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Re: Connector Cleaning

To: "Bob Howard" <mgbob@juno.com>
Subject: Re: Connector Cleaning
From: "Lawrie Alexander" <Lawrie@britcars.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 18:22:57 -0800
Bob.........

Sorry I misunderstood the original post. Too early in the morning, I
guess.........

In the place you describe, JB Weld would be just fine. There's really no
stress on that screw, it just has to secure the plate from moving up and
down and there's no pressure on it in that direction. So, JB weld, re-drill
and re-tap and you've got it made.

As for the worn bushings, if oil is messing up the points, make sure the
drain hole in the bottom of the distributor is clear. And for good
performance, if you don't want to mess about re-bushing, just fit a
Pertronix electronic unit. It is not affected by the slop in the shaft,
whereas a points gap will constantly vary if the shaft can flop about.

Lawrie

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Howard <mgbob@juno.com>
To: Lawrie@britcars.com <Lawrie@britcars.com>
Cc: mgs@autox.team.net <mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Tuesday, March 16, 1999 8:01 AM
Subject: Re: Connector Cleaning


>Lawrie,
>  Thanks for both.  I figured that you were asking me to develop the
>topic a bit further.
>I did not describe the stripped screw problem accurately. The stripped
>thread is in the distributor body. It's the hole into which the plate's
>securing screw fastens, the screw hole in the notch into which the plate
>holding the contact breaker & condensor fits.  As to using the JB Weld in
>that hole, it seemed to me that  the stuff was more likely to adhere to
>the threads of the screws than to the old metal of the distributor
>itself.
>  It was so cold in the garage on Sunday that I didn't venture out there
>to remove the distributor for a closer look.  I do know that it is
>getting an increasing amount of oil working its way up the shaft. I
>suppose new bushings are in the offing.
>Bob
>
>On Tue, 16 Mar 1999 07:14:40 -0800 "Lawrie Alexander"
><Lawrie@britcars.com> writes:
>>Bob........
>>
>>Didn't mean to put you on the spot, but you certainly had the perfect
>>come-back. The point you made was one that needed to be made in this
>>rather>long discussion. It may be mysoginistic but we, too, always throw
>away
>>the>female bits....................
>>
>>As for the stripped thread in the distributor base-plate, I'd be
>>surprised>if JB Weld would work here. It's great stuff for many
>applications but
>>I>don't think it has the strength to build a thread in such a thin
>>section.>Grinding the plate, too, seems counter-intuitive as you will
>make the
>>threaded portion thinner, therefore weaker still.
>>
>>My fix would be to drill out the rest of the stripped threads, then JB
>>Weld
>>(or solder) a nut on the underside of the plate and use a longer
>>screw.
>>
>>Lawrie
>>British Sportscar Center
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Bob Howard <mgbob@juno.com>
>>To: Lawrie@britcars.com <Lawrie@britcars.com>
>>Cc: mgbob@juno.com <mgbob@juno.com>; fpixley@kingston.net
>><fpixley@kingston.net>; mgs@autox.team.net <mgs@autox.team.net>
>>Date: Tuesday, March 16, 1999 5:41 AM
>>Subject: Re: Connector Cleaning
>>
>>
>>>Lawrie,
>>>  Ooops, you caught me writing an incomplete thought.
>>>  I don't even try to clean the things.  I keep a supply of the
>>female
>>>parts (singles, doubles) and just pitch out the old connectors
>>whenever
>>>there is any suspicion that they might not be perfect. That means
>>that
>>>every time I work on a connection the old connector gets pitched and
>>>replaced.
>>>  At one time I did try to clean the things, slipping off the rubber
>>>cover and all that. Seemed to me that most of them were cracked, or
>>>pitted, or corroded, or just generally seeking a way to introduce
>>high
>>>resistance into the circuit.  My theory is that there are so many
>>>dissimilar metals put together in close proximity that the brass
>>coupling
>>>is sacrificed to the more noble metals in the area.  We have copper
>>>wires, lead alloy solder, brass tips, cad plating, etc, etc, and with
>>>enough time there is bound to be self-created metal breakdown.
>>>  So, I clean the male tips, put on a dab of No-Ox, use a new
>>connector,
>>>and go on to the next challenge.  Saturday's challenge was that one
>>of
>>>the breaker plate screws in the distributor was found to be stripped.
>> A
>>>suggestion was to use JB Weld in the hole. Another suggestion was to
>>>grind the plate thinner and to pick up threads further down in the
>>hole.
>>>Do you have any ideas for this?
>>>Bob
>>>
>>>On Mon, 15 Mar 1999 18:44:25 -0800 "Lawrie Alexander"
>>><Lawrie@britcars.com> writes:
>>>>Bob...........
>>>>
>>>>What's your magic trick for scrunching a Scotch-brite pad small
>>enough
>>>>to go
>>>>inside the female half of the bullet connector?
>>>>
>>>>Lawrie
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>From: Bob Howard <mgbob@juno.com>
>>>>To: fpixley@kingston.net <fpixley@kingston.net>
>>>>Cc: mgs@autox.team.net <mgs@autox.team.net>
>>>>Date: Monday, March 15, 1999 10:25 AM
>>>>Subject: Re: Connector Cleaning
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Fred,
>>>>>  The best thing I have discovered is ScotchBrite pads. They are a
>>>>>plastic version of steel wool, so they clean off the corrosion well
>>>>but
>>>>>do not leave any metal shards. Available in at least two different
>>>>>coarsness grades, they cost about 80 cents, U.S.
>>>>>Bob
>>>>>
>>>>>On Sat, 13 Mar 1999 07:29:36 -0500 "Fred Pixley"
>>>><fpixley@kingston.net>
>>>>>writes:
>>>>>>I'm wondering if there is a better way to clean the typical bullet
>>>>>>connector.  Sandpaper tends to wear through the outer coating and
>>>>>>might
>>>>>>encourage rusting.  Wire brushes are OK if the corrosion isn't too
>>>>>>extensive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Fred Pixley
>>>>>>Napanee, Ontario
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>


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