[alexiskai]

I recently had the opportunity to review a set of six B distributors that a friend had acquired from a collection. None were in working order. All six shafts were either worn beyond repair or fused to the casting by corrosion.

To be considered for use, a B distributor should be rebuilt by someone like Dave Renner who has the experience and the correct jigs to recreate the shaft with the weight plate attached to it. Once you have a usable shaft, it's pretty straightforward to rebuild the rest of it using original parts, with the aforementioned exception of the condenser and springs, which will need to be acquired new, and of course new bushings. Renner publishes a diagram showing common errors in the rebuilding, such as failing to drill an oiling hole in the upper bushing.

It's notable to me that all the horror stories about B distributors that I've heard go something like "It went bad and I switched to another distributor." Nobody seems to be interested in diagnosing the problem. I suspect bad springs and shafts, failing condensers, and poor quality B cams are responsible for much of the reputation.