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Posted By Discussion Topic: Tuning my 1937 -- page: 1 2 3 4 5     TomO 07-15-2017 @ 7:49 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 The new condenser is the correct one for your 1937 Ford. The condenser is grounded by the upper right distributor mounting screw. The condenser that was on the car is used with 1941 coils with the top riveted on. Originally from Ford the capacitance was different, but the vendors use the same condenser and just modify the strap. Tom mzahorik 07-14-2017 @ 12:07 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 209 Joined: Nov 2009 Tom, I emailed Carpenters, but no response. But..... I had a revelation, my original Ford script condenser has a copper ground strap that bends 90 degrees and is grounded under one of the coil mounting screws. So, I thought this one should be the same. Except the grounding hole in the new condenser, where the grounding screw goes is much larger, for a 1/4 20 bolt. After a little thinking this model has the ground strap go down, instead of bending and is grounded under one of the distributor mounting bolts. So I did not re solder anything, in fact I'm still using the old condenser. So......... I got the distributor mounted on the engine and I noodled the dwell to exactly 36 degrees. The engine started almost immediately and ran pretty good. I have the timing screw at the mid point. After turning off the engine and trying to start it again in maybe 10 minutes, nothing. RATS! So, yesterday I pulled the Stromberg 97 off and dis assembled it and set to soaking in the cleaner. This morning I check all the passages and check valves, all seemed OK. BUT, the float level was quite low. So I figured that after turning off the engine the fuel in the carb evaporated. I set the float level to 1/2" assembled the carb, put it on the engine and it immediately started. And restarted after being off for 10 minutes. Now this car runs like an old car should. It has more power, although not a bunch, accelerates well and starts good. Now if only I could get those d*mn mechanical brakes to work better. Thanks a million, Mike TomO 07-14-2017 @ 8:27 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 Mike, I suggest that you call Carpenter and explain the problem before you resolder the grounding strap. This problem has been going on for several years and unless the vendor receives complaints, it will go on for several more years. Tom mzahorik 07-13-2017 @ 7:58 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 209 Joined: Nov 2009 MG, that sounds like a good deal to me? Len, maybe so, but I buy my old cars to have something to do in my old age. I find it rather enjoyable to figure out what is going on and attempt to repair it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but no matter, there is nothing depending on this car any way. It would be interesting to see what these distributor machines do. I am aware of Allen equipment, I have an Allen electric Model T HCCT. You really do need one of these to properly set a Model T coil. I'll have to keep my eye open for one of those more modern machines for these V8 distributors. Well.... disappointment this morning, I received a new condenser from Carpenters yesterday. This morning I was installing it on the distributor and noticed that the ground strap is soldered onto the wrong side. The screw terminal of the condenser had a flat which engages the distributor terminal, so it will not spin when tightening the screw. With the condenser in this position the ground strap is pointing away from mounting screw of the coil. I'll have to un-solder the strap and install it correctly. Rats, Mike len47merc 07-12-2017 @ 4:54 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1165 Joined: Oct 2013 Mike - I greatly appreciate your steadfast resolve and perseverance in going through your distributor. I too went through it multiple times with feeler gauges, old school dwell meters, etc., and had the car running 'great' (or so I thought!). Learned a lot in the process and only begrudgingly decided to drive it myself the 200+ miles one-way to then 88-year old John Shelor in Radford, Va. to have him prove to me I wasn't as good as I thought. He gave me an education on rebuilding the distributor (new bushings, aligned, etc.), allowed me to perform much of the process only after showing me how to complete each step, etc.. This ended with the distributor in his Allen machine where the points, dwell, timing and new leather pad vacuum brake were all set to spec. To spec. Spec. I could see - not feel(er gauge) - it was to spec. Bottom line I left beyond impressed, more knowledgeable yes, and beyond impressed - yet still didn't believe the car couldn't run any better than I had it before heading to see him. I was wrong. I can rebuild this myself now for sure, yet without an Allen or Sun machine you can never be certain you can get the total dwell, timing and vacuum brake pressure correct and to spec. Lots and lots of luck involved to get it right/dead nuts without this equipment. Again, I appreciate your enthusiasm, drive and personal pursuit of knowledge through asking your questions, research and hands-on effort. After you're through send it to a John Shelor or Skip Haney - or better yet purchase a fully restored back-up unit from either - and see if you can tell the difference. I'll be surprised if you can not. Cheers - Steve MG 07-12-2017 @ 3:44 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1254 Joined: Nov 2009 Given your new found expertise and persistence, I've packed 3 distributors to send off to you. All I need is your address. You can further hone your skills at no cost to me and I won't charge you to practice on them. Don't worry about the shipping costs, they're on me. :o) *:D big grin.... mzahorik 07-12-2017 @ 3:16 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 209 Joined: Nov 2009 Today, I successfully repaired the pivot pins on my old breaker plate. Added a little braze to the wear spots and ground them circular again. I was concerned about the plastic coil contact part, but that came thru OK. Reassembled the distributor and now I can easily get 34 degrees of dwell. So I'm confident that I can properly adjust the distributor. But since the braze is soft and most likely will wear away quickly, I found that MAC's has a new breaker plate. Generally I don't like to use MAC's but since I could not find anyone else with this part I bit the bullet. So maybe next week I'll be back in business with a properly adjusted distributor and a better running engine. Thanks Mike mzahorik 07-12-2017 @ 7:58 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 209 Joined: Nov 2009 No, I have both sets of points in the distributor. I have tested the dwell on the engine and in a test jig I have built. What is happening is that the moving contact and arm turn on the breaker plate pin. This pin, one is much worse than the other, is worn probably 0.020" into the pin. This makes the moving point contact change position each time it operates. So no matter how the points are adjusted, the gap and dwell keep changing, because the wear pattern on the pin is deep and tapered. If Skip had it, I'm sure he would replace the breaker plate. So, I'm going to do the same and try again. You can't learn anything by sending it off. Besides, I'll having fun playing with it. Thanks for the help, let you know how it works out, Mike TomO 07-11-2017 @ 5:16 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 Mike, are you trying to get one set of points to provide 36 degrees of dwell? it will never happen. The combined dwell is 36 degrees with the dwell meter connected to the condenser tab on the coil. Send your distributor to Skip or another vendor that has a distributor machine to set the points correctly. If the pivot point is worn on the distributor plate, they can provide one at a reasonable cost. Tom len47merc 07-11-2017 @ 11:34 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1165 Joined: Oct 2013 Mike - this is one of those things that I've been through where had I just bitten the bullet and sent it to a 'Skip Haney' in the first place I'd have been $$$'s and significant time ahead of the game, and the car would be running by now better than I could've accomplished myself. Assure you there is no substitute for having it rebuilt by someone who's done it hundreds of times and set up properly on a Sun or Allen machine. Apologies for being so blunt. Spoken from experience. Steve

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