Technical 235 chevy dist with tach drive ??????

hey fellers is there such a thing as a tach drive type distributor with vacuum advance for a 235 bolt?
i ask because in looking for a tach for my 57 chebby ive found several nice vintage style mechanical drive tachometer's but only a couple electrical ones.
thanks man
jeff

 

Vacuum advance isn't really part of the distributor on those engines...it's clamped to the outside of the housing, and turns the whole distributor.

I don't know if there is an aftermarket tach drive distributor for the 235. The factory tach equipped cars (like the Vette) that had the 235 used a generator tach drive, not a distributor tach drive.

 

Are you sure that's a tach drive boss? doesn't look like one to me....but I'm not an expert on Mallory distributors, I only have a couple for V8s. But all the ones I've seen have another boss below the main round housing, which holds the tach drive assembly.

Also it looks like the clamp area is different on this one, than on the normal 235 distributor. Vacuum advance might not fit without some modification?

 

I agree with squirrel, this is my Mallory for a late flathead. As you can see the unit I have is either vacuum retard or advance. I have not checked it yet. Gary

 

That's what I was guessing, thanks for the pic! and since the vacuum advance version does not need the stock clamp type vacuum advance, the different base design on the 180 distributor is not an issue. You just need the right clamp.

 

Jim,
The distributor in Robert's pic was in a GMC going by the holddown ...

 

I think Jim is correct here.

If it wee me I would either find a genny drive (they are not hard to come by) or drive it with the cam snout, they make a doubler to drive a tach from a spud on the cam shaft. May be hard to fix one up on a 235 but no hill for a stepper right?

 

thanks guys i didnt know the tach drive was on the gen. i will start looking for a gen with a drive.
unless someone has an old 6 cylinder electrical tach for sale

 

If you want to up grade to an alternator Some Massey tractors used a delco unit with a tach drive.

 

i looked into the tach drive generator a few years ago, I think the power steering generator (with the pump mounted on the back of it) and the tach generator used the same armature, with the splined end on it, and mounting holes on the rear frame. The tach had a different adapter than the steering pump, of course, but it might be easier to find a generator from a 55-59 power steering Chevy, and find the tach adapter parts from a tractor.

but I never did get real far on this, so I may be wrong.

 

We had a Mallory for a Chevy/GMC 6 that we sold on eBay last year. It had the mechanical tach drive. And I don't remember if it had vac adv.