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RE: Distributor Rebuild

To: walt@hot-tr6.com, "'Chuck Arnold'" <chuck.arnold@oracle.com>,
Subject: RE: Distributor Rebuild
From: Bill Babcock <BillB@bnj.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 12:09:50 -0800
One of the problems with Lucas distributors, besides the crappy bushings and
soft shafts, is the thin distributor cap--especially in the clip areas. If
you look at a cap that's been used you'll often see a little carbon mark in
this area. That's the spark bleeding off through the thin cap insulation.
Doesn't have a wonderful effect on ignition. Another area is that you'll
often see traces from sparks jumping around near the plug wires--the caps
are thin between plugs. Hard to believe this would be a problem with a four
cylinder cap when my old Maserati handles twelve plug wires (six cylinder
dual plug) with no problems but it is. Perhaps they make the plastic out of
recycled bakelite from WWII surplus radios. 

Then there's the way the point plates attach. On the distributors with no
vacuum advance, they still use a movable a vacuum advance on top of the base
plate, and have a loose fitting pin hold it still. There's at least a degree
of shake. Unbelievable. Ten minutes worth of engineering and a different
stamping would save a part and increase precision and reliability immensely.
That's the problem with British bits--they never incrementally improved
their engineering. The Japanese are the world's best at incremental
improvement of a so-so design. Worked okay for them. 


Bill Babcock
Babcock & Jenkins

-----Original Message-----
From: walt@hot-tr6.com [mailto:walt@hot-tr6.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 8:33 AM
To: Bill Babcock; 'Chuck Arnold'; 6pack@Autox.Team.Net; FOT
Subject: RE: Distributor Rebuild

After messing around with various Lucas distributors etc. I went back to a
trusty Mallory dual point mechanical advance unit for my hot TR6 engine that
has triple Webers, 10.5:1 compression, hot cam,headers, ported heads
etc,etc,etc,. People tried to talk me into MSD, Pertronix etc. but the
Mallory is easy to dial in, no flat spots or splatter. I had the advance
recurved to go to full advance faster because of my camshaft profile and
this really helped. I had to get my original tach converted from mechanical
to electrical but that was no big deal either.
You do need to keep a spare condensor in the glove box because when yours
starts to fail you don't have much time until you get backfires etc.
Walt Hollowell
Abq., NM

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-fot@Autox.Team.Net [mailto:owner-fot@Autox.Team.Net]On
Behalf Of Bill Babcock
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 9:13 AM
To: 'Chuck Arnold'; 6pack@Autox.Team.Net; FOT
Subject: RE: Distributor Rebuild


Chuck--where the heck are you racing? Sovern doesn't require that (or if
they do, it's a new requirement), HMSA doesn't, CSRG doesn't, even General
Racing doesn't.

I'd recheck that requirement. After many frustrations with trying to be
"original" at least in appearance, I've finally had enough of Lucas
distributors. I did everything you could think of, including two new
distributors, better bushes, harder shafts, Pertronix units, etc. Still had
misses and scatter. Second to last SOVREN race Tony Garmey lent me the
Mallory from his Devin after they had to park it. Ran perfectly. Lucas
distributors are bad in so many ways. Last year I planned to build a
catapult--a Lucas launcher--just to treat these POS distributors in the
manner that they should be.

Other than that I have no opinion.

If you insist on using them, contact Bob Yarwood. He is afflicted with the
belief that they can be made to work and are simply "Propah".

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-fot@Autox.Team.Net [mailto:owner-fot@Autox.Team.Net] On Behalf
Of Chuck Arnold
Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 9:35 AM
To: 6pack@Autox.Team.Net; FOT
Subject: Distributor Rebuild

I am setting up a TR250 to vintage race.  Will have to use an original Lucas
distributor [can use optical points].  I have the distributor off my TR6
[that car is using a crank fired trigger now].  My questions are:
1. How do I know if it needs to be rebuilt?
2. IF it does need rebuilding, who would you recommend?

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