All Small Six Looking for adjustable vacuum advance
- Thread starter John Ha
- Start date
This relates to all small sixes
This is a new distributor. I bought two remans from the local O'Reilly store. Both are the same and neither vacuum can is adjustable. I suppose I could buy a V8 distributor and see if I could swap the shaft from the I6 unit into it so I end up with the V8 advance but that's a lot of work with no assurance of success.
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What you need to do is get out your wallet & purchase one of my DS11's.
PM me or email me billythedistributorman@live.com
The remans you purchased are not even close on the centrifugal advance as well as the total. Give me your phone # & the best time to call you.
In the meantime check out my listings in the small six for sale section here on the forum. Bill wsa111
PM me or email me billythedistributorman@live.com
The remans you purchased are not even close on the centrifugal advance as well as the total. Give me your phone # & the best time to call you.
In the meantime check out my listings in the small six for sale section here on the forum. Bill wsa111
Offering the following as explanation/clarification: not flaming, demeaning, trolling, disrespecting or angrily ranting.
The only reason I own this car is to learn and thus keep my old brain reasonably sane and functional.
I admit to having bought a few things after finding that I'm spectacularly unsuccessful in doing them (like body and paint work) but some of this little stuff I think I can do to make the car better and learn at the same time.
I've already done some work on the distributor which has made a noticeable improvement in the car's performance for a really tiny amount of money.
I understand how to map the timing curve, and I probably will make additional improvements at some point but in the end, good enough is good enough.
If I can't find the adjustable vacuum advance I'm confident that I can work with what I have.
You want an adjustable vacuum advance i have several. They are only adjustable in the vacuum part. I have to set the amount in the advance after i know all the specs on the engine.
Cost is $50.00 + shipping.
However i need to know all your engine specs.
Also need how much centrifugal you presently have & what rpm is it all in. What are you running for initial advance?
What octane fuel are you using?
With my Sun Tester i can do all the above in an hour or two, know what i have is what i want.
It would take you several days to do this if you know what you are doing.
Your choice.
I have over 50 years of experience in recurving distributors.
Cost is $50.00 + shipping.
However i need to know all your engine specs.
Also need how much centrifugal you presently have & what rpm is it all in. What are you running for initial advance?
What octane fuel are you using?
With my Sun Tester i can do all the above in an hour or two, know what i have is what i want.
It would take you several days to do this if you know what you are doing.
Your choice.
I have over 50 years of experience in recurving distributors.
Are you positive that your's isn't adjustable? Is this a DS2 distributor? The cardone reman spec'd for a 1978 Fairmont 3.3 I bought for my 250 was. Try different allen wrench sizes, I think I've read 3/32 but I'm pretty sure mine was different size than that. You could also get one to the auto parts store and check it before you pay for it and take it home. STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS VC473
The VC473 is adjustable in the vacuum area only. The mechanical total is locked in. I know how to modify that. Each engine combo is different. Some require less, some more.
With too much advance you can destroy an engine.
This is common on the HEI as offered.
The reman DS11's by Cardone have the centrifugal advance peak out on some at over 4K engine rpms.
They are assembled in Mexico so they might have had tequila for lunch if you got one assembled after that time.
Each one has to be dissembled to correct many problems. One example is dried oil in the spiral oil supply for the upper bushing.
These take several hours of work to correct all there problems.
With too much advance you can destroy an engine.
This is common on the HEI as offered.
The reman DS11's by Cardone have the centrifugal advance peak out on some at over 4K engine rpms.
They are assembled in Mexico so they might have had tequila for lunch if you got one assembled after that time.
Each one has to be dissembled to correct many problems. One example is dried oil in the spiral oil supply for the upper bushing.
These take several hours of work to correct all there problems.
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The distributors I bought are for the 75 Maverick with the 250 I6.
I went back and tried every Allen wrench I had and none of them engaged anything - until I forced the 1/8" wrench through the hole that was, up until then, too small to let it in. That engaged something inside that I can tighten and loosen.
I guess I gave up too easily on previous tries when that wrench seemed too big for the hole - apparently a case of having boundless ignorance but applying insufficient brute force.Kudos and many thanks to you Econoline! I owe you beer.
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Show a photo of the chamber from the bottom side. The one i think you have is the large one. However it looks like one that i have that is adjustable on the vacuum side, but the total advance part on the one i have looks like it has over 20 degrees at full vacuum. It is an oddball. Cause i have over 20 stock ones which have a smaller diameter, but will not accept any allen wrench. I have thrown several of these large ones out because to adjust the total would not be worth it. The adjustable part of this can tops out just around 9" of vacuum at full adjustment counterclockwise.
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Is this what you want?
Attachments
I will remove one of my adjustables off one of my DS11's for sale & put it on the Sun tester & give you the total advance it has.
The vacuum part tops out at 8" of vacuum.
I don't know the specs on your engine nor the the total centrifugal advance & what rpm it tops out.
What initial are you running???
There is 18 degrees of total vacuum advance all in at 8" of vacuum on this large vacuum advance. If you want more info email me @ billythedistributorman@live.com with your phone # Thanks Bill
The vacuum part tops out at 8" of vacuum.
I don't know the specs on your engine nor the the total centrifugal advance & what rpm it tops out.
What initial are you running???
There is 18 degrees of total vacuum advance all in at 8" of vacuum on this large vacuum advance. If you want more info email me @ billythedistributorman@live.com with your phone # Thanks Bill
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It's basically a stock 250 - I asked the rebuilder to make it stock - nothing fancy.
I don't remember what I set the initial timing to but I think (emphasis on "think") that it's around 6° btdc. Without looking I'm pretty sure that's what the shop manual said to use and I didn't want to get too aggressive with it until after I'd broken it in for 1000 miles or so.
I don't know the total centrifugal advance - I have not measured it yet. When I get to experimenting with that I am thinking that I'll want no more than 25° total, all in around 2500 RPM.
I've gotten sidetracked into fabricating air conditioning compressor mounts and hoses and getting all of that stuff hooked up and charged so I won't be working on the distributor or timing for a while yet. Please don't go to any extra trouble for me - although I appreciate the effort I'm not sure what I'd do with the information. Hope you understand.
Many thanks for your help.
Best, John
John, when you are ready get in touch with me cause you are leaving a lot of performance on the table. Bill
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