Flathead timing covers???

[BUBBAS IGNITION]

Need some help here regarding flathead timing covers and distributor mount.
After shipping almost 600 of the Chevrolet conversion distributors and building a few hundred of the reg Ford distributors , i actually thought i had it figured out which was which.
I made up a flathead display table that i use for swap meets etc and used every kind of front cover i could research etc.

I have these in my swap meet truck and can if you wish supply a picture of each individual cover.

Now i have some questions???? And maybe a correction or two???

1=I thought the only aluminum cover was a Mercury cover with lower (below the gear) support... ( correct or not)

2=All others are cast iron ??? ( correct or not)

3=Only the Merc used the lower support ?? ( correct or not)

4=There are possibly five cast iron covers.

Early ( 4 hole bell distributor) , early (3 hole bell distributor), shallow ( 2 bolt crab) used with a early camshaft, and a deep ( 2 bolt crab) used with earlier camshaft, and the cast upright single hole distributor.

How does this sound ???

I will do a cover write up after some discussion and include pics.

Do i have them all.??????????

I did discuss with Bruce L. and he suggested putting up this post .What ya think......

[46fatford]

I actually had an aluminum cover on my 8RT that takes the regualr distributor for a cast iron cover. It's the only one I've seen like it. It does not have thhe lower support either.
Matt

[Vergil]

I have two of the 8ba aluminum covers, different looks in the lower support area. I was told the aluminum distributor housing was for the aluminum front cover and cast iron distributor was for cast iron front cover, but have been told a lot of stuff that may not be true.

Vergil

[Ol' Ron]

I also have an 8bA cover with the orange paint still on it.

[quickchange34]

I have seen the alu. covers with and with out the lower support. some off of the Mer. and also off the Ford . I always thought it had to do with the dist.

[V8 Bob]

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Originally Posted by BUBBAS IGNITION

Need some help here regarding flathead timing covers and distributor mount.
After shipping almost 600 of the Chevrolet conversion distributors and building a few hundred of the reg Ford distributors , i actually thought i had it figured out which was which.
I made up a flathead display table that i use for swap meets etc and used every kind of front cover i could research etc.

I have these in my swap meet truck and can if you wish supply a picture of each individual cover.

Now i have some questions???? And maybe a correction or two???

1=I thought the only aluminum cover was a Mercury cover with lower (below the gear) support... ( correct or not)

2=All others are cast iron ??? ( correct or not)

3=Only the Merc used the lower support ?? ( correct or not)

4=There are possibly five cast iron covers.

Early ( 4 hole bell distributor) , early (3 hole bell distributor), shallow ( 2 bolt crab) used with a early camshaft, and a deep ( 2 bolt crab) used with earlier camshaft, and the cast upright single hole distributor.

How does this sound ???

I will do a cover write up after some discussion and include pics.

Do i have them all.??????????

I did discuss with Bruce L. and he suggested putting up this post .What ya think......

I'll try and address the '48-'53 covers. Below are 4 styles, two aluminum, A & B, and two cast iron, C & D. There may be more, But these are the only ones I've seen and removed so far.

Cover A with the lower shaft support came out in late '50 for F/M cars and trucks, as it has dual timing pointer locations for both the large wide-belt sheet metal and smaller narrow-belt cast iron pulleys, and should only be used with the extended shaft aluminum distributor.

Cover B also has dual pointer locations and has room for the extended shaft alloy distributor, but should only be used with iron body distributor because of the short upper support on the aluminum distributor, imo.

Covers C & D came on wide-belt large pulley engines because of the pointer locations, namely '48-'53 trucks and '49 Fords and Mercurys, and should be used with the iron body short distributors.

The second rear view picture, along with the third, shows the upper supports, and why the cast iron distributor with the stepped housing should only be used with covers B,C & D, and why the short body aluminum distributor can only be used with cover A.

The above is info is accurate to the best of my knowledge and hope it helps answer some questions.

[BUBBAS IGNITION]

OK, all are we agreeing the lower support aluminum cover (A) is for Ford and Merc ??

And the aluminum distributor with the extended shaft (below the gear) is Ford/Merc also???

The one i dont have is the #B aluminum without support above.....

Thanks guys any more comments ???.

[Ralph Moore]

Another Cover? I purchased the Aluminum aftermarket Offenhauser front cover. Put your Chevy conversion Dist. in it. Fit was great, but I decided to go with early heads, so no way to hold dist down . A clamp is included with the cover, but due to the design of the chevy dist, the clamp would not tighten on it. My solution, a shim around the shaft, at the very top( made from plumbing supplies) crude, but it works!

[alchemy]

Originally Posted by BUBBAS IGNITION

Early ( 4 hole bell distributor) , early (3 hole bell distributor), shallow ( 2 bolt crab) used with a early camshaft, and a deep ( 2 bolt crab) used with earlier camshaft, and the cast upright single hole distributor.

I've never heard of different two-bolt covers. Any pics to represent the differences? If there is a two-bolt cover for the early cam, I'd think it was an odd retrofit piece, and is likely very rare.

[jdl]

Originally Posted by V8 Bob

I'll try and address the '48-'53 covers. Below are 4 styles, two aluminum, A & B, and two cast iron, C & D. There may be more, But these are the only ones I've seen and removed so far.

Cover A with the lower shaft support came out in late '50 for F/M cars and trucks, as it has dual timing pointer locations for both the large wide-belt sheet metal and smaller narrow-belt cast iron pulleys, and should only be used with the extended shaft aluminum distributor.

Cover B also has dual pointer locations and has room for the extended shaft alloy distributor, but should only be used with iron body distributor because of the short upper support on the aluminum distributor, imo.

Covers C & D came on wide-belt large pulley engines because of the pointer locations, namely '48-'53 trucks and '49 Fords and Mercurys, and should be used with the iron body short distributors.

The second rear view picture, along with the third, shows the upper supports, and why the cast iron distributor with the stepped housing should only be used with covers B,C & D, and why the short body aluminum distributor can only be used with cover A.

The above is info is accurate to the best of my knowledge and hope it helps answer some questions.

Great Job as usual... Thanks! these were used on Merc & Ford

[super flat]

Originally Posted by BUBBAS IGNITION

OK, all are we agreeing the lower support aluminum cover (A) is for Ford and Merc ??

And the aluminum distributor with the extended shaft (below the gear) is Ford/Merc also???

The one i dont have is the #B aluminum without support above.....

Thanks guys any more comments ???.

My flathead is a 52 and I dont have the front cover off yet but the distributor is aluminum and has the bare shaft with the extension on it. Gary

[Barn Junk]

Nice job on the cover/dist layout, V8 Bob. I always thought the 48T,49 and 50 used the cast iron dist and the 51up vehicles used the alloy dist. Also the Canadian V8s used an alum cover with a slightly different shape on the front with the extended shaft dist.

[Vergil]

Originally Posted by Barn Junk

Nice job on the cover/dist layout, V8 Bob. I always thought the 48T,49 and 50 used the cast iron dist and the 51up vehicles used the alloy dist. Also the Canadian V8s used an alum cover with a slightly different shape on the front with the extended shaft dist.

I think this is the one you are referring to, was on ebay and the inside had #A cover configuration. Part# ALCAN-OBA-6059-B

Vergil

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by Ralph Moore

Another Cover? I purchased the Aluminum aftermarket Offenhauser front cover. Put your Chevy conversion Dist. in it. Fit was great, but I decided to go with early heads, so no way to hold dist down . A clamp is included with the cover, but due to the design of the chevy dist, the clamp would not tighten on it. My solution, a shim around the shaft, at the very top( made from plumbing supplies) crude, but it works!

Another way to do this is to drill two small holes in the collar of the cover. Thread it for some female allen head "plugs", use some loctite and you're good to go and can adjust it easily in the future.

[arc40s]

Virgil,
What is the timing ring and sensor you have on your 8BA pictures? Is this a tachometer or timing related? Where did purchase this?

[Vergil]

Originally Posted by arc40s

Virgil,

Originally Posted by arc40s

What is the timing ring and sensor you have on your 8BA pictures? Is this a tachometer or timing related? Where did purchase this?

Both are pickups for the ignition timing, using an underdash computer for the ignition and running fuel injection which the computer also controls. Using "Electromotive" setups.

Vergil