Any distributor machine users here?

General engine tech -- Drag Racing to Circle Track

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Any distributor machine users here?

Post by Tuner »

Any distributor machine users here? An Innovate DL-32, LMA-3 or SSI-4 and a laptop will bring your distributor machine into the 21st century or return one with a no-blink condition to usefulness.

With some ingenuity you can make a distributor machine similar to 6t6cuda's "prototype" in this thread.

http://www.innovatemotorsports.com/foru ... hp?t=11753

P.S. Try not to reverse the polarity on the power supply, the electronice don't take kindly to that. Who wooddathought?
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Post by Lockwire »

I like the chair ! :lol:
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Post by jmarkaudio »

Who uses a distributor any more, other than to distribute the spark? :lol: :lol: :lol: Should have used a massage chair, at least get some pleasure out of it... 8)
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Post by rally »

The only people probably who use the distributor machines are the resto guys who rebuild, recurve and setup the old points system ignitions now a days. guys like Jerry McNeish who really knows his stuff on parts like this.
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Post by TheEngineWorks.com »

WOW!! WTF!!! :lol:

Since I have built a Mopar for a shop car, I have met some GREAT Mopar people, but a few are downright scary,weird! :shock:

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Post by dragracer439 »

I have an Allen Syncrograph that I have been using for a while now. You would be surprised how bad some of the units are even new one can be off by quite a bit. I do anything from stock to custom curves & restoration. I also find it quite useful for my drag racing and for diagnosis.
Only 10.99 seconds ?!?
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Post by Tuner »

jmarkaudio wrote:Who uses a distributor any more, other than to distribute the spark? :lol: :lol: :lol: Should have used a massage chair, at least get some pleasure out of it... 8)
This attitude is to be expected from a short attention span racer. (Is that short attention-span, or short-attention span?) Spark advance is not important in a race that only lasts 7 seconds. :roll: Nothing for your kind to see here, move along, keep quiet, return to your homes.

That is a massage chair, The Al Whore Global Warming Massage Chair-AC-DC Model; however, it is not the autograph model. For one of those you need to be registered as a person of record who has made a substantial donation to the Al Whore Money Laundry for Despots Fund, LLC. :wink:

If you get your AWGWMC-AC-DC Model early and avoid the rush, you can practice The Massage in small increments so you can be ready when the real deal he has planned for everyone comes down the pike (or you sit down on the pike, as the case may be).

Don’t make fun of the man’s distributor machine, it’s only the prototype and it’s elegant. I expect you to apologize immediately.

TheEngineWorks.com wrote:WOW!! WTF!!! :lol:

Since I have built a Mopar for a shop car, I have met some GREAT Mopar people, but a few are downright scary,weird! :shock:

Image
EngineWorks, your gizmo is beautiful, I like it. Good job and a pox on the naysayers. I’ve thought a person could use parts of an old drill press upside-down for the substantial chuck and motor, maybe even the table for a fixture to hold the distributor, change a pulley for more RPM and use an electric motor speed control to vary the speed.

On your vice-grips, I would make a heavy wire loop for a safety strap on the handles so the jaws can’t open up if things start to vibrate. If the distributor gets loose when the shaft is at high speed things will get very interesting quicker than the blink of an eye. Something spinning 3-4000 RPM within arms reach is not to be taken lightly.


It is amazing how little is understood about ignition timing and advance curves. A lot of engine faults blamed on the carburetor are actually the result of incorrect or less than ideal ignition timing.

Anyone who wants to see the logs and graphs of the timing curves in that Innovate thread (above), download the Innovate LogWorks software from this webpage, it is free. http://www.innovatemotorsports.com/support.php
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Post by TheEngineWorks.com »

Ok then...... :?
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Post by k-star »

Mine is a sun and not made out of an old chair, but it's the best ROI machine I have in my shop.

Laugh all you want, I think the guy is fixing to make some $$$$

Keith
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Post by jmarkaudio »

Tuner wrote: It is amazing how little is understood about ignition timing and advance curves. A lot of engine faults blamed on the carburetor are actually the result of incorrect or less than ideal ignition timing.
Absolutely. Guys stick a big cam and carb in and wonders why it wont run with 6˚ initial and all in by 4K... :roll:
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Post by jmarkaudio »

Tuner wrote:
jmarkaudio wrote:Who uses a distributor any more, other than to distribute the spark? :lol: :lol: :lol: Should have used a massage chair, at least get some pleasure out of it... 8)
This attitude is to be expected from a short attention span racer. (Is that short attention-span, or short-attention span?) Spark advance is not important in a race that only lasts 7 seconds. :roll: Nothing for your kind to see here, move along, keep quiet, return to your homes.
I'm fully aware what an advance curve is, and have no problem running one when I need it. I just plug my laptop in and program what I need. 8) 8) 8)

As far as that being a massage chair, that may be, but the grand finale can be a real "shocker"... :shock: :shock: :shock: It also doubles as a shock therapy chair for those in need.... :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Post by Tuner »

Lap tops, throttle stops, races that only last 7 seconds, what is this world coming to? Your advance curve probably retards. You still need to apologize to the gentleman for casting aspersions upon his distributor chair. The shock therapy burns holes in my tinfoil hat.
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Post by David Redszus »

I still use a Sun distributor machine. It is old and I have rebuilt it several times but it is worth its weight in gold.

Vintge cars, lots of old production based sports cars and a whole lot of other engines still use distributors. Some are points triggered, some magnetic induction and some Hall Effect triggered.

I have added two additional features to my distributor machine. One is a chamber, pressurized with shop air, fitted to fire spark plugs. The second is an oscilloscope. I can read the spark traces while the chamber pressure builds. At some pressure and distributor speed the ignition system begins to misfire. Very often this occurs with high tech systems at operating speeds much lower than I ever imagined.

It is also useful to test advance curves produced by programmable ignition systems, to test coil output, to check RFI from secondary wires, to check for point bounce, to check for firing interval and jitter, and to test rev limiters.

Other than that I have no need for a distributor machine.
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Post by gnicholson »

that sounds like a pretty cool setup and a good idea to test the spark in a pressurized envirement. can you still get parts for the sun machines?
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Post by k-star »

David Redszus wrote:I still use a Sun distributor machine. It is old and I have rebuilt it several times but it is worth its weight in gold.

Vintge cars, lots of old production based sports cars and a whole lot of other engines still use distributors. Some are points triggered, some magnetic induction and some Hall Effect triggered.

I have added two additional features to my distributor machine. One is a chamber, pressurized with shop air, fitted to fire spark plugs. The second is an oscilloscope. I can read the spark traces while the chamber pressure builds. At some pressure and distributor speed the ignition system begins to misfire. Very often this occurs with high tech systems at operating speeds much lower than I ever imagined.

It is also useful to test advance curves produced by programmable ignition systems, to test coil output, to check RFI from secondary wires, to check for point bounce, to check for firing interval and jitter, and to test rev limiters.

Other than that I have no need for a distributor machine.

Dave I have been thinking about adding a chamber to mine. Do you have any pictures of yours??? I was going to use some heavy wall box tubing and cut out a window for lexan on the front of it. What type of PSI do you run in yours??

Keith
“If I hit you with this you’re going to be numb, that’s why they call them numb-chucks “Si Robertson
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