The Ford Barn

Bonniewwyn · 10-21-2015, 06:43 AM

I have a newly built '51 Merc engine that was built with reliability and performance in mind. I have a very nice original Henry dizzy and was thinking about going Pertronix but I have heard they can be unreliable. Would original be better. Budget is somewhat limited as spent a ton of $ on motor and chassis. Motor is bored 1/8", Offy pistons, 400 R cam, Offy 425 heads dual Offy carb set up the usual balance job etc. Wife wants to run air conditioning so clearance to pump and alternator to be considered and Oh yes all going into a '31 Ford A Victoria. Thanks guys !

Walt Dupont--Me. · 10-21-2015, 07:09 AM

I would ditch that original dist and install one of Babba's Chevy dist. That 8BA dist will never run right with your engine, there is no machinal advance in that dist, only the vaccum advance and will never work right with that performance stuff in your engine. Walt

Charlie ny · 10-21-2015, 07:22 AM

Bonnie,
In my humble opinion the best distributor for your motor is the GM Delco
used in mid 70 chevys remachined for use in 8ba flatheads. I've sold many of these
beauties to guys in your area.....I'm from the Buffalo area not too far from you.
Aside from the very reasonable cost the great feature is the infinate tunability of
these distributors without the need to remove from the motor. Bubbas hot rod shop
in Speedway Indiana builds these conversions as well and is far better known than I
am. PM me and/or Bubba for more on this.
5000 rpm no problem, 6 or 12 volts no problem, replacement parts no prpblem.
Charlie ny

CT AV8 · 10-21-2015, 07:52 AM

I've been there. The only way an 8ba will run right with original distributor is with the original Holley and vacumn source. I tried with a 4 bolt Merc intake manifold and Rochester 2g and could not get it to run well. I got one of Bubba's and problem solved. Charlie NY also puts together a good unit.

JSeery · 10-21-2015, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonniewwyn

I have a newly built '51 Merc engine that was built with reliability and performance in mind. I have a very nice original Henry dizzy and was thinking about going Pertronix but I have heard they can be unreliable. Would original be better. Budget is somewhat limited as spent a ton of $ on motor and chassis. Motor is bored 1/8", Offy pistons, 400 R cam, Offy 425 heads dual Offy carb set up the usual balance job etc. Wife wants to run air conditioning so clearance to pump and alternator to be considered and Oh yes all going into a '31 Ford A Victoria. Thanks guys !

Good advice from smart people in these post, pay attention!

flatjack9 · 10-21-2015, 08:32 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

You can't go wrong with Charlies's conversion.

Deuce Man · 10-21-2015, 10:02 AM

Many years ago I aquired a built merc flathead from a good friend. In disgust he tore it out of his newly purchased, restored 50 merc. He told me it ran like garbage and no matter how much he tried he couldnt make it better. Culprit was the original Loadamatic distributor with two Stromberg 97s. i put in one of those Mallory things, now at least it was running and drivable. I knew that this motor should rum a lot better, so I had Bubba build me one of his cut down chevy units. Now I could run lots of initial advance, and still accelerate up a hill or pass somebody with out sounding like I was going to knock the tops off the pistons. If I set the timing on the centrifugal only Mallory to where it would not ping, the performance was flat. I have said a few times before in other posts that this distributor was probably the biggest single horsepower gain I have felt on this motor. Rich

rotorwrench · 10-21-2015, 10:10 AM

The biggest problem won't just be the distributor. 8BA engines are a tight fit in the model A cars. The water pumps set farther forward than the 59A series of engines and earlier. The best way to deal with the fit is to convert the front of the engine for a crab type distributor and early type pumps 37 thru 48. A person can get a fan in there better but the other problem is getting a compressor to fit in there along with a fan & gen or alternator unit. It is going to be a new experience getting all that stuff in there. If the firewall is flipped or recessed it will make more room but not a lot. You have your work cut out for you for sure.

CT AV8 · 10-21-2015, 01:34 PM

I agree with Rotorwrench it's a tight fit but can be done without messing up the firewall. I would forget about the a/c.

Bonniewwyn · 10-21-2015, 05:59 PM

Wife is adamant that will have air in this car as we will be moving to Tampa area in next yr or so and it will be HOT and muggy. All our other rides are topless so I was advised by both Pete & Jakes and Brookville to mig in a 4" recess box made by Brookville. I was going to run a T 5 gear box but a bad knee has been giving me grief lately and I hate to admit it but maybe an AOD Ford might be way to go as Florida traffic is stoplight to stoplight. I guess the early water pumps are the way to go. '37 to 48 type.

flatjack9 · 10-21-2015, 07:06 PM

With the early pumps, the belt will interfere with that distributor.

Ol' Ron · 10-21-2015, 07:07 PM

It's quite easy to run a GM distributor with the early water pumps. The belt clears the distributor when a 1/4" Shim is behind the generator. The misalignment of the belt, does not affect wear of the belt. You can evenn use the original fan. However in most of these swaps an electric fan in front of the radiator is best.

Bonniewwyn · 10-22-2015, 07:01 AM

I will be running an alternator .... will there be an interference ? Anyone familiar with the set up by Vintage air that is alt, compressor, both pumps, idlers and crank pulley ??? Interference with the dizzy ?

BUBBAS IGNITION · 10-22-2015, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonniewwyn

I will be running an alternator .... will there be an interference ? Anyone familiar with the set up by Vintage air that is alt, compressor, both pumps, idlers and crank pulley ??? Interference with the dizzy ?

We have shipped over 1000 of these units and yes there can be clearance issues. Mostly caused by using different water pumps etc.
Best case issue is to just install a unit and see what it needs for clearance..
There are other options and one would be to use a old school mallory that has small cap. These are also available as a option.

Mike51Merc · 10-22-2015, 09:00 AM

The original load-a-matic distributor and the original carburetor are basically a matched set. If you swap carbs, you need to swap distributors.

10-21-2015, 06:43 AM	#1
Bonniewwyn Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Hudson Fla Posts: 117	'49-'53 Distributor Questions I have a newly built '51 Merc engine that was built with reliability and performance in mind. I have a very nice original Henry dizzy and was thinking about going Pertronix but I have heard they can be unreliable. Would original be better. Budget is somewhat limited as spent a ton of $ on motor and chassis. Motor is bored 1/8", Offy pistons, 400 R cam, Offy 425 heads dual Offy carb set up the usual balance job etc. Wife wants to run air conditioning so clearance to pump and alternator to be considered and Oh yes all going into a '31 Ford A Victoria. Thanks guys !

10-21-2015, 07:09 AM	#2
Walt Dupont--Me. Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Gardiner Me. Posts: 4,200	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions I would ditch that original dist and install one of Babba's Chevy dist. That 8BA dist will never run right with your engine, there is no machinal advance in that dist, only the vaccum advance and will never work right with that performance stuff in your engine. Walt

10-21-2015, 07:22 AM	#3
Charlie ny BANNED Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 3,019	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions Bonnie, In my humble opinion the best distributor for your motor is the GM Delco used in mid 70 chevys remachined for use in 8ba flatheads. I've sold many of these beauties to guys in your area.....I'm from the Buffalo area not too far from you. Aside from the very reasonable cost the great feature is the infinate tunability of these distributors without the need to remove from the motor. Bubbas hot rod shop in Speedway Indiana builds these conversions as well and is far better known than I am. PM me and/or Bubba for more on this. 5000 rpm no problem, 6 or 12 volts no problem, replacement parts no prpblem. Charlie ny

10-21-2015, 07:52 AM	#4
CT AV8 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Cos Cob, CT Posts: 295	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions I've been there. The only way an 8ba will run right with original distributor is with the original Holley and vacumn source. I tried with a 4 bolt Merc intake manifold and Rochester 2g and could not get it to run well. I got one of Bubba's and problem solved. Charlie NY also puts together a good unit.

10-21-2015, 08:32 AM	#6
flatjack9 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oshkosh, Wi Posts: 4,526	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) You can't go wrong with Charlies's conversion.

10-21-2015, 10:02 AM	#7
Deuce Man Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Palm City FL> Posts: 556	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions Many years ago I aquired a built merc flathead from a good friend. In disgust he tore it out of his newly purchased, restored 50 merc. He told me it ran like garbage and no matter how much he tried he couldnt make it better. Culprit was the original Loadamatic distributor with two Stromberg 97s. i put in one of those Mallory things, now at least it was running and drivable. I knew that this motor should rum a lot better, so I had Bubba build me one of his cut down chevy units. Now I could run lots of initial advance, and still accelerate up a hill or pass somebody with out sounding like I was going to knock the tops off the pistons. If I set the timing on the centrifugal only Mallory to where it would not ping, the performance was flat. I have said a few times before in other posts that this distributor was probably the biggest single horsepower gain I have felt on this motor. Rich

10-21-2015, 10:10 AM	#8
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,426	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions The biggest problem won't just be the distributor. 8BA engines are a tight fit in the model A cars. The water pumps set farther forward than the 59A series of engines and earlier. The best way to deal with the fit is to convert the front of the engine for a crab type distributor and early type pumps 37 thru 48. A person can get a fan in there better but the other problem is getting a compressor to fit in there along with a fan & gen or alternator unit. It is going to be a new experience getting all that stuff in there. If the firewall is flipped or recessed it will make more room but not a lot. You have your work cut out for you for sure.

10-21-2015, 05:59 PM	#10
Bonniewwyn Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Hudson Fla Posts: 117	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions Wife is adamant that will have air in this car as we will be moving to Tampa area in next yr or so and it will be HOT and muggy. All our other rides are topless so I was advised by both Pete & Jakes and Brookville to mig in a 4" recess box made by Brookville. I was going to run a T 5 gear box but a bad knee has been giving me grief lately and I hate to admit it but maybe an AOD Ford might be way to go as Florida traffic is stoplight to stoplight. I guess the early water pumps are the way to go. '37 to 48 type.

10-21-2015, 07:06 PM	#11
flatjack9 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oshkosh, Wi Posts: 4,526	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions With the early pumps, the belt will interfere with that distributor.

10-21-2015, 07:07 PM	#12
Ol' Ron Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Chester Vt Posts: 8,860	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions It's quite easy to run a GM distributor with the early water pumps. The belt clears the distributor when a 1/4" Shim is behind the generator. The misalignment of the belt, does not affect wear of the belt. You can evenn use the original fan. However in most of these swaps an electric fan in front of the radiator is best.

10-22-2015, 07:01 AM	#13
Bonniewwyn Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Hudson Fla Posts: 117	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions I will be running an alternator .... will there be an interference ? Anyone familiar with the set up by Vintage air that is alt, compressor, both pumps, idlers and crank pulley ??? Interference with the dizzy ?

10-22-2015, 09:00 AM	#15
Mike51Merc Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Northeast Pennsylvania Posts: 1,582	Re: '49-'53 Distributor Questions The original load-a-matic distributor and the original carburetor are basically a matched set. If you swap carbs, you need to swap distributors.