|
By oldcarmark - 7 Years Ago
|
|
I just bought an original 1957 FEH Distributor. The Vacuum Advance Unit uses Springs and Spacers to adjust the amount of Advance and Rate I assume. How does this System work? "Greenbird56" Steve Metzger can probably explain it if He sees this Post. Thanks
|
|
By Tedster - 7 Years Ago
|
|
Mark, the Reader's Digest version: there are calibration washers in the vacuum chamber, behind the nut. The addition of a washer will decrease the amount of advance, remove a washer to increase the amount of advance. This per the '64 Ford shop manual
|
|
By KULTULZ - 7 Years Ago
|
|
|
By BamaBob - 7 Years Ago
|
|
The biggest problem I have run across with the 1957 FEH distributors is the vacuum advance. It seems this was a one time design and the parts that go in the inlet portion are practically non-existent. The advance body itself is still available(MAC's), but the washers, spring, inlet fitting or nut, cannot be found new. If you have a used unit, be sure to hold on to the inlet parts!
|
|
By GREENBIRD56 - 7 Years Ago
|
Don't let it Buffalo you Mark!
Take THE RASCAL APART AND PLAY WITH IT. Vacuum pulls the diaphragm toward the inlet - resisted by the spring. The spring preload is basically shimmed - and the shims have a double effect: they obviously increase the pressure against the diaphragm - but they also provide the dead stop point where you won't get any more travel (coil bind). I've replaced the spring with one out of my junk box - and that worked, so I know you can work around the ancient design. I have used my old Oldsmobile 442 as a "vacuum donor" and simply fooled with them on the end of a length of rubber hose before - Y vacuum off of your '56?
The vacuum cans work with a matching point pivot plate (dog-leg operator bar on later ones). On my bird I have used the '76-up vacuum can - with a matching Duraspark II stator plate pivot - in a '59 distributor body. What I haven't tried is putting a '73 pivot plate on there and running the later points on the earlier cam lobes - but it may be easy to rig up.
|
|
By oldcarmark - 7 Years Ago
|
Thanks Steve. I am going to install Pertronix. The advance Unit looks like its pretty flexible as far as Rate of Advance and how much Advance. Just happy to have found a proper Distributor so I can get on with my Holley Upgrade on my latest Purchase. se.
|
|
By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
|
|
Even if you can only use the mechanical portion, for whatever reason, it will be an upgrade. So it's a good find considering the Cardone issue.
|
|
By oldcarmark - 7 Years Ago
|
|
I was assured by Seller that is complete and Vacuum Advance Tested. That's why I bought it. We'll see when I get it.
|
|
By oldcarmark - 7 Years Ago
|
GREENBIRD56 (5/30/2018)
Don't let it Buffalo you Mark! Take THE RASCAL APART AND PLAY WITH IT. Vacuum pulls the diaphragm toward the inlet - resisted by the spring. The spring preload is basically shimmed - and the shims have a double effect: they obviously increase the pressure against the diaphragm - but they also provide the dead stop point where you won't get any more travel (coil bind). I've replaced the spring with one out of my junk box - and that worked, so I know you can work around the ancient design. I have used my old Oldsmobile 442 as a "vacuum donor" and simply fooled with them on the end of a length of rubber hose before - Y vacuum off of your '56? The vacuum cans work with a matching point pivot plate (dog-leg operator bar on later ones). On my bird I have used the '76-up vacuum can - with a matching Duraspark II stator plate pivot - in a '59 distributor body. What I haven't tried is putting a '73 pivot plate on there and running the later points on the earlier cam lobes - but it may be easy to rig up.
If I understand You correctly Steve, if You change the Breaker Plate to later Style You can also change the Vacuum Can to later Style also?
|
|
By 57RancheroJim - 7 Years Ago
|
Didn't the original 57 have a ball bearing breaker plate? It will be interesting to see what you get. Most have been replaced over the years..
|
|
By GREENBIRD56 - 7 Years Ago
|
Mark - I believe the distributor will have an internal advance mechanism that looks like this when you remove the point plate....
In order to limit the distributor advance to 13º (26º at the crank) - I modified the upper rotor to have a reduced slot opening. Some differ...... but the slot length giving you 13º should be the same (.450). That allows running 10º initial and netting a total of 36º at full advance. Then the springs can be altered to make the advance rate what you want
This one has been brazed and reworked to adjust the slot length. Looks different because the cam was removed to fit the DurasparkII reluctor/armature.
This last photo shows the '77 Duraspark set-up grafted onto the '59 distributor body - a straight bolt-on including the dogleg vacuum pot. I believe the later point plate would work on there too but the cam may not be the same. Perhaps the points replacement Pertronics for the earlier version would work on there anyway.
|
|
By Tedster - 7 Years Ago
|
|
Is there a source for those "comma" shaped advance weights? The pins are made of hardened steel but are usually completely worn out by now.
|
|
By KULTULZ - 7 Years Ago
|
Tedster (6/4/2018)
. Is there a source for those "comma" shaped advance weights? The pins are made of hardened steel but are usually completely worn out by now.
http://www.rearcounter.com/B7A12188A-parts247885.html
|
|
By Tedster - 7 Years Ago
|
Outstanding, thought those puppies were unobtanium. I need to rebuild the couple I have laying around.
Are the ball bearing advance plates considered better than the later versions with the nylon nubs and truangle weights?
|
|
By charliemccraney - 7 Years Ago
|
|
I consider the later (Motorcraft) ones better because they are easier to tune and upgrade to Duraspark since the internals interchange with most other points and Duraspark Motorcraft distributors. Aside from that, probably about equal in real world use. Both have new parts availability issues - you need to track down nos parts or good used for any non-maintenance component.
|
|
By oldcarmark - 7 Years Ago
|
quote]KULTULZ (6/5/2018)
[/quote]
Dennis Carpenter shows Quantity of 250 on Hand. he must have bought all that FOMOCO had when they obsoleted them.
|