Recommend a distributor expert

Call the service department at Algar. They have the right machines, and the right guy for you. Don't know anyone closer, but Daniel at Ricambi America (title sponsr here) might know one down your way.

Algar Ferrari 610-527-1100 Mark runs the service department.

Dave M.

 

There are quite a few guys on here that own a machine, I have one myself. I would post this in the 308 section, there are a lot more specific people there running the old distributors that may have a machine close by to you.

However, if its just sticking some, and you seem like your mechanically inclined enough, why not try opening it up and carefully examining the advance? Even the owners manual says something about lubricating it every 10K miles IIRC. Its very easy for a piece of debris, etc., to gum it up. If you carefully disassemble it, referencing the paint daubs, you can clean all the parts, re-lubricate everything with new lithium grease, and try it. If you seen it apart, you would clearly see that only burrs, dirt or grit could make it stick or jump.

 

I've never noticed any chrome plating on distributor bearings. That metal is probably just pieces of bearing steel or steel flakes from the distributor shaft if the bearing seized.

What I do think I see in your photos is that you may have worn-out advance forks. It's very common for a wobble to wear into each fork and then the advance weight bushing that slides in each fork is usually worn-out too. If this is true in your case, all the adjusting and swapping of springs and shims will never help with a smooth and full advance curve. You do need the distributor set up in a machine but you also need to make sure all of the parts of the advance mechanism are in first class condition.

New reproduction advance weight bushings are available, as are a limited selection of weights. The important wear points are mostly on parts attached to the distributor shaft which are not available to my knowledge and must be repaired.

Another common wear point inside the Marelli distributor is where the pins, that the advance weight springs ride on, rub against the inside of the bowl attached to the distributor shaft. Over time and lack of maintenance, wear spots in the wall of the bowl impede movement of the pins and thus the advance weights. Sometimes the weights wear out at their fulcrum points and cams can be worn which doesn't help either.

I can tell you that just about every Marelli distributor that is tested is out of whack. Most of them haven't been properly serviced since they left the factory. Usually the advance curve is nowhere near factory spec and if breaker points are still being used, the synchronization and dwell angles are commonly all wrong too.

 

Ron, Dennis Shaw Racesports has a Sun machine, he's at 8613-E Barefoot Industrial Rd., Raleigh, NC 27617

I don't have a number for him, but you should buzz by there. He may need to make up a stand for the S85 base, but he'll work with you.

-Peter
www.peterkrause.net

 

That advice is right on the money.

I have had success repairing these worn spots and machining new bushings to fit. Without this you won't get much improvement.

 

Of course it is....LOL! Thanks Wil!

As he says you should service the unit per the Manual as it's the heart of the machine, performancewise....

Looks like you found someone close!

 

Ron a quick question here. What dizzy cap are you using. Is this the OEM euro version or a GM cap.

 

Richard Garre has a machine all set up at his shop in Maryland. No commercial connection...blah, blah, blah...

Radcliffe Motorcar Company LLC
Post Office Box 860
12340 Owings Mills Boulevard
Reisterstown, Maryland 21136
Telephone 410.517.1681
Fax 410.517.1684
www.rmccar.com

 

Don King at Elite Auto, 310-6065695

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=152961&highlight=pertronix

 

Sorry to be brief, I'm on the run. You can grind/sand the dimples out with a soft grinding wheel or an abrasive flap-wheel on an air die-grinder or Dremmel grinder. Make sure you make a nice transition to the rest of the inner drum surface (drum IS a better word than bowl). Except for the few parts I mentioned before you're out of luck. A good machine shop can re-machine most of the wear points. For example: if the forks are worn, as they usually are, I pinch them closed slightly in a vise and re-size them in a Bridgeport with a 1/4" solid carbide end mill. Then I dress them with a diamond file. You should lube everything with a high quality, high temperature, lithium grease. Most common grades of grease will either evaporate, sling off or harden. None of those conditions are helpful.

 

Thanks

 

Hi Ron, great thread. great photos. Can you post a picture of your Marelli distributor tag? I am pretty sure this would be a S159, but what version?

And can you give the dimensions for the pins you would be looking for? And any and all dimensions of other pieces? I am wanting a supplier for the pins as well for an S85 series, but i would prefer to cut and trim the stem to my length. maybe we can find a source or get some made. i posted my dimensions on a prevoius thread. i will look for them
thanks
Craig

 

sorry your 8 post Marelli might be an S127.
http://www.huskyclub.com/S127EMarelli0001.pdf

i do have my S85 pin dimensions at -
http://www.huskyclub.com/advmech222.html
are these similar to yours?
thanks
Craig

 

I usually TIG weld the drums.
I then re-grind them with a 15K rpm grinding stone/wheel in a chuck in my lathe....
the Rockwell is 49-50 on the pins... last I checked...
I have begun tooling up a program for the CAD mill and CAD lathe and would be spitting out several hundred of the short and long pins for s85 class of distributors....mid autumn I expect.
the hardeneing process will shoot for a RS rating/value of 48/49...slightly softer than drums as pins will be cheaper and easier to deal with in the servicing than is drum repair(sort of the object of this whole affair!)

Is there an audience out there for these things? This is p[retty hard core work, and FEW appreciate this-let alone know what I'm talking about.
If response is strong, I will certainly do a run-or your distributors, either way...
Readers, PM me please, if there is any real need for advance internal pins....

 

Thanks designr and 335s,
Quite an interesting conversion using a GM distributor 8 cyl cap on an S159B. Looks like the upper ball bearing that shows in your photo is not quite fitting down at the correct level and may be causing bearing failure or rotor wobble. Maybe the rotor is trimming the inside posts of the distributor cap? thanks for the great photos and thread.

335S , yes i think there is a market for pins. I would think long stems could be trimmed to everyones needs and since these cant cost much, a learning curve to trim can be handle by selling a pack of 10. You could throw in a new Sears grinder, instructions and soft jaw vise grips for an extra $200

On another note - the pieces needed are - pins, spring cups, and springs, maybe shim washers. The weights, OEM style, are available from Bill and Dave at GTCP. There is a Marelli repair kit from a UK Ferrari supplier, maybe Super Performance, that is close but not OEM pieces, so all the diameters, of the pieces i speak, are in compatable. The OEM weights with fork bushings from GTCP are good quality.

If you can help with this please let us all know.
thanks
Craig

 

*Hand waving*

I think the market is there, I know several cars sidelined looking for distrib parts at one time or another......

I have three pair of dual point distribs, 4 plug style....are the pins the same??

I have to send mine out to TRutlands to calibrate them, although I noticed Vintage Motorcars has a machine so they apparently do it in house here......

 

In all of these sorts of things, the money cost is the time to write the program, the set up, and in this case... the hardening process.
The materials and the "run time" on the Mill and Lathe will be virtually nothing...
If I can recover the electricity, materials, and hardening fees, all will be good....
It is not possible to "make money" on making Ferrari parts like this!
This is use of a half a million dollars in computer driven equipment to make parts for my hobby....

Forget the other tools...the idea is to make this user simple and stock...so to speak.
A SUN distributor machine will be required, or at least access to same.
Pins, in my 30-35 years experience, is rather limited.
The shims and springs are where the adjustment will be made, not in trimming the pins...especially since they will be "Hard"

I will keep people aprised of progress....probably sometime in mid autumn...
I have a couple of projects pending...1 maybe a "rotisserie nut and bolter..." a "big" car...