Vintage Sun Tune Up, Testers, Scopes, Analyzer, Distributor Thread

Had my Sun 404 distributor machine refurbished by Mark at Paramount last year.
Great job, works like new.

Ken

 

This is mine i just picked it up this morning.

 

Here are two of my scopes. I also have another SS-400. I bought the TUT-1015 and an SS-400 on a Lyon heavy duty cart. I paid $25 each at auction.

I knew about these scopes because they were being sold by the school I attended (and now teach Automotive Technology at). The SS-400 is the first scope I ever used in 1988.

Fast forward 25 years and here I am using them on a daily basis. The TUT-1015 has been hooked up to nearly every kind of automobile imaginable from lowly Yugo engine to a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. It regularly sees duty on classic cars from Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Shelby, Bugatti, Jaguar, and many more.

Thanks for starting this thread. There are only a handful of guys who still use these things professionally.

 

I've had mine for many years and the damn thing still works great. I'm lucky to have all of the manuals with it, I took a shot of one of the pages that shows the machines in a shop around 1947. Within the manuals I found letters to the garage from Sun dating from 1946 to 1948, they were addressed to a bus repair company located in Illinois.

 

Enclosed are photos from the rear of my cluttered garage of my 1120 Engine Analyzer, 140A Distributor machine and my generator test stand. In the next few weeks, I will dig out all of the original literature that I have, as well as photograph the extensive additional Sun pieces and components recieved with these three units. One item is a Sun metal box of tune-up specs sheets for cars from the 1950's up into the 1970's.

I am hoping that this thread will lead to a sharing of literature that would show available components and how they are used. I know that I have a hemi Desoto that could use a diagnosis.

 

Post your patterns, I'm sure members could give you some ideas. We should also post pictures if known good patterns.

Nice equipment!

 

I love the patina on the cabinet.

 

anyone got any info on a sun 2 gas analyzer
got A little trouble getting it to span, its real sensitive my finger will move the meters just moving them past the glass

 

thats an amazing price! i have been going to the auction hoping to run into some larger sun systems with no luck.

 

What model is it? I have a stack of literature that came with my distributor machine.

 

Looking for a Sun SCT-10 if anyone has one for sale.

 

Hi jnichols.Is the mod# and company name still visible on that transformer?
If so,just maybe the company is still in business.If not,try of all places,Radio Shack(R).Just might hit a home run there.Have found many weird and strange
items through them.Gotta say this is one neat thread.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Sadly no. When I said melted down I really meant melted down, into a stinking epoxy puddle. It would have to be a NOS piece or a custom job as it has sixteen output taps. Perhaps I could replace the one transformer with eight separate ones. I did find a place that could make one but the price for a one off was spendy. By coincidence the company is named Sun Transformer.
http://www.suntransformer.com/
I really need to find some wiring schematics before I tackle this anyway.
And for those who don't know sun was pretty good about stamping a assembly date inside the units.

 

Yep seen a few like that before.Just be sure to check out the entire electrical system before installing a new one if you find one,or you might wind up with another puddle of epoxy.I might get roasted for this,BUT,the highest quality vacuum tubes are Russian.IF you can find a web site that specializes in Russian electronic parts they just might have what you need that is NIB.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

a Rotunda but it's on a Sun cabinet

 

Does a VAT-40 count?

I learned how to use one in back high school (1980's) and bought one the first chance I had.

 

One of my Sun scores today. Bought it at Thompson swap meet for $75, a little on the rough side but it will restore nicely. There was no way I wasn't coming home with it, even thought I brought my Honda Civic. If there is a will there is a way. One of the best things about the buy was a huge stack of Sun Manuals, Charts and Sun Customer Service Work Slips unused.

 

To the left of my pump is the cabinet from a Allen Distributor machine. Back in the 80's there was a garage sale down my street,and the guy had the machine,and a big engine analyzer for sale! He wanted too much and nobody bought them! Well, the next day it was at my village dump with all the gauges broken,and hoses,wires cut! The bottom cabinet was the only thing he didn't ruin! A few years ago I painted it,and put my sandblaster on it! Glad I could save something!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

forgot to mention I missed out on a Sun Spark Plug Cleaner from a different vendor by a few minutes at the swap meet but I did get a Sun Vacuum Unit from him for my 300 Model so it was bitter sweet, only 3 more Sun Units to find to get all 8 modules

 

I actually used this about 10 years ago and it worked....not like a modern light, you cant use it in bright sunlight...but in a darkened garage or under a hood I could see it fine.

Made of some kind of cool material...similar to Bakelite...has a dark maroon marble finish.

Works on 6 Volt or 12 Volt !









(shameless plug...I just listed it in the classifieds.....

 

I have one of those too, garage sale find, too cool to pass up.

 

I was hoping I could convert it into a portable version of Nikola Tesla's "Death Ray Machine"....but never got around to it.

 

Ive got a Sun solid metal (chrome) timing light that I have had since forever, Im really old, and loaned it to a kid and it came back with the wires melted from the exhaust manifold ... why do I never learn?

Why does mine say San Jose CA and these others say Chicago?

... subscribed.

 

504 owner here.
Question : How does one calibrate the distributor testers?
Thanks,
Tom

 

I've got three 300 era scopes, all have stopped functioning properly. The scopes come on but the line across the screen starts to degrade (starts to get shorter and shorter as it warms up).

Any idea on how to fix. Also have lots of these and later SUN machines if anyone is interested.

The Johnny

 

What do you have for Sun machines?

 

As someone said earlier "there's nothing like a real carbon pile for testing batteries"
Here's a shot of my old Sun VAT-25 that I've had forever

 

I have a sun 400, 740, 300 a few Vat-40s, a 70s sun tune up kit....lots of manuals....the list goes on and on, I have been on a sun buying spree lately. I need to get more pictures up soon

 

I just picked up a Sun Coil Tester Model AA 4690. Does anyone have a manual or know anything about how to operated this thing? Any help greatly appreciated.

I also have one of the older Sun Distributor machines, an Allen and a Ford Heyer Diagnostics set. I use the Allen to turn old Flathead distributors while setting the dwell with the Ford machine. I use a battery and ballast resistor while making the adjustments...just as if it were running on a car. Seems to work great.

 

v8fordman, just a update on the manuals I have at home, no luck with a coil tester manual. I have another stack at my garage (over a few towns), i won't be able to look at them until friday or saturday...but i think i remember seeing a coil tester manual