25 Buick tune up

[carmover]

Is there any other sources for tune up parts for the 1925 Buicks at a better price than Bob's?

[Mikefit]

19 minutes ago, carmover said:

Is there any other sources for tune up parts for the 1925 Buicks at a better price than Bob's?

 

[Mikefit]

Ronnie are you taking care of my 23 sure hope so.  Mike

[carmover]

Mike,I am cherishing it and have given it a good Home.I have been touring it all summer and it is upstaging the 25 Buick pretty Bad.I hope to get the 25 tuned up and ready to go in the next couple of weeks and show them together for the first time in September.Here I am enjoying driving it on the streets of Historic Old Helena Alabama.

Edited July 7, 2018 by carmover (see edit history)

[Hubert_25-25]

Ronnie, 

        Points are about $70.  Caps for the old style 9mm plug wires about the Same.  Rotors for these are high too.  Sometimes you can find the parts for less on Ebay, but I do not know of any other suppliers.  

 

You can install a later model distributor with modern points, rotor and cap.  This really cuts the price of the expendable parts.  If you are not worried about judging or originality, this is your cheapest option.  You pay once for the distributor,  but points, cap, and rotor are cheap.  Distributors can be found on Ebay.

If you have a pot metal distributor body, you should be thinking about finding a steel distributor body anyway.  Check the housing with a magnet.  

Here are some notes that I have regarding a distributor change to steel or using a more modern set up.  

 

You can replace the pot metal distributor housing with 2 options:

Early Model Distributor – Source a 1922-1924 4 cylinder (and possibly a 1923 6 cylinder) distributor body.   Reuse all your other 6 cylinder internal parts (shaft, cam, rotor, cap )

1926/27 used the same cap and rotor as the earlier models, so 9mm plug wires.

Later Model Distributor (1928 on up)–  You can use a late model Delco distributor.  Look for a Delco 640X distributor.  The X could be an A thru Z depending on when it was made.   A distributor from a 1928/29/30 series 40 Buick should work .  I have a 640Y distributor (1930 Buick series 40) that looks like it would work with some modifications.   What other models and years will work? 

These have modern points, rotor and a cap, so are much cheaper to maintain.  Minor visual difference is that the plug wires are slightly smaller (7MM).  The early original distributors uses 9MM plug wires.   

 

One last thing you could do is what Kevin Roner did, and install modern points in your old distributor.  At least you no longer need to buy expensive points, which is the high wear item.  Not sure if electronic ignition is available for these.   Hugh

Edited July 7, 2018 by Hubert_25-25 (see edit history)

[carmover]

17 minutes ago, Hubert_25-25 said:

Ronnie, 

        Points are about $70.  Caps for the old style 9mm plug wires about the Same.  Rotors for these are high too.  Sometimes you can find the parts for less on Ebay, but I do not know of any other suppliers.  

 

You can install a later model distributor with modern points, rotor and cap.  This really cuts the price of the expendable parts.  If you are not worried about judging or originality, this is your cheapest option.  You pay once for the distributor,  but points, cap, and rotor are cheap.  Distributors can be found on Ebay.

If you have a pot metal distributor body, you should be thinking about finding a steel distributor body anyway.  Check the housing with a magnet.  

Here are some notes that I have regarding a distributor change to steel or using a more modern set up.  

 

You can replace the pot metal distributor housing with 2 options:

Early Model Distributor – Source a 1922-1924 4 cylinder (and possibly a 1923-24 6 cylinder) distributor body.   Reuse all your other 6 cylinder internal parts (shaft, cam, rotor, cap )

Later Model Distributor –  You can use a late model Delco distributor.  Look for a Delco 640X distributor.  The X could be an A thru Z depending on when it was made.   A distributor from a 1928/29/30 series 40 Buick will work.  What other models and years will work? 

These have modern points, rotor and a cap, so are much cheaper to maintain.  Minor visual difference is that the plug wires are slightly smaller (7MM).  The early original distributors uses 9MM plug wires.   

 

One last thing you could do is what Kevin Roner did, and install modern points in your old distributor.  At least you no longer need to buy expensive points, which is the high wear item.  Not sure if electronic ignition is available for these.   Hugh

Hugh,All I need is wires,cap,and condensor.It is sparking at the wires and the cap.Bob has the points listed at 95.00 for 24 thru 27 and only 12.00 for the 28 Buicks it doesn't make any sense to me.

[Hubert_25-25]

Ronnie, 

     Early 20's thru 1927 used the expensive threaded points, rotor that rubs on the cap, and the expensive 9mm plug wire cap.  In 1928,  everything went modern and the parts are cheap.  

I read that 1972 El Camino condensors work as replacements 

I was going to order plug wires from RJ&L vintage wiring.  www.rjlautofasteners.com.  315-986-7121.  The 9mm plug wire set is $40.  I understand our wires are supposed to be black, but oak /black is available as well.  (not sure if you get the coil wire included so ask).  

I have not looked into cheap rotor and cap replacements other than on Ebay.
Your wires are more likely the culprit of sparking than the cap and rotor.  Replace the wires first and then see if the sparking problem is cured.  

Photos are of original style points/cap and rotor

[Old buicks 2]

Contact Tom VanMeeteren  for all your ignition parts,  he has lots of NOS ignition stuff      tsvanmeet@gmail.com or  402-359-5762

[Hubert_25-25]

Ronnie, 

    I once bought 2 pick up trucks and a motorcycle from a coworker for $400.  He said the one truck had caught some fire at one time but wasn't running right.  He said he saw flames under the hood and pulled into a gas station, and as he was running in yelling "Get some water", the service station person was running out yelling "Get your truck away from the pumps".   He was an engineer, but he was not a bright man.  

It turned out that the plug wires were firing into each other, so it would light off the plug on another cylinder during the intake cycle, hence the flames out the carburetor.   

I put plug wires in the truck and sold it for $750.  

Hugh  

[Terry Wiegand]

1923 was the first year for a single piece, molded distributor cap for Buicks.  The threaded post caps for 1922 and back are almost impossible to find.  1923 and up are on evilBay quite often and are in the $70.00 range.  I believe that certain models of Chevrolet caps will fit the Buick distributor heads - please do not quote me on that.  Someone told me that years ago.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas  aka  Doo Dah

[Leif Holmberg]

Just remember it`s not possible to use a 1923-1925 distributor house on a later car,but you can use a later 1926 and up distributor house on an earlier car if you are made a busching that fill up the space between 1 1/16" to 1 7/16". There are also diffferent size on the dist. gears up to 1925 one size and 1926 and later another smaller size,I`m talking about Std models now! (not cam gears as I wrote on the pictures,I ment dist.gears!)

Leif in Sweden.

Edited July 8, 2018 by Leif Holmberg (see edit history)

[carmover]

My 25 Buick didn't run long enough to do much checking but I did notice a lot of sparking at the plug wires and what looked like a wide ark around the base of the distributor cap.I can't see anything wrong with the cap other than a wear ring on the inside where it sits on the distributor.Since it was in the dark I can't be sure if the ark was on the cap or not.I am going to replace the plug wires first and see what happens and then the cap if it becomes necessary.

[27donb]

Can anyone advise, how long the original style reproduction ignition parts are expected to last?  5000 miles?  10k?  500 miles?  What is your experience? 

 

I personally drive my Buicks less than 500 miles a year, but I read some owners tour, some go out weekly and do shows, and still others trailer to shows, so road miles seem to vary. 

 

I have a 1928 distributer in the 27-54CC, and I tuned it up in 1992.

 

Surely someone can share their experience with wear and replacement on cap, rotor, and points... 

[Terry Wiegand]

Don,

If you are running your car on a 26 year old tune-up, I think it would be safe to say that you got your money's worth out of the tune-up parts.?.  If it were me, I'd check the gap on the plugs, check the points gap, make sure the plug wires are all in good condition, and check and clean the distributor cap (do not forget to smear the rotor track with petroleum jelly (that's Vaseline to us ordinary folk) and call the ignition side good if all is as it should be.  If the engine is running good, it might be best to leave the carburetor alone.  You just might be forgetting the single most important element in the scheme of things - YOU ARE DRIVING A BUICK FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!!!  You surely did not expect any problems with a BUICK did you?  Of course not!  Drive on and enjoy the ride.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas  -  out Doo Dah Way

[27donb]

11 hours ago, Terry Wiegand said:

Don,

If you are running your car on a 26 year old tune-up, I think it would be safe to say that you got your money's worth out of the tune-up parts.?.  If it were me, I'd check the gap on the plugs, check the points gap, make sure the plug wires are all in good condition, and check and clean the distributor cap (do not forget to smear the rotor track with petroleum jelly (that's Vaseline to us ordinary folk) and call the ignition side good if all is as it should be.  If the engine is running good, it might be best to leave the carburetor alone.  You just might be forgetting the single most important element in the scheme of things - YOU ARE DRIVING A BUICK FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!!!  You surely did not expect any problems with a BUICK did you?  Of course not!  Drive on and enjoy the ride.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas  -  out Doo Dah Way

 

I try not to look for problems, when it's time, they usually find me.  So when it's running good, it's left alone.  I did recently pull, clean and gap the plugs.

 

My 27's have been converted and use the cheaper more readily available cap, rotor and points.  I was however referring to the expensive original type reproduction parts available from Bob's. 

 

At $150 + for tune up parts (which I decided to use on my 24-45) which are the reproductions of the original design parts.  Has anyone found that these reproductions go the distance, or after how many miles would I expect to do another $150 cap, rotor and points?

[critterpainter]

Just to scare you, the reproduction cap and rotor are made here in the States by a company that has been making ignition caps and rotors for many decades.

 

 

[Old26Buick]

I have a 26 Buck Model 26-27 and a 27 Buick Model 27-27 which was made into a Woodie wagon in 1927.  I use 28 Buick or later dist. Can buy all the parts from Napa for around $40.

A lot easier to adjust and did  away with hand timing. Did the 26 15 years ago and the Woodie about 6 years ago. No problems at all.

[carmover]

On 7/7/2018 at 2:08 PM, carmover said:

My 25 Buick didn't run long enough to do much checking but I did notice a lot of sparking at the plug wires and what looked like a wide ark around the base of the distributor cap.I can't see anything wrong with the cap other than a wear ring on the inside where it sits on the distributor.Since it was in the dark I can't be sure if the ark was on the cap or not.I am going to replace the plug wires first and see what happens and then the cap if it becomes necessary.

Well Guys here is an update on the 25 Buick.I ordered and received a new condenser and plug wires from Bob's and the Buick started right up and ran perfectly for about ten minutes and then started running real bad.I turned all the lights of and found none of the of the plug wires were jumping fire but it was still jumping fire at the base of the distributor cap and closer inspection showed that it is all the way around the cap on the inside.You can actually see it around the Bottom of the cap where it sits on the distributor I am just wondering why it ran so good when I first started it up.It wasn't missing at all and then after ten minutes it was running rough and if I had put a new muffler on it it would have blown it off as it was loudly backfiring through the muffler.I am going to order a cap and replace it and see if that will fix it and I have already checked the insulator inside the distributor and don't see any problems with it.

Edited July 14, 2018 by carmover (see edit history)

[Hubert_25-25]

Ron, 

   While you are waiting, can you wash out the old cap (inside and out) with brake or carburetor cleaner, vaseline just the rotor top, and see if runs right?  At least then you may have a good spare dist cap.  Perhaps excess oil or vaseline is causing it to short.    Hugh

[carmover]

34 minutes ago, Hubert_25-25 said:

Ron, 

   While you are waiting, can you wash out the old cap (inside and out) with brake or carburetor cleaner, vaseline just the rotor top, and see if runs right?  At least then you may have a good spare dist cap.  Perhaps excess oil or vaseline is causing it to short.    Hugh

Hugh, I will try that. The cap has a ring around the inside of it ,the thing that has got me puzzled about this is the car was running perfectly for ten to fifteen minutes before it started acting up.The cap also has a chip out of the number six hole where the wire connects.The boot covers it up and it is not arking there.I have wiped out the dist and the cap with a dry rag but not with any solvent or anything.I will try that in the morning but I still want to replace the damaged cap.

[Hubert_25-25]

The distributor cap is called a distributor head in the shop manual.   

 

"The track against which the rotor button presses should be smooth and clean.  Clean with a cloth moistened with vaseline and then polish with a dry cloth.  Do not use sandpaper,  emery cloth, or anything of that nature.  "

 

It seemed to me when I did this polish, that it was like I did nothing as it seemed like there was no residual.   Has anyone ever tried using modern silicone dielectric grease instead of vaseline on the rotor track?  Both are dielectric.  The silicone may last a little longer.      Hugh

[Morgan Wright]

On ‎7‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 3:32 PM, critterpainter said:

Just to scare you, the reproduction cap and rotor are made here in the States by a company that has been making ignition caps and rotors for many decades.

 

 

 

Can you tell me the name of this company? I want to take my 1918 distributor cap to a reproduction place like this, and have them make duplicates to I can buy 2 or 3 of them. There is no reason people shouldn't be able to buy replacement caps when there are companies that reproduce new ones. My bakelite cap isn't going to last forever. My cap fits all 242 engines in the E, H, and K series (1918, 1919, 1920)