Technical Can someone tell me what this is?

I found this bolted in the engine compartment of my new to me Corvair. The wiring was not hooked up. It looks like it might gave been connected to the coil. Had ring terminals on two wires and the pick up looking thing. I have no idea what it is for.

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Vintage electronic iginition most likely. I have one like that somewhere my grandfather ran on a '59 Buick.

 

Looks like an old capacitive discharge unit, early electronic ignition conversion (CDI, or capacitive discharge ignition)

 

Is there some form of reluctor( toothed trigger wheel ) on the crank shaft?

 

does it have points in the distributor?

 

I have not seen a reluctor wheel anywhere. It does have a points distributor. Cap, wires, points and rotor look fairly new to me. It could have been some early type of hi performance ignition module.

If I know the HAMB someone will know for sure.

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THat looks like an early CD box circa 66-68 . Many engineers and techs were trying to be the first to come up with a cheap add -on to meet the smog laws . VW racer "Jolly Green Giant" Papa Joe Forman , an engineer with E.G.& G. gave us one to try in an Enderle port injected 327 we ran in those days , pulled out a Vertex , stuck in a re-curved points distributor hooked the box up a dropped a tenth or two in ET. but had troubles with the stockers centrifical advance QC and went back to the Vertex. The Formans ran one in the VW and for demo purposes used to break the grounds off the plugs and run it , worked too !

 

I was suggesting a transistorized ignition module. Is Capacitive Discharge Ignition (CDI) the same?

 

Was there a reluctor wheel for it? If so where did it go?

 

Hard acceleration and Corvair, isn't that sort of a paradox, John.

 

The little part at the end of the wire is an optical pickup. The box only has one transistor, not a pair, so it's more likely that it's just a switch, not a CDI unit. The early CDI units had a pair of transistors, which made up a switching power supply, needed to boost the voltage to the coil higher than 12v. The date code on the transistor is only 3 digits instead of 4, so we'd have to guess the decade, but my guess is it was made in early 1975, since the date code is 452 (last week of 19X4)

Whatever it is, it is not an original part of the car, it's aftermarket.

 

It looks just like my Lumenition box. But older.

The small Pick up goes in to your distributor, and replases points. It usualy needs and adaptor to fit, and a "fan" that sits under under your rotor, with 1 wing Per cylinder. Abd every time it breaks the connection between the two side of the pick up, it will activate the coil.

But apose to normal points you get longer dwell at high RPM, and there by more power.
I love my Lumenition set-up, in Denmark, it was the Best back then, and in my book, it still is!

Did you try it out?

 

This picture is a mallory part, I think, unrelated to yours but showing how a gapped skirt under the rotor acts as a position sensor for the electronic box.

 

Jim
You no doubt know this but that CD ignition used to be added to the stock ignition for a better spark. the points and coil remained.

What the Op posted was an old capacitive ignition module. I'll bet if one rolled it around enough it would say Motorola or RCA on it somewhere.

 

Benno..........check your "specks".......it says RCA right in the middle of the transistor

 

The reason I asked if it has points, is because the little black gizmo at the end of the cable is an optical sensor, which is used to replace points. It's not a typical CDI, which is used with points. I have a few of those, I know what they look like. I also had an old Tiger optical trigger unit, it was pretty similar to this, although it was newer and smaller.

 

I think you guys are correct. It is an old ignition box. Thanks for the replies. I would assume ti is fairly worthless, just a novelty. Correct??

 

Correct

 

This was an early electronic ignition. For practical purposes, there are better ignitions (50 years of progress in electronics, go figure). But, it should still work as well as it ever did.

For a restoration it would qualify as a contemporary accessory and a novelty.

Did you look inside the distributor? If the original parts are all there I would try it out for a laugh. If it worked I might even leave it in place (but keep a new unit handy).

 

If there's no condenser then it's a transistorised ignition box like a Boyer Brandsen

 

I sure hope CDI boxes aren't just "worthless novelties" ... Since 1975, our coupe has been running a "Delta Mark Ten B" CDI box similar to this one:

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lmao.... that picture you pulled off the internet of the Mark Ten B is a part that is sitting on my dining room table right now. That exact one, with that serial number.

 

All the stock points and condenser are in the distributor. No reluctor wheel. The guy I bought the car from just had a bunch of tune up work done, so I am guessing the mechanic did away with it and just disconnected the wiring.

 

I agree with you, they aren't worthless!!!

I've been running my Lumenition kit for close to eight years, no problemo!
I installed it on 4 or 5 cars, it works like a charme.
I had some issue with one, and I called the guy who sells them.
He stated; the aint never had any issues with there stuff, no one send them back, and it been that way for fifty odd years with him starting there as a kid doing odd jobs, and it will stay that way, even long after he is gone!.

It simple, it good and if you use quality parts they NEVER go out style, or loose purpose.

I would test it, even take it out, and test it with a battery, a coil and a plug. I bet you it works, and the mechanic just did it his way! To sell
service parts

This is the product I used the same basic ideer: http://www.lumenition.com/new/support/lumign/optron/Optronic_Description.pdf

 

Dwell extender for points ignition. there were plans in an old Popular Science. I built a couple in early '70's but the SCR would burn out eventually.

 

Does anything weird happen when you hit 88 mph?

 

Isen't it weird to hit 88mph in a covair, at all, or are they unsafe at every speed? Pun intended

Why is it they got such a bad rep? Just because they got that rear engine? People laught less of a bug, then a covair?

I Think they look nice, but has never driven one. :-/

 

They got a bum rap due to the early suspension design. It was a poor and dangerous design that allowed a rear wheel to fold under when driven hard around curves. Tire pressure needed to be scrupulously maintained to avoid blowouts/rollovers. An anti-roll bar would have helped these problems. Other than that, the later Corvairs are pretty cool cars.

 

So you are telling me they drives as bad as a bug? Or a Ford mutt 141 mk 1?

And still people loves the bug more, because they worked out the problems one tiresome detail at the time.
And they overheated despite being aircooled?
I saw a lowered one with a Buick 215/rover 3500 in it, with other dampers and wide rimes.
The did some upgrades on it, so a first generation drove more like the stinger.

But I wish i could get a chance drive one someday.

 

I was looking for something else, and found my Tiger Electro Point unit. The instructions specifically say it needs to be connected to a CDI box to work. It's not a CDI...it's just the optical trigger. Mine uses the reflection off the distributor cam, instead of a breaker wheel. It is new in the box, never installed. Has a receipt but the writing all faded so I don't know when it's from...it has 3 digit date codes starting with 5 on a few solid state parts inside, so my guess is 1975.