Hubert_25-25 1,632 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Distributor parts for 1923 thru 1927 Buick parts continue to get scarce. Scarcity drives the price up. 1923-27 1928 - 32 Cap $110 $12 ($7 on Rock Auto) Rotor $65 $6.75 Points $50? $12.50 I did want to look into the modifications necessary to fit modern points, cap and rotor to the existing distributor housings. Cap and Rotor are 10X the price, and Bob's no longer has points which indicates the rarity. I have the following photo from Kevin Roner regarding points but no details. Would like to provide drawings of what is necessary to modify existing parts. Would like to keep the capacity to always go back to the original parts. Does anyone have any 1928 thru 1932 Buick cap and rotor and or points that they would donate to the cause? PM me. I need a couple to cut and verify fit. Worn out is fine. Thank you Hugh Link to post Share on other sites
dibarlaw 1,913 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Hugh: I know I said I would try to see how they adapted the latter Delco Distributer to Remley Adjustment to set timing is done with a clamp on the barrel rather than the bottom set screw like later Chevrolets. The Brough's indicated that they thought the unit came from a 6 cylinder International truck. It does take nice CHEAPER components. Link to post Share on other sites
Hubert_25-25 1,632 Posted November 12, 2020 Author Share Posted November 12, 2020 (edited) Larry, What I am looking to do is a little different than what we have discussed in the past. I do have a listing of replacement distributors, and yes, there are some details missing on all the nuances to replace the distributor as a whole to upgrade from a pot metal distributor housing. I have already installed a steel distributor from an earlier model. What I want to do is use the existing distributor and provide details to upgrade the replacement parts. There is a slight change in the diameter of the newer cap. It may require a fixture and minor machining of a cheap cap to get there, or maybe replacement of the cap hold down screws with shallower screws that do not interfere with the new cap. Replacing the hold down clips with slightly longer clips or modifying the top side of the cap. Several ways to get there. Hugh Edited November 12, 2020 by Hubert_25-25 (see edit history) Link to post Share on other sites
edinmass 11,471 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 (edited) Why not just make reproduction caps, rotors, and points? Easily done........... 99 percent of the time, all three components are still fine.......and people just want to swap out the stuff during a tune up. It’s like a carb kit where people want a new float..........not needed 99 percent of the time. Even if the reproduction parts are the same as the going rate today, it’s a better option than changing things. 110 for a cap isn’t bad......a five wire oxygen sensor from Bosch can easily run 150 bucks. I would also expect that 99 percent of the existing Buick’s from the 1923-1927 era see less than four hundred miles a year. For the cost of four tanks of fuel in my pick up truck I can buy the cap, rotor, and points..........in perspective while not free, they are by no means stopping someone from driving their car. Some rare caps sell for 1500-2500 dollars.......it’s all in how you look at it. Edited November 12, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 3 Link to post Share on other sites
AussieBuick 43 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 4 hours ago, Hubert_25-25 said: Distributor parts for 1923 thru 1927 Buick parts continue to get scarce. Scarcity drives the price up. 1923-27 1928 - 32 Cap $110 $12 ($7 on Rock Auto) Rotor $65 $6.75 Points $50? $12.50 I did want to look into the modifications necessary to fit modern points, cap and rotor to the existing distributor housings. Cap and Rotor are 10X the price, and Bob's no longer has points which indicates the rarity. I have the following photo from Kevin Roner regarding points but no details. Would like to provide drawings of what is necessary to modify existing parts. Would like to keep the capacity to always go back to the original parts. Does anyone have any 1928 thru 1932 Buick cap and rotor and or points that they would donate to the cause? PM me. I need a couple to cut and verify fit. Worn out is fine. Thank you Hugh Hugh, I sort of recall reading about a modification to a VW distributer Cap for use in a 4 cylinder Buick , maybe Leif from Sweden ? Had a search but no luck... Norm Link to post Share on other sites
hidden_hunter 253 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 8 hours ago, edinmass said: Even if the reproduction parts are the same as the going rate today, it’s a better option than changing things. 110 for a cap isn’t bad......a five wire oxygen sensor from Bosch can easily run 150 bucks Kinda sad that was my first thought as well, I'd be happy to pay those prices for the cadillac... Would the alternative approach if you had a non functional distributor be to find a workable housing and see if there is an electronic ignition conversion kit that would be suitable? Link to post Share on other sites
Old buicks 2 50 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Hubert, I just sent you a private email. I have lots of ignition parts for these cars, all NOS Tom 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Old26Buick 14 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 On both my 26 and 27 Buicks I used a end section of 28 gen. and used a 28 Dist. Actually you can use quite a few differant later GM dist. Haven't had any trouble in over 10 years. Got all the parts from NAPA. Good luck Link to post Share on other sites
Crazyfamily 224 Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Hugh as you know we switched out the problematic 1927 pot metal distributor for a 1929 unit(cast), it dropped right in with zero modifications! I will be happy to see if I have the old parts laying around, I do have a brand new set of everything, including points for a 1927, however as you can imagine I don’t want to cut them up. Link to post Share on other sites
Old Firm Colonial Touring 0 Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Gentlemen, My buddies and I are the proud owners of a 1923 Buick which is great fun. It would be even funner if it didn't spit and cough (fire back through the inlet manifold) when it got a bit warm (about 15minutes run time). It has had the issue the whole time we have owned it and over the years we have replaced the radiator, rebuilt the water pump, had a top end overhaul, fitted a fuel pump and had the carburetor rebuilt, twice. We have had the distributor overhauled but have not been able to find a replacement distributor cap. It's about the last item we can think of to try and I am hoping you can help me locate a replacement. I need a 4 cylinder distributor cap and Bob at Automobilia can't help. Can you help us with one? If not, can you suggest someone else who may be able to help? Link to post Share on other sites
Old buicks 2 50 Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Try Tom VanMeeteren tsvanmeet@gmail.com or 402-359-5762 He has a huge inventory of NOS ignition stuff. Link to post Share on other sites
Larry Schramm 3,174 Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 17 hours ago, Old Firm Colonial Touring said: Gentlemen, My buddies and I are the proud owners of a 1923 Buick which is great fun. It would be even funner if it didn't spit and cough (fire back through the inlet manifold) when it got a bit warm (about 15minutes run time). It has had the issue the whole time we have owned it and over the years we have replaced the radiator, rebuilt the water pump, had a top end overhaul, fitted a fuel pump and had the carburetor rebuilt, twice. We have had the distributor overhauled but have not been able to find a replacement distributor cap. It's about the last item we can think of to try and I am hoping you can help me locate a replacement. I need a 4 cylinder distributor cap and Bob at Automobilia can't help. Can you help us with one? If not, can you suggest someone else who may be able to help? You might want to check your local NAPA store. They have some caps that go back quite a ways. Link to post Share on other sites
Hubert_25-25 1,632 Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 Norm sent note that Leif has a VW cap on his 1923 Buick 4 cylinder and a Volvo cap on his 1924 4 cylinder. I am sure there were some modification made to adapt it. Link to post Share on other sites
Fred Rawling 85 Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Here is my 2 cents: For 1926 and 1927 Buicks you can substitute any 1928 to 1930 single contact distributor. It is a drop in fit with no other alterations. You time it like a more modern distributor by rotating the cup. You do not have to use the nut at the bottom of the distributor. You can buy the cap, rotor, condenser and points at the auto parts store. Just ask for late 1940's Chevy parts. 1922 - 23 4 cyl. & 1922 through 1927 6 Cyl. rotors are available from Bob's. He reproduced them. Some of my catalogs list 1921 as the same, some list it with the earlier part number. I have 3 sets of points for 1917 to 1922 available for $55.00; 1 set of 1923 to 1927 points at $80.00; several sets of 1928 to 1930 single contact distributor points for $4.00 or heavy duty version of the same for $6.00., and one 640 A distributor (1928) for $85.00 with new points (gear is worn). Frde Rawling (562) 644-4670 or fred.rawling@live.com Link to post Share on other sites
Brian_Heil 1,531 Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 (edited) On any NOS set of points you are thinking of buying, do a careful inspection of the fiber rubbing block and small rivets. Every set I looked at, at Hershey a year ago were cracked and the fiber material was breaking down due to age in this area. You almost need a jewelers loupe. This was the failure mode of my points 20+ years ago. I built up the sides of the fiber rubbing block with JB weld. Still doing fine all these years and 40,000+ miles later. Edited December 8, 2020 by Brian_Heil (see edit history) 2 Link to post Share on other sites
AussieBuick 43 Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 Leif from Sweden posted his version of using a 62 VW Dist Cap on a 1923 4 cylinder Buick under the post 1923 Buick 4 cylinder Distributor Cap broken... Link to post Share on other sites
Old buicks 2 50 Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 I have a good supply of these for sale. tsvanmeet@gmail.com or 402-359-5762 Tom 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Old Firm Colonial Touring 0 Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 Hey Tom, I have emailed tsvanmeet@gmail.com but have not heard a response yet. Just checking I have the right address? Merry Christmas. Peter Link to post Share on other sites
Robert Engle 154 Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 For your spitting and coughing issue, you might try more spark advance than factory specs. I know my 17 Buick likes at least 7 degrees more advance. My 32 Buick runs best with 5 degrees more advance than spec. Bob Engle Link to post Share on other sites
Old buicks 2 50 Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 Old firm colonial, I was sleeping it is just 7 Am here. Checked email and nothing Link to post Share on other sites
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