got a survivor condition 1938 Nash Lafayette... found out last weekend, just how hard the distributor cap is going to be, to find a replacement... it's been running so good the last couple years, the rapid deterioration of the cap took me by surprise... I no longer have a center contact in my cap... they only used this style of cap a couple years... 2 piece, that the wires go into the side, & push onto contact pins, then a 2nd top cap holds all the wires down... I believe ( the carb is in the way for full confirmation right now ) that my dizzy I.D. number is IGC-4415 here is a pic from when I 1st bought the car... I've dressed the engine a lot in the couple years, with new red & black cloth wrapped wires, etc... but I'm still running the original cap... anyone have a suggestion for a source ??? been through the normal E-Bay, Nash car club, etc. you don't happen to have one sitting in your flea market stuff ??? could really use some help with this one... found one in an internet search $200.00 plus shipping from Australia... I'm hoping to get one cheaper & easier than that ???
Could you buy a new center contact and spring and put them in your old cap? Is it just a black carbon button?
yes, just a sprung carbon button... are these rebuildable ??? I also worry about the cylinder contacts, #3 & #6 have a weaker spark than the rest, but maybe a new rotor & I'd be OK, till the issue comes up again "later"
Sprung carbon brushes in many sizes and shapes are available from industrial supply places and Napa, here... 2 sizes of sprung brushes were used on Ford coils 1932-1939...GM HEI's also have a separate carbon button. Maybe something like that will do. Detail pics and measurements of the center stuff might help someone recognize a source... At worst it might be possible to drill out the center and turn down a chunk of plastic containing a contact button from something more available to fit in the hole. Earliest listings hidden under my desk cover only back to '39-40, IGS 4104 ans 4104X distributors, I think Autolite built. They used a conventional open cap that is used on quite a number of only moderately obscure and rare cars NAPA Echlin AL63...then there are other '40's and '50's Nash six applications both Autolite and Delco. This raises other thoughts...would a '39 cap fit your distributor?? And...what years was your basic motor built? It looks quite similar to 1950's Nashes. Some research on headgaskets, camshaft, etc. might give you clues to later interchange, and perhaps your rig would accept a later distributor with relatively common parts. I'm sure the HAMB has some Nash Gurus with cataloging.
I think I could swap a 37 dizzy ( same motor ) ( much larger production numbers in 37... 38's were very low in production numbers ) however ( to the best of my knowledge ) they used different ID #'s, & a "conventional" type cap... I don't think very many interchange caps... I'd prefer to keep the correct "type" cap... I did try to see if any of the old stock caps from NAPA or Car Quest fit, & I didn't find anything that would go on my dizzy ( I had to miss the cruise this last weekend, so I was pretty desperate ) I have a good machinist for a buddy, so I may be able to repair it, I do worry about it getting brittle & cracking or breaking during repair... & also the cylinder wire contacts, if they wear to not be serviceable ???
thanks for the suggestions guys... I had the best antique parts scavenger at the local NAPA working on this for a day or so... no caps... one of his antique part suppliers suggested that Dodge in the 30's had spare carbons, however none of the Ford or Dodge carbons are commonly available anymore... I'm going to stop by & look at the GM HEI carbon, & stop by my machinist & see about trying to make the center post replaceable with something common... I really worry about breaking the brittle cap, as that would put me either replacing the dizzy, or buying that $200 + cap
Ford carbons are available from the repro antique Ford parts places... At Napa, forget the parts catalog and ask for the "Supplies and Accessories" catalog for an illustrated dimensional chart of their brushes.
Here's one, not cheap though. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1935-40-Dod...Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ec34adfab&vxp=mtr
not sure where Scott looked, but he the best there, & very good, he finds nearly anything, for anything antique... errr... well except for Nash stuff... if the new HEI parts will work, I'm happy to swap a modern internal part that's readily available... if it's not "right", I do a lot of work with a good local electric motor & bearing rebuilder / supplier, the manager there might be able to find a carbon & spring that will work
I wouldn't mind a back up, since I plan on keeping the car, & I cruise it all the time, longer than the caps probably last...
this part seems like a natural for that 3D printing, if made where the contacts could be added after the part was made...
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