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By frank - 18 Years Ago
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I had my distributor ('57 and newer) apart for cleaning and lost one of the counter weight springs. I have a couple of '55/'56 distributors and need to know if I can use these springs in the '57. I also have a couple of HEI distributors. Will these springs interchange with Ford? Thanks.
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By timmy - 18 Years Ago
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If you know that the springs are what you want, of course you can use them.
But be aware that the old Load O Matic springs are designed for a totally different mechanism than the ones for 57 and up distributors.
Also, if you study many of the 57 and up distributors, you will note that, not only is there a "soft spring" and a "hard spring," but the hard spring has an elongated loop on one end. The purpose of this is for the soft spring to control the advance thru most of the curve, and then for the final few degrees to be controlled by the hard spring -- those final few degrees will come in slowly.
If you replace the hard spring with a soft spring in this instance, most of the advance curve will come in more slowly (because you now have 2 soft springs, rather than 1) and the top end of the curve will come in more quickly.
I suggest that it would be better to replace springs with similar ones, unless you are purposely trying to recurve the distributor. Remember that there are 2 different 57 and up designs (the old cast weights, which look like thick commas, and the later stamped weights, which look like smaller triangles or rotors of a Wankel engine). Then, there are several different point plates which allow different amounts of total advance.
It's fine to mix and match if you know what you want and have an idea of how to go about getting it.
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