ramair Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I have a mid thirties Delco distributor along with a starter and generator to go through and thought I would see if anyone has a favorite place that does nice work in a reasonable amount of time ( notice that I did not say I wanted it fast, perfect and cheap). Would like to find someone that uses a a sun machine as a final test. I know that there is AER that is well liked but I worry about the comments about being slow to call back, I understand what it is like to run a small business including a few of the pitfalls ( ask me how I know) I appreciate all those that take time to respond, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 A fellow on this forum does distributor rebuilding. His screen name is tom_in_nh and people who have used his services seem to have positive experiences with him. You might want to contact him. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 (edited) You do want it perfect it is the heart of the car.fast and cheap not so sure.Promised a fellow a vacuume tank 8 weeks ago,he still does not have it.If I can not put it on ours,it will not go on his Edited March 21, 2018 by old car fan (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Most good shops are very busy, and require advance notice to get a time slot to get any major service done. Correctly rebuilding a Delco distributor isn’t difficult, but it is time consuming. The biggest problem is plating. Time, lost parts, missing and worn parts......it all adds up to more work and costs than one would expect. Add in rivets, data plates, paint, bad pot metal on some units.......and you can spend quite a bit of money. I spent the day setting up two 1930 V-16 Cadillac distributors. Both cars were restored and serviced by “one of the top restoration shops in the country”. They had incorrect modern points and wrong condensers. The gap was not correct for them, and the syncnaratizon was incorrect. They also glass beaded the internals, and didn’t replate them, so they were rusty. Doing thing right takes time and money, and many people just don’t even know how to do things correctly anymore. It’s the small details that make the cars run, and more often than not, they are overlooked. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelroadster Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Try Classic and Exotic services in Michigan. They were very good to deal with and time wise it was only a couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Brian and his crew do great work..........they are one of the busiest shops in the country. It’s getting close to Pebble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramair Posted March 22, 2018 Author Share Posted March 22, 2018 Just thought I would add a little history. I started this project when I was 12 years old , I am now 59. I started out by subscribing to Cars and Parts and then Hemmings when there were less than 20,000 subscribers of course I knew right away how to restore a antique so I spent my thirteenth year totally taking this rather rare vehicle down to the last nut and bolt and became a little overwhelmed! Over the years I would work on it a bit at a time without making any real progress. Two years ago I realised I needed to either finish it or it would someday end up in a dumpster, time to make up for the sins of youth, my goal is to get it done by the end of this year. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durant Mike Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 OK, so I've had my starter and distributor/generator restored by AES (Advanced Electrical Rebuilders) in Michigan and yes the wait was very long. Almost a year for my generator/distributor and about 8 months for my starter. Now the distributor had some frozen parts and the distributor mounting bracket had to be made via 3d printing method since the original was pot metal and had numerous cracks. The restored version is almost too nice to put on a car and get oily and greasy. A work of art. But I'm finding all restoration of antique parts usually takes a long time since not everyone is doing this anymore. I sent my 28 Durant radiator to The Brassworks for rebuilding, and the quote was 12 weeks to get the parts and another 4 to finish the restoration. My radiator emblem was sent off for restoration and the quote was 3 to 6 months depending on difficulties. I took my differential down to have it blasted and painted and the guy has had it 6 months. One thing I've learned is you can't be in a hurry when your restoring a car that's for sure. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captndan Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Bert’s in Denver. I have a model B with modern plate if you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sligermachine Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 On 3/22/2018 at 12:03 AM, ramair said: I started this project when I was 12 years old , I am now 59. Not bad just one inch at a time . you will win I am sure as long as you don't "-----------" that word is not in my vocabulary . As a kidd my Father told me quitters never finish what they start ! work like you make 100.00 A hr. and one day you will !! My favorite--" Make Jesus proud of you is all that matters to me. " Off to a grate start . don't slow down now.--kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheelmang Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 If you do it all yourself - - You learn a lot - It is finished in your time - It costs a lot less - (maybe, see next point) - You get to buy a lot of tools that you never knew you needed - There is the satisfaction that you that did it And when you get in trouble - There are incredible experienced experts on this site that are more than willing to guide you every step of the way. Just saying Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 (edited) 6 hours ago, sligermachine said: Not bad just one inch at a time . you will win I am sure as long as you don't "-----------" that word is not in my vocabulary . As a kidd my Father told me quitters never finish what they start ! work like you make 100.00 A hr. and one day you will !! My favorite--" Make Jesus proud of you is all that matters to me. " Off to a grate start . don't slow down now.--kyle Off to a grate start? How do you start a grate? Something like the fire under a grate in a BBQ? OK. Great. Dandy Dave! Edited March 27, 2018 by Dandy Dave (see edit history) 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durant Mike Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 Paul I agree with you about doing it yourself and in my case I'm restoring two cars at the same time. My 1928 and my TR6. I live in a home owners association controlled community that limits what can be done in my garage and house. Small parts I blast, paint and restore myself, but painting large items like a frame etc I have to farm out. I dismantled my 28 down to the frame, and I am now reassembling it piece by piece like so many others can. But sometimes you just have to reach out and let someone else do it, if you don't have the time or expertise. Why not? Could I re-wire a generator, probably, a starter probably, although I have no experience in that. In my case and to me it just makes sense to farm some things out and get it done and ready to be installed while you work on something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29 franklin Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 I sent my dist. from my Ford truck to Burton L Norton . They did a great job ,was in a decent time frame and fair price. Have had 0 problems in 10 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramair Posted March 29, 2018 Author Share Posted March 29, 2018 I think I have found someone to rebuild my distributor, its on its way several thousand miles away, I was surprised that very few shops that advertise distributor repair even own a distributor machine, I feel lucky and thankful that we have this forum to find help, thank you all that responded, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 (edited) 8 hours ago, ramair said: I was surprised that very few shops that advertise distributor repair even own a distributor machine, I feel lucky and thankful that we have this forum to find help, thank you all that responded, Its cammon that many shops do not have the required equipment or skills to do may things today. Fact is many shops sub contract out more than fifty percent of the car......which causes delays, increased costs, and warranty issues. Distributor machines are an absolute requirement if working on any car pre 1970......... I bought my first one at age 16 and have owned a total of four different ones over the years, upgrading to a better unit each time. I recently put a dual point distributor off a multi cylinder CCCA on my machine after a recent restoration from a known good shop........not one that I have ever used....... and the points were out of synchronization, and were not even correct for the application.......either the shop didn’t want to spend the money to get the right points, or were not even able to realize they had the wrong points in the distributor. Attention to detail is what makes a great restoration, and a good running car. Sadly today, lots of shops can paint and assemble cars, but most can’t make them run right. Edited March 29, 2018 by edinmass (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkent Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 Dustys electric in fox lake il. He rebuilt the gen and starter for my 38 flathead . I work on old Harleys as well and he’s who rebuilds all the generators for me . Extremely knowledgeable ,honest and won’t take you over the coals on price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelroadster Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 It is strange that a lot of shops do not have distributor machines . They were extremely common and were usually found in most service stations up through the sixties. I suppose that a lot of them were just taken to the dump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramair Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 I think that some shops do not have the floor space for extra machines so they say they do not need it and they think that if they rebush a distributor that will fix 99% of distributor problems. I have argued with some that the need for the distributor machine is even more important now as the aftermarket parts are marginal at best and the cam is made out of unobtanium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan L Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 I am looking for an autolite rotor arm for a distributor part no GB 4006B 4J with a cap 1GB31G3. Its fitted to a 1928 Durant 6 cyl. Or part number Also looking for a radiator cap if any one can help, or part number Any help will be appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old buicks 2 Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 Alan, I have those parts for the IGB4006B distributor. You can PM me for more details. I'm not sure what you mean by a "rotor arm" All my parts are NOS. Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodge28 Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 AER did work for me and was always prompt in returning my phone calls , In fact when I call he will answer the phone right away. He restored the generator for my 1928 DB Senior and an armature for a spare generator. Harry Toronto Canada. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kings32 Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 I have a allen distributor machine in my shop every thing works . Want to get out of my shop , Have books and V8 adapter with it make a offer . pick up at my shop . Howard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron hausmann Posted March 17 Share Posted March 17 I’ve used AER for a good dozen of my unique Kissel generators, distributors, and starters. yes they are very long and backed up. yes they are expensive too! yes they can sometimes take awhile to connect on the phone or text. but I’ve never found any service that is so exact and wonderful when I’ve finally gotten the parts back.! superlative! worth the wait. ron hausmann P.E. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramair Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 The revival of this old thread allows me to thank Tom_in_nh for the wonderful job he did on the distributor on my 1936 GMC pickup. The distributor was a one year only part number for GMC as the Oldsmobile engine used for automobile use had a vacuum advance. When he was done rebuilding it, he put it on a sun machine. The truck starts, idles, accelerates and climbs hills flawlessly. I am hoping to send him a Packard twelve distributor that I have as a spare, it’s great to have this kind of talent on the forum, 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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