I have encountered a slight problem with a Cardon dizzy. Inside it is built just like the Duraspark except for the width of the advance slots and springs. AZ28's conversion delt with the old original Y dizzy parts. Has anyone encountered this and have it figured out yet? Thanks, Tom

last week i couldn't spell mukanik, now i are one

Which kind of advance system? Like the 70's upper rotor shaft on the bottom row of the photo? - The "reluctor" pulls up off of the shaft to allow disassembly. I don't think any of the Duraspark II distributors will fit directly into a Y - you have to add the parts to a Y points distributor, even the newer version.

They are stamped with a number near each slot which references the total mechanical advance allowed in distributor degrees (2 per shaft). The upper clip can be removed and the rotor turned 180° to engage one or the other advance limit. There are also several different upper rotors with different total advance slots in them. With a little thinkum, you can take one that is stamped "10" and open it up just enough to be a "13" with a rat tail file - or simply sort thorough a pile of 70's junkers till you find the right number you want. Get a set of springs from Mr.Gasket if you want to speed up the curve at the same time. 

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

It sometimes takes me a while - Deadhead, are you wanting to put a modified curve in your new distributor? And its a Cardone with points? And it has slots on the bottom of the upper rotor shaft like the one in the photo, except it uses a point cam?

The one on the bottom row of the photo is still lying on my work bench - it is stamped "13L" at one slot and "18L" at the other. These are distributor degrees - and are doubled in the engine. The 13L will net 26° at full travel and the 18L will result in 36°. The springs determine when the flyweights will push the rotor to full travel. The factory springs are usually pretty stiff and take lots of rev's to get up to full advance. This is a chart from a late 70's Ford ignition training manual - it shows a typical passenger car advance system. 

The mechanical advance data shows that the full advance won't be in there until the engine is turning fast enough to get the distributor up to 2000 or more rpm - this is well over 4000 rpm at the crank. On a stocker, the initial advance (that you set with a timing light) will be like 3°-5°. Combined - you would get a max advance of about 30°-31° with her wound right out.

To get good performance you want this total number to be 36°-38° and you want it at 2800 to 3000 rpm. You also want some additional initial timing in the engine right away to build low end torque. So you work backwards from the maximum. Put in 10°or 12° intial, and select a slot good for 26° divided by 2 = 13°. Together they will net 36°-38°. For reference, the 13° slot in my sample is .480 inches (15/32). 

If you leave the factory (stiff) springs in there they will take forever to get up to full advance. You want this to come in more quickly so lighter springs are required. Mr. Gasket has a Ford spring set #925D that has something close to what you want.

Hopefully you got more information this time around! Good Luck!   

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

AZ28, if you look at the shaft in the lower right of your picture and in your mind imagine it with the points cam instead of the reluctor wheel and thats what my Cardone Y replacement looks like. But, the slots in the end of the plate are slightly shorter and the movable weights are marked differently between the two dizzys. I need to go back to the shop and take some pics and write some of the numbers down, will be back later. Thanks, Tom

last week i couldn't spell mukanik, now i are one

Have you checked out the articles under Tech? I don't know if this one will help but it has a lot of information on the Duraspark. Chuck

http://www.y-blocksforever.com/tech/html/loadomatic.html

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

I hope this picture loads ok. If it does you can see what I mean about the new replacement dizzy having the same style advance as a Duraspark dizzy. The Duraspark slots are numbered 10L and 15L and the weights are G3 andG4. The Cardone replacement dizzy has slots numbered 13L and 18L and the weights are G2 and G3. I'm guessing the springs also are different between the two dizzys. I'm just trying to figure out what the combo should be. Tom

last week i couldn't spell mukanik, now i are one

AZ28, I just took apart my donar duraspark, the slots were marked the same as the first one (the one on the left in the above pic) but the weights are G2 and G4. Will the weights make that much difference? Check out the Cardone replacement Y shaft in this pic. The cam would have to be removed with a lathe. Tom

last week i couldn't spell mukanik, now i are one

Moonshadow, I was under the impression that a Load-o-matic was vacume advance only. The shaft is all one piece. Tom

last week i couldn't spell mukanik, now i are one

Just in case you didn't stumble on to the wiring schematic I used - Holun has put it on a site where you can look it up. Works on my bird and worked on his sedan too. Requires the "blue grommet" style of Ford controller with 4 pin and 2 pin plugs. 

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/mshum/HoLun/WIRINGSCHEMATICT-BIRD1.jpg

Just looking at your pictures - I'd say the upper rotor shaft of the Duraspark distributor will clean up and drop right down into your "new" rebuilt points style unit. Don't even change the fly weights, try it as-is. A lttle homemade prying tool would allow lifting the plastic keepers and moving the weights to the other distributor if you want to keep them together. The '77 Duraspark on my work bench has the 13L and 18L advance slots - but the weights are both marked "S1B" - don't know where the springs went, they were way too stiff anyway. 

Don't worry about machining anything on one of these style of units - just install the Duraspark upper shaft in your rebuilt distributor. If you want to increase one of the advance slots to match the other part  - I would suggest transfering the dimensions and carefully grinding the necessary clearance into the donor part.

You will have to enlarge the exit slot for the wiring pigtail - 1/4" rat tail file - and be certain you have a good ground for the black wire. It is attached to the two screw loops on the plastic wire entrance strain relief. Grounding problems are an old service issue with these Duraspark systems - that black wire is coming all the way back from the control module and Ford was "hoping" that the dizzy had a good ground to the block. Don't just hope - make sure you get a good ground down to the engine block.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

Steve, thanks a bunch for helping an old point and condenser guy figure out what he's got to work with. But, food for thought, I will get the spring kit, I'm thinking of using the 15L slot and about 8/10 degrees of initial advance, that should put me in the ball park to play with it. what do you think? Oh yeah, whitch vacume advance diaphram should be used ? Thanks, again, Tom

last week i couldn't spell mukanik, now i are one