Technical Advice on electronic distributors

Agreed. I was chuckling to myself how a thread takes off on its own without OP participating .

 

All in all , if you are being black and white , this is not a purist web site . There are variances allowed so that’s that . This is hot rods and customs with a scope of staying 1965 and older . He said/she said situation. To me a purist is part number restorations/ oem .

 

What I would like to say is we should be happy that a young lady loves these old cars and trucks like we all do, and having a new young hot rodder and helping keep her car running should be the optimal point here .

 

The guys are correct in that an electronic distributor no matter what you spend on it isn't going to fix other problems and make the car instantly easy to start. If the carb has issues and needs rebuilding that should be done first.
Personal experience shows that if you have a really good running engine switching to electronic ignition can help it be a great running engine that starts easier. Or if the only issue was a worn out distributor it helps a lot.

As far as the generator/ alternator thing one or the other or none has absolutely nothing to do with if an engine will start or how it will start, you do not need any charging system on an engine to have it start and run. You do and only need a well charged battery. Meaning that if you have a good and fully charged battery generator, alternator or or none means absolutely nothing as far as an engine starting.
The only thing an alternator will do is keep up with the demands of the electric items on the car while charging the battery. The generator if it is in good shape will keep up fine unless you start adding things like a sound system with a big amp or an air bag suspension with one or more compressors. If it craps out and has to be replaced it might be wise to change over to an alternator though. An alternator bracket off a 63/64 engine would make that pretty simple. Still if it isn't broke I wouldn't fix it right now.

 

Give that man a prize!

Nope, she ain't been back since.

 

Yes, I still have the original carb!

 

Much MUCH appreciated. I ran into several mechanics and each of them had their flaws, boy I tell you. Something I did leave out is the fact that one of the last mechanics I thought I could trust escaped with my points. He claimed to see if he could clean it for me better and then disappeared with it! I have ordered new points, but do not match up. I could use a picture of the correct points to get an idea of what to look for. (I wish I took pics of the original). I can be mechanically inclined if I try hard enough, but I still have much room to grow—like each of you gentlemen had a beginning too. I am grateful for the advice and opinions on this. I am going to attempt to re-install the AFB Carb once the weather is right. There was a problem with the fuel line; I can post pics when I can so ya’ll can see.

 

Thanks for the update.

Pictures are wonderful. If the distributor is the original Delco, you should be able to find points for it without too much trouble. That distributor was used on millions of GM cars from 1957-1974.

 

Summit Racing has points listed for a 390 Cad engine part number AC Delco 12338659, also has a picture.

 

Sweet, I'll check that one out.

 

Yes, I'll get pictures this weekend.

 

Apologies. I've been under the weather for a few.

 

Glad your back.

 

no need to get too carried away buying lots of parts, though...pictures will give us a good idea of what you have now. A normal set of replacement points, a good condenser, and pretty much any old cap, rotor, and plug wires should make it run OK.

 

Squirrel said it, points dist with a new coil is the way to go.

 

...and when you think you've bought a good condenser, buy 2 more and stick 'em in the glove box.

I always like improving my odds of getting home from a simple failure, and today's condensers are a bit of a crapshoot. Plus, they are small enough to carry as glovebox spares.

Phil

 

White _Attack, I will respectfully disagree with most of these folks.
You asked a question that has not been answered. I BELIEVE you asked about electronic distributor. Right? A reliable way to go reletativly inexpensive is the Pertronix system. Get the one they say for your car, get the coil that goes with it. Plug wires should be carbon core.

I have a couple more suggestions that are off topic for this forum. I use them on my 1950 Buick and will put them up against anyone or anything here.

Good luck.

Ben

 

A couple bits of advice for White Attack -

If you don't have the factory manual for your Caddy - GET IT! Check with the folks at Ed Faxton (Riverside, CA), they might have one in stock. It will be your BIBLE for keeping your baby running well - whoever works on it.

WHERE in Oregon are you located? Us HAMB folk are everywere, one of us just might be the next block or the next town over, and be willing to lend a hand. Qualify any potentional 'mechanics' with a couple questions - "Do you have a dwellmeter?", and "Can you show me how, can I watch?" Another option would be a vocational or adult school you can enroll in, get your feet wet, see what you need to invest in for tools.

IF you don't start the car at least once a week, the gas will evaporate out of the carburator, requaring 20-30 secondsof cranking for the fuel pump to refil the carb. That said, an EASY shortcut is using Starting Fluid (aka ether, $3.00 at Walmart). Remove the air cleaner, spray a 3-second shot inside the carb. The car will run on the ether long enough to fill the carb, get 'er running - if not on the first try, defently on the second! If it persists to be stubborn in starting - time to read-up on distributor and carb adjustments - NOT at all complicated, but a MUST foe easier starting!

A good sorce for parts/part numbers is rockauto.com. That way, you can verify e-bay offerings for NOS Delco points, condensers, as many current offerings are made offshore, and hit-n-miss in quality. Next best is Standard-Blue Streak, and Echlin from NAPA. PASS on anything made offshore! AC spark plugs are made in Mexico, but are still good quality.

Good Luck, Merry Christmas!

 

As usual, a simple question goes sideways here.

To the point of the original question: a change to Pertronix instead of points may be a good move, if not controversial on this site. I have run them in several cars for many years and the only failure was my fault. The mantra of fixing points alongside the road is ok if is not a blown condenser, been there a couple of times.

I would also suggest rebuilding the original carburetor by someone like Carbking, who knows vintage ones and uses quality parts.

 

Okay, Here we go... Since I may lose power with the coming snowfall I just need to post these now..If I'm not replying soon after, then I lost power.
My original AFB Carb:

As it sits now with Edelbrock installed. I rebuilt the AFB a few years back, but there was an issue with the the afb not releasing fuel due to algea buildup in carb jet sprays. Cleaned it up and also replaced accelerator pump. AFB was later replaced by Edelbrock due to vacuum sucking while idling. <<(Couldn't figure how to fix that on afb.) Carter linkage for Automatic choke broke while straightening to fit the Edelbrock.
I keep a journal of all activity done to the vehicle over the years to keep track. Yup, Having issues with the return linkage spring as well. It will be replaced.

Let's begin with the distributor now. I am aware this cap needs to be replaced. Rotor has been replaced though.

Soo umm, this doesn't look good lol. I might have to replace this whole thing? I replaced the condenser there. I may have to look up a re-builder in Oregon. Do you guys know of one?

 

Before Carb replacement. I was told to return to the regular plastic fuel filter since these fancy new ones tend to unscrew themselves. I prefer glass. *shrugs* what do you guys think? What do you have? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, but I'd really like to know more and appreciate everyone's input.

 

I use metal fuel filters and the distributor really doesn’t look very bad…also I’m a big fan of the original Carter’s over Edelbrocks but if it works it works.

 

On the distributor Make sure you can rotate the top portion against the springs and that it springs back, if it springs back that's good if not it can be fixed. then try to move the shaft side to side, if real loose that's bad but it can be fixed also.

 

Has the vehicle been driven since the carb swap. The reason I ask did the linkage rod laying on the intake manifold connect to the transmission. If it did you could cause some major problems to the valving of the transmission. I'm not a transmission tech but I think it is something that needs investigation. I like points, always have and always will. Gently remove the springs off the centrifugal advance weights clean rust off everything. Light coat of oil, I am talking- light film of oil replace springs. Put the points back in and set the gap with a match book cover first. Now you need a DWELL METER. Set dwell meter to 8 cylinders. Have someone crank the engine over . Key on coil connected - reading should be around 28 - 32 degrees. if not reset them till it does. Did you apply a little grease on the cam that the points ride on. Good now pop the distributor cap back on. it should run. I would rebuild the old carter to insure linkage is back do righteousness. Excuse Grammer and punctuation- Good Luck and Merry Christmas

 

This is important , it needs to be connected for driveability and function of your transmission.

 

Not seeing any points in that distributor.

 

Definitely get rid of that glass fuel filter. I personally have never had a problem with one but plenty of people on this site and others have. I stopped using glass filters years ago because of the horror stories.

If you want a clear filter so you can see all the crud in your fuel system, buy a Wix 33003.

 

That fuel filter WILL leak at some point. Replace it first! Find a shop repair manual as suggested, and as many illustrations of the carb and distributor as possible. By reading your responses, you seem like you have a handle on this. Spray the distributor with WD40, wipe it down an blow out any excess. Replace the points and adjust per spec, If going w/ Pertronix, they install in place of the points, with a few minor modifications. (Watch for damaged wiring as suggested.) Just follow the included instructions. Get evertthing hooked back up and adjusted according the the repair manual. Good luck and keep us posted

 

I appreciate your input. I will gladly follow your advice since there is an upcoming indoor car show that I will attend for extended help. Being the only person in my family that has a passion for old rides is tough, which is why I come here for support. Thanks.

 

Considering all the replies and input, I'd rather prefer to be a purist than add modern technology to my Cadillac. This made me think more about the value of old cars and I should respect their "originality." I didn't think of it at first, but now I will keep the original carburetor and replace it back and continue with the points and learn to maintain them.