Delco Remy Distributors 1920s -1930's inter-changebility?

[maok]

Hi all,

 

Just wondering how easily the main shaft can inter-change in the various models.

ie. can a 631 shaft fit into a 647 housing?

Has anyone experimented with these distributors?

[maok]

Any tinkerers of these out there?

[JFranklin]

I have interchanged shafts from what to what I can't say. The distributor in a continental engine was fully corroded and I saw a distributor that was similar but off a GM car on ebay and it fit together and I got things running. I am usually lucky with things like that. I have a model A Ford with a Tilitson carb with the float out of a '60s Pontiac, needle from my 66 Mustang carb kit, pin from a zenith, and it worked real well. Check dimensions and try things sometimes you get lucky. 

[F&J]

some prewar inline flatheads have the same bored size hole for a distributor, and most use some sort of an extension shaft to reach the oil pump.  So, if you spot an entire distributor that might work with a modified extension, just make sure the rotation is correct.  My 32 Nash 6 had a 1938? Hudson distributor, but it was wrong rotation, so it retarded the timing!

 

Knowing what parts look like from many years/makes, really helps with working with orphan cars.  Some part out there will work to get you going, if you spot it, or you recall a similar part in the past.

[maok]

It seems that a lot of them have 1/2" shaft, one obvious variation is the length of the shaft and drive gear to match the engine. Also, the neck length of the housing needs to be considered as well.

And yes, advance weights/springs need to match the rotation direction.

[maok]

I should add that there are adaptors that fit over the 1/2" shaft to accommodate various engine block hole sizes, 3/4" seems to be a more common OD. The length of these vary as well.

 

Unfortunately my Delco Remy book does not cover dimensions. So, yes, 'tinkering' is required.

[Rusty_OToole]

If you have the original distributor it can almost always be rebuilt with new bearings etc.

[dibarlaw]

Unfortunately many of the 1920s car manufactures used the new miracle material DIE CAST. It took many years before the industries composition was fairly stable. I remember seeing some 1920s cars for sale in the 1980s that the carbs and distributers were nothing more than a pile of gray crumbs. My 1925 Buicks had those terrible "pot metal" units. One reason that the cars were taken out of service by the 1940s. I had been able to do a drop in of a later cast iron Delco on the 1925 Touring shown on my avatar photo.

 The "new" Buick I have just purchased(1925 Master) has an adapted later Delco unit from an IHC 6 cylinder truck. It works great. Another benefit is that the cap, rotor and points are typical off the shelf 1930s Chevy. I can do a points, cap, rotor for about $20 instead of over $120. I have several original distributers and the only thing that is salvageable was the shaft and gear.

The let unit is the drop in cast iron unit. The right side one was cobbled up with cut off and piened screws. Collar bushing had no opening for grease to the shaft and copper crush gasket for spacers. The car ran with this unit but I could stop it by just finger pressure on the case.

The 2 above are original units. The left one is barely useable but the cup is oval shape. Not much left of the one on the right.

Keep checking. There is someone out there who has done an adaptation for your car.