Well, if all the fuel systems new and checked out then it sounds like distributor,timing,or something along that line. Good luck with it, Randy.

thanks Randy;

are there any pics of your black 57 that I could check out? the avatar showing it "at speed" looks cool!

Mark

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

That is the early 57 distributor that has the breaker plate running in a ball bearing race.



To take the distributor plate off to get at the weights and springs you have to

Remove the Pertronics unit and vacuum advance.

Where the ground wire attaches to the distributor remove the screw and the spring nut,

the spring nuts hold the bearing plate in place.

~180 degrees opposite this screw is another screw with a spring nut, remove screw and spring nut.

hook something in the large hole and pull upwards, if will not move add a bit of heat if you have a heat gun or propane torch, also under the distributor there is a small hole about 1/8" diameter. Use a long pin punch or welding rod to tap under the bearing plate. When inserting the pin punch or welding rod you will have to rotate the distributor to clear the weights etc to allow contact with the distributor plate or you could mangle something.

To get at the weights after you have removed the bearing plate inside the distributor cam is a spring clip with 2 tits sticking upward, use a needle nose to remove the clip them the cam will lift off.

marv

Mark - Don't give up too quick on your dizzy - they can be doctored with patience - and it won't be the first time. Just work your way through and clean it all up. Determine if it can work and go from there. $49.99 is $49.99 and you can probably get more than the $10 core value for the cleaned up dizzy at a swap meet anyway.....

This photo shows the later points style dizzy - and notice it has a braided "ground strap" from the pivot plate to one of the base screws. Without that strap it can be difficult for the Pertronix modules ("electronic points") to consistently ground the coil and make it charge - especially when the vacuum advance system is turning the movable plate. If it should make current jump - like a spark - while trying to maintain the ground to the case, it can damage or disable the Pertronix module.

Installing  a separate ground wire out to the block is a positive cure for this. 

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

ok, hammer and nail and the breaker plate is out...

now that I cen see the weights, which are dirty but not completly "awful", how can I "test" them by hand to see if they indeed can function as intended? should they be moveable with finger pressure on them in an "in and out" manner?  if they don't budge at all, do I consider it "shot"?

also, if the weights are functional, do I just press the breaker plate back in place, after a good clean up, till it hits "home"? and when I say press in, I mean can it be done by hand?

thanks, Mark

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

Mark:



That distributor is very expensive to rebuild as parts went obsolete a long time ago.

I have only seen a few of these ball bearing breaker plates on ebay and the straight arm vacuum advance is getting hard to find.



If you go the route of a MSD set up it is much more expensive also it does not stop at the distributor as when you start sending higher voltages through the wires you will have to replace the wires with the MSD 8.5 mm as the stock 7 mm and 7.5 mm ones will leak all over the place and cross firing and missing will be very pronounced. To match the MSD setup properly you will have to add a coil so total cost for MSD will be about $480.00 vs $45.00 for a rebuilt later 57 distributor. The original distributors run very well if tuned for max.



My suggestion is to get a rebuilt distributor and look up some of Steve's (AZ28) or Teds posts on tuning it and advance curve. They have a very well explained method.



marv

Marv, no argument from me on the costs of things; MSD is beyond my budget and interest and needs!  If the weights are not "frozen" (see my last post) and can be freed up, then I may put it all back together and try it.  Otherwise, its a rebuilt/reman unit for me and work out the "finer points" from there.

thanks,Mark

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

Mark:



The weights can be unfrozen, remove the wick then pull the clip in the center of the cam to remove the cam, then remove the springs and note which side they came from as there should be 2 different strengths. The weights may have to soaked in some penetrating oil if really stuck, they should just lift off.



Take 400 grit emery cloth and clean the shaft where the cam rotates on and clean inside the holes of the weights. Check to see that where the springs hook they have not worn nearly through, lubricate with some oil and assemble. The cam should rotate freely the limit amount of the slots and weights should move freely within their limited amounts after overcoming the springs.

To check the vacuum advance see previous posts

marv

Make sure the springs are in good shape. When checking to see if the timing was working with the light and found the marks did not move when engine speed was increased, problem was both springs were broke connecting to the weights. Installed new springs after cleaning and behold the timing started advancing and I was on the road again. Did have to put a new vacuum advance on as the one on the distributer was shot as well, BUT WHAT a difference it made on the way the 57 business sedan ran

-Gary Burnette-

believe I'm almost there; tried to get that dang little clip out of the top of the shaft so the cam would come off, but I can't seem to get a good grip on it with my needle nose pliers; any secret to this besides the right combination of "magic words"!!??

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX