diameter is around .700", so a little sticks out at each end; but that does not seem to matter.  This 5/32" roll pin measured .164" before stretching.

I measured a factory pin I'd punched out and the fat end is .163" and the skinny is .158", so five thousandths difference.  The hole through the shaft is not tapered, I don't believe; or at least not much. 

 

The pin is .158" through the shaft and then the larger bit happens in the gear hole. 

 

As mentioned, the gear has one hole that is larger and needs to be aligned with this punch mark on the bottom of the shaft.

I find that bamboo skewers make good temporary pins, if you split one end and add a little shim.

 

 

Jeez, would it hurt to use metric units?

['76mintgrün'02]

2 minutes ago, Simeon said:

Jeez, would it hurt to use metric units?

That'd add work for me, unfortunately, since my measuring devices all read in inches.

Sorry.

 

Here you go :

 

These roll pins are 19.05 mm long and the gear top diameter is around 17.78 mm, so a little sticks out at each end; but that does not seem to matter.  This 5/32" (.15625" / 3.96875 mm) roll pin measured .164" before stretching, which translates to 4.1656 mm.

I measured a factory pin I'd punched out and the fat end is 4.1402 mm and the skinny is 4.0132 mm, so .127 mm difference.  The hole through the shaft is not tapered, I don't believe; or at least not much. 

 

The pin is 4.0132 mm through the shaft and then the larger bit happens in the gear hole. 

 

(yes, that was somewhat painful)

Tom

[02Pilot]

OK, got the new parts collected and the distributor on the bench. All disassembled except for the cam. The FAQ says to lift it with two screwdrivers, presumably to force the clip to spread and release. I've put more force than I like on those two screwdrivers and it's not moving. Clip rotates, not rusted, but the cam isn't releasing. Any super secret tricks for getting this thing apart?