So I'd been looking for a nice lincoln v12 distributor, converted to v8, to install on my mild 21 studder. I've always liked the look of the larger lincoln coils and thought it'd be a nice period correct speed part. I finally found a really nicely restored one (claims to be from the spalding bros.) and bolted everything up only to find that the clearances just aren't there. With the setup I have, eddie meyer 2x2 intake, and original generator...the fan blades just don't quite clear the coil. The generator won't slide up any further because it contacts the carb fuel bowl and even with the stock v8 coil, the blades just barely clear the top of the coil. My first thought is to just trim the fan blades neatly until it all clears with a little wiggle room. But that cuts down on the cooling capability of the fan, which for an already hot flattie might not be the best. The other option would be to put the carbs on risers 1/2" or so, so that the generator can move up a bit more and the fan can clear the coil. But I'm installing the engine in a 36 tudor and the radiator already has a recess on the bottom of the tank for fan blade clearance...not sure if it's got much more travel available in it. Thoughts?
OK I know you didn't ask for opinions but.... Why go to all that trouble for a big clunky distributor? Is there any performance gain? I know it's your car and we all have different tastes, but it just seems like a lot of work with not much bang for all the trouble. And I am really not trying to be an ass.
Is that the stock fan? Different years stuck out farther than others, so maybe if there is room you can space the fan closer to the radiator and clear the coil? If that doesn't work, I wouldn't be against trimming the ends of the blades a touch.
No worries BJR. It is a little bit of gymnastics to get it to fit, but for the most part, it's a straight swap out. The advantage to using the dual coil lincoln could easily be had with any modern electronic ignition. The original hot rodders liked them because you could still get a good spark out of them at high rpms...that's why I like them, they're an old speed workaround, plus I kind of like their stout look. Thanks alchemy, I have a couple other fans, I'll see if any of them fit any better.
My '37 21 stud was all stock, and there was a spacer between the generator pulley and the fan that put the fan out in front of the distributor and coil. Is that an option for you?
I've seen shorter generators but I think they have all been after market. Is there any capacity in a stock generator to take an inch out of the overall length? Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Don't know a lot about the distributors, but could the converted one be flipped over, so that the coil part is down? If the crank- nut is in the way, just use a regular nut or trim that one.....hand- cranking is impracticle anyway. Otherwise, maybe the fan blade tips could be bent backwards, rather than trimmed away. Might have to build a jig to get them all the same and inline.
If you don't have a longer fan, but there is room in front of the fan, you could build a spacer. That's what I did on my sedan. See the aluminum spacer between the pulley and fan. It has registration groove on the backside and a lip on the frontside to keep the fan concentric.
Another thought would be to bend the ends of the fan blades to clear the coil. Doing that may even improve the performance of the fan. Some GM fans were done that way.
Interesting, looks like a lot of the 37's have the long neck fans. I fit the radiator up last night and I don't think there's enough room in front for the long neck, although that would probably help things. There's actually a bit more room in the radiator tank pocket for the fan than I realized, so moving things up is probably the right answer. I dug around a little bit and found this post from a while back: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/mounting-a-8ba-flathead-in-a-36-ford-coupe.243922/ Seems DirtyDan had a similar issue with his clearances. He used a 8ba powergen alternator, which is shorter and would clear the carbs, but he also trimmed the blades by 1/4" as well. I really like the look of my stock generator though, so maybe it's a case of both putting the carbs on risers and trimming the blades a bit. I made a sketch of the stock front end clearance of my grandpa's 36.
So I decided to just trim the fan blades to fit, seems to be a nice solution. I'll post a photo. On another note, I'm wiring the engine up for a test run with the new Lincoln dizzy and wanted to know from anyone who is running one, the best way to make sure i don't fry it on start up. I've been using a 12 volt battery, because that's all I have on hand and it gives the starter some more zip...because of this, what should I be running as far as ballast resistors? I have a 12 volt to 6 volt ballast resistor from the old setup (first photo below) that is supposed to step the voltage down in order to still us the stock coil. I've also seen my exact lincoln v12 dizzy setup with dual ballast resistors on the coil contacts (last photo below). Thoughts on what the best wiring solution is? my distributor vs. an almost identical one I've seen recently
Is your LZ coil rewired to 12 volt, or is it still 6? Either way you will need two resistors, just matters as to which ones you buy. The coil on the modified distributor is set up like an individual coil for 4 cylinders. A resistor is needed for each half (coil), just like the other example you show.
Making the assumption that Lincolns of that era were set up like Fords from the same date range, the Ford stuff all had a resistor that cut down the 6V to something less, always heard approx. 3-4V. If you didn't run that resistor your points would burn as would your coil. Strongly suggest you contact some knowledgeable on this, as there can't be many of those coils still in existence if you damage it.
Thanks Alchemy, I'm not sure if anything was done specifically to the coil to convert it to 12v, but I doubt it...it's supposed to be a fairly original piece of kit, by the Spalding Bros. I definitely don't want to burn up the LZ points or coil, as DOM notes, they're hard to come by these days. Agreed about the 3-4v at the distributor. So if I run 2 stock ballast resistors on the dizzy contact points like the last photo (1 on each contact point), I could presumably run a 6v battery. If I run a 12v battery, I'll need the 2 stock resistors and another resistor earlier in the circuit to step the 12v down to 6v (like the first photo)...or even 2 of the 12v to 6v resistors; one for each dizzy contact point
If the coils are still 6v, I don't think it would be a good idea to mess around trying to rig up a 12v battery. If you are going to run 12v , send the coil to Skip for conversion. No fan in the '50s.
I'm not opposed to running a 6v battery, if it'll simplify things, I think I'll run the car that way eventually anyway. Is there a way to tell if the LZ distributor is setup for a 6v or 12v system? If it's setup for the standard 6v, then having 2 stock ford ballast resistors attached at the dist. contacts should be all I need in the circuit right...assuming the LZ coil is designed with whatever internal resistance it needs to step the voltage down to the 3-4v at the points. Stock ballast resistor from Mac's: https://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_...l-resistor-40-ohm-replacement-style-ford.html Here's a photo of the chopped fan, might take a bit more off, but the profile looks ok to me.
It's been a while since I looked at my converted LZ distributor, but I seem to remember most of the conversions do some modifications to the contacts on the under side of the coil to separate the two sides. They make each point work 4 cylinders, and the spingy contacts are removed and wired to each separate side (condensors and resistors) Then there is usually a notch filed into the backside of the housing where wiring comes out to connect to the resistors and condensors. I don't see any of this notch or wiring on your distributor. Have you ever had yours apart? Is the coil all stock underneath? Maybe some others here will post pics of these mods.
Here's a good thread with pics on the Fordbarn: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198905&page=2 Note that some of the folks are showing a Ford distributor with a Lincoln coil, not to be confused with a whole LZ distributor.
I have had it apart, but I'm not sure if I quite have the photos that would help, I'll post the ones I do have now and take a few more of the innards when I get home. I've seen quite a few of these mods, you're right, there's a Ford dist. with LZ coil and an LZ dist. converted to V8. The latter, I think, uses the Ford body and caps, but uses the LZ innards and has an adapter plate to mount the LZ coil. While the former uses the entire LZ dist. but modifies the innards to provide spark for only 8 cylinders. The thread you referenced has someone from Bubba Ignitions posting info. Are they a good resource? Is there someone else I should just send my dist. to to test and make sure it's setup correctly?
Bubba's does good work, but is VERY BUSY and slow. Best to call him and ask if he can do the job. The mods I was talking about don't show in your pics. It would be the two springy contacts pointing down at the back of the coils making contact with the breaker points. The old-time conversion articles cut those off.
Talk to Pennington up in Alaska! He’s the go to guy in LZ conversions. I think he even makes the caps just as the factory did.
Wow, Pennington does nice work. I'll reach out to him on instagram. Looks like he might even have my missing Spalding ID tag. Here's a photo of inside the dist. Showing the coil contacts wired to the points...mag points? Is there a way to tell if the coil is setup for 6v or 12v?
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