The Ford Barn

v8fordman · 01-07-2020, 06:47 PM

I’ve been doing distributors for close to 40 years using a KRW fixture to set the initial timing, an Allen machine to rotate only and a Ford-Heyer machine to set the dwell. I use a charged 6v battery, and an original ballast resistor so any pre-41 distributor is running on my bench just as it would have been checked on a car brought to a dealer back in the day. Those who don’t set the initial timing by whatever method normally set it on the center mark so they are only guessing. If those who say it doesn’t matter want to find out if it matters, adjust your timing mark to an extreme one way or another and see what your performance and/or temperature gauge does. Don’t say “he said move it to an extreme.” Yes I did, because your initial timing is determined by where that timing plate is when you start the set-up process. Secondly, I have always had the coil on when setting a distributor up. Every distributor I have set up will change if the coil is not on there. Ford, in later service bulletins told dealers to make sure to install the coil when setting distributors up on the KRW timing fixture. Originally, this was not the case in the instructions. I guess Ford had enough case studies to make that declaration but yet it doesn’t apply today? Let’s think about that one? Seems to me that 1935Fordtn knows what he’s doing because he’s at least setting the initial timing and the others are only guessing. By the way, I have either version of the KRW fixture (wooden or metal) for sale if those who skip that step would like to start using it. I’ll even get throw in the instructions which I believe says to install the coil. I also sometimes love sarcasm.

01-07-2020, 06:47 PM	#33
v8fordman Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Lexington, NC Posts: 1,090	Re: Testing Helmet On Sun Machine I’ve been doing distributors for close to 40 years using a KRW fixture to set the initial timing, an Allen machine to rotate only and a Ford-Heyer machine to set the dwell. I use a charged 6v battery, and an original ballast resistor so any pre-41 distributor is running on my bench just as it would have been checked on a car brought to a dealer back in the day. Those who don’t set the initial timing by whatever method normally set it on the center mark so they are only guessing. If those who say it doesn’t matter want to find out if it matters, adjust your timing mark to an extreme one way or another and see what your performance and/or temperature gauge does. Don’t say “he said move it to an extreme.” Yes I did, because your initial timing is determined by where that timing plate is when you start the set-up process. Secondly, I have always had the coil on when setting a distributor up. Every distributor I have set up will change if the coil is not on there. Ford, in later service bulletins told dealers to make sure to install the coil when setting distributors up on the KRW timing fixture. Originally, this was not the case in the instructions. I guess Ford had enough case studies to make that declaration but yet it doesn’t apply today? Let’s think about that one? Seems to me that 1935Fordtn knows what he’s doing because he’s at least setting the initial timing and the others are only guessing. By the way, I have either version of the KRW fixture (wooden or metal) for sale if those who skip that step would like to start using it. I’ll even get throw in the instructions which I believe says to install the coil. I also sometimes love sarcasm.