Better Distributor Cap?

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Tim Ayers

Jim:

Once again showing how much of an asset you are to this hobby.

You're the best.

Tim

What Tim Ayers said.

[Bruce Lancaster]

Good used caps would be an attractive solution. There should be rotors available from some good sources still, Echlin or Standard, since the '46-8 rotor was used in so many later cars.
FA67 is Echlin rotor, FD-105 Standard for the '48. The '46-8 cap has been discontinued by the mainstream sources for some time, and the restoration sorts sometimes wind up making some pretty bad stuff.
FWIW, some Ford release I read said that the crab cap was discontinued due to condensation problems...the 59A type in effect moved the condensation to the outer chamber, away from the rotor and its contacts.
If you do go to a crab for spare, you must carry '42 clips and rotor. Since distributor is pretty easy to swap on a '48, easier to carry a complete distributor assembly wired without conduits, and snake out the old cap and conduits entire by removing 4 manifold bolts.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lancaster

Good used caps would be an attractive solution. There should be rotors available from some good sources still, Echlin or Standard, since the '46-8 rotor was used in so many later cars.
FA67 is Echlin rotor, FD-105 Standard for the '48. The '46-8 cap has been discontinued by the mainstream sources for some time, and the restoration sorts sometimes wind up making some pretty bad stuff.
FWIW, some Ford release I read said that the crab cap was discontinued due to condensation problems...the 59A type in effect moved the condensation to the outer chamber, away from the rotor and its contacts.
If you do go to a crab for spare, you must carry '42 clips and rotor. Since distributor is pretty easy to swap on a '48, easier to carry a complete distributor assembly wired without conduits, and snake out the old cap and conduits entire by removing 4 manifold bolts.

Thanks. That is all very helpful information. That's what I understood about the down side of the crab caps. Maybe one more reason I've stuck with the rabbit ears. I'll still take a long a crab with '42 clips and rotor just in case. I've taken Bubbas up on the used original caps and hope to get a couple from him to use instead of these modern repros.

[Bruce Lancaster]

With a used cap, just clean thoroughly and examine for cracks. Cracks and dirt can turn into carbon tracks, if all is good you should be free of trouble.
You can pretty easily swap the distributor itself without removing fan or anything. I don't know for sure if conduits can be snaked out to allow total changeover of cap and wires without further work...I'd check that out. If that can be done in reasonable time I would just carry spare 59A distributor with cap and wires but no conduits for on the road trouble.

[BillM]

I had a Harmon Collins distributor that had a coating on the inside of the cap. I think it was something like Glptal or other insulating varnish as used on the insides of electric motors for added insulation. Glyptal is hard to find but there is an insulating varnish in an aerosal spray can that was available from Graingers. It may help especially if you are cleaning up a used cap with small cracks.

[Binx]

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Old Henry, not sure which route to Alaska you've chosen but if its a gravel road during breakup, rocks from trucks going the other way will break your flat windshield. Pull to the side when you see them coming. I did it a couple times during the dead of winter and it was 45-50 mph but smooth as glass until there was a moose in the road -- then it was "oh crap! I'm on glass!!".

You probably already have one of these, but just in case...

http://www.amazon.com/Milepost-2016-...st+alaska+2016

Lonnie

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Binx

Old Henry, not sure which route to Alaska you've chosen but if its a gravel road during breakup, rocks from trucks going the other way will break your flat windshield.
Lonnie

Another on my other thread about the Alaska trip mentioned "breakup". What is that?

[Binx]

Breakup is the spring thaw. More precisely, when hard pack ice in rivers or tidal flats breakup and flow away.

Lonnie

[Old Henry]

I found this by Googling: Breakup - Breakup signals springtime in Alaska. It’s the time of year when the frozen rivers break apart and flow again. In town, the snow melts, leaving enormous puddles, dirty cars, and generally quite a mess. It’s not a great time of year to travel in the backcountry because the snowpack is gone but the ground hasn’t dried out yet.

So, is it just possible mud puddles on paved roads? Or something worse to be concerned about?

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Binx

Old Henry, not sure which route to Alaska you've chosen but if its a gravel road during breakup, rocks from trucks going the other way will break your flat windshield. Pull to the side when you see them coming. I did it a couple times during the dead of winter and it was 45-50 mph but smooth as glass until there was a moose in the road -- then it was "oh crap! I'm on glass!!".

You probably already have one of these, but just in case...

http://www.amazon.com/Milepost-2016-...st+alaska+2016

Lonnie

This is the route, going up the east side and coming back the west side.



Are all of those roads paved all the way?

[Binx]

To be sure you'll have to get the Milepost. It is the "go-to" source for current road conditions. And yes, breakup in Alaska can be disheartening. The thrown trash that is exposed when the snow melts is stunning. I'm talking from an Anchorage perspective.

Lonnie

[Graeme / New Zealand]

Originally Posted by Steves46

Craig, I believe the crab cap has different retention clips than your stock cap therefore you may want to also get the clips otherwise it may not be that simple for a quick roadside swap-out. Steve

You are dead right Steve.

GB

[Old Henry]

I got the '42 crab style cap and rotor from NAPA but I can see it wouldn't work for me, even in a pinch, without boots to seal around where the wires plug into the cap. NAPA doesn't carry those and neither does C&G nor Mac's. So, where do I get them?

[JSeery]

Is this what your looking for?

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by JSeery

Is this what your looking for?

I don't think so. I'm needing the boots for the '42 crab style distributor cap:



I'm not needing everything to make my own spark plugs, just the boots to seal around the wires where they plug into the distributor cap and those boots need to be straight on, not 90° as in your picture. But thanks for trying.

[Old Henry]

I just looked again on Mac's and came up with the right boot, I think.



They say it's right. Is it?

[JSeery]

That's was just a random photo, they come about any way you want them, straight, 45 deg, 90 deg, etc. You should be able to get them about anywhere, but speedway is one source. You just don't use the parts you don't need.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Old Henry

I just looked again on Mac's and came up with the right boot, I think.



They say it's right. Is it?

Oops. I see why I didn't find the boot on Mac's before. Their fine print says this boot is temporarily discontinued. I'll keep looking elsewhere. Neither Speedway, Summit Racing, nor VanPelt has them.

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by Old Henry

I just looked again on Mac's and came up with the right boot, I think.



They say it's right. Is it?

Go here that's what they do
http://www.taylorvertex.com/catalog/

http://www.jegs.com/p/Taylor/Taylor-...57409/10002/-1

Napa will also have what you need. You will need a decent counterman but isn't too difficult. Take in a wire sample you get 7mm not anything larger.

R

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Ronnie

Go here that's what they do
http://www.taylorvertex.com/catalog/

http://www.jegs.com/p/Taylor/Taylor-...57409/10002/-1

Napa will also have what you need. You will need a decent counterman but isn't too difficult. Take in a wire sample you get 7mm not anything larger.

R

Boy, 7 mm is hard to come by. Didn't find any made by Taylor sold either by TaylorVertex nor Jegs.

I may go back to NAPA and spend some more time with them. The counterman I worked over today came up with nothing.