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Discussion Topic:
32 model B distributor
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Stroker |
04-06-2012 @ 5:16 PM
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3w2: Thank you for clarifying the 32 distributor cap configuration. I do not currently own a 32 (although I wish I did). The old Model B 2-door that I helped replace a steering sector in (in 1956), had a cap that looked just like a late Ford 8N (side-mount) distributor cap. That old Tudor still had it's musty original interior, and headliner. I could have bought it for $75.00, but of course as a teenager working for $1.25 an hour, I couldn't afford it then, and probably couldn't now. I should, however indulge myself the the luxury of the excellent EV8CA 32 books, so at least I'm "literate". Thanks Again!
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3w2 |
04-05-2012 @ 8:09 PM
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That would have been an aftermarket distributor. A Model B distributor had a main cap with arms, like a Model A, but it was slightly different in that it lacked an opening large enough for the manual spark advance arm of a Model A distributor. The small round cap at the top for the coil wire was the same for both the B and A. It used copper alloy connectors to the spark plugs, but these also differed both in length and in the shape of spark plug end (offset for the B versus straight for the A).
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Stroker |
04-05-2012 @ 5:53 PM
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This has been very informative. I only remember one un-molested model B in my youth, and as I recall, it had a round distributor cap and "real" plug wires,instead of the model A style with the arms and flat brass secondary conductors. Am I dreaming, was this an aftermarket ignition? I used to race a model B-powered dragster in the late 50's, but we ran a Wico mag on that little beast, along with a 2-Port Reilly "F" head and a "snotty" dose of nitromethane (98%+2% benzine).
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supereal |
04-05-2012 @ 11:44 AM
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The green book is a catalog of replacement parts, rather than original equipment. That is why the info and illustrations are sometimes at odds with the field. Usually, but not always, there is a notation in the book stating "no longer supplied", etc. I had several Model A's, and one '32 over the years, and locating parts, let alone of reasonable quality, was tough then, and I can only guess how tough today. We often made parts, rather than accept foreign repos. This has been an interesting discussion. The "cable lock" on the "A" distrbutors was not one of Ford's "better ideas". That is one good reason many A's carried B distributors.
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3w2 |
04-04-2012 @ 5:37 PM
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Sorry, but that's another strike against the "green book" as a reference source, which given that it was published 16 years after the fact is understandable, I guess. The Model A (A-12130) and Model B (B-12130) distributor housings are not the same. In the period catalogues, the 1928-1932 or 1928-34 versions, for example, the application for A-12130 is listed as 1928-31 and that for B-12130 is 1932 or 1932-34 depending on the year of the catalogue. You can use a B distributor on a Model A, but you have to come up with a different ignition lock as the Model A lock cable will not fit into the Model B housing.
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supereal |
04-03-2012 @ 8:23 PM
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The green book shows the difference. The body is carried for the 28-34 period, but as noted, the upper shaft contains an advance mechanism, thus the difference in part numbers. I guess I wasn't as clear as I could be. The last shaft we replaced was made in our machine shop. Thereis almost a whole page in the green book, as we'll as a diagram.
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3w2 |
04-03-2012 @ 7:04 PM
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Sorry, but Model A and B distributors are significantly different from one another. The A distributor has manual spark advance and a internal condensor; the B distributor has centrifugal spark advance and a externally-mounted condensor. The cams are quite different from one another as is the breaker plate. About all that is common between the distributors are the points, the rotor and the small round top distributor cap. The shafts are not interchangeable.
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supereal |
04-03-2012 @ 10:03 AM
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The same 4 culinder distributor was used from 1928 thru 1934. That distributor uses a two piece shaft, so you need to know which parts you require. The part number for the lower shaft is B-12249. The upper shaft comes as an assembly, B-12170, and is tapped for the cam on the upper end. I don't believe the upper shaft is sold separately. At one time Obsolete Ford Parts sold a rebuild kit as A-12127-RK. I'm not sure they are still around. Their number was 800/654-3247. Replacement of a distributor shaft almost always requires new bushings, in every model. If they are not in the kit, they should be ordered separately.
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Manuel |
04-03-2012 @ 12:08 AM
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Is it the same as the Model A shaft? Manuel in Oz
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CharlieStephens |
03-18-2012 @ 6:47 PM
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Try Dave Renner (734) 428-8424. Charlie Stephens
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