The Ford Barn - View Single Post

GB SISSON · 11-11-2022, 11:02 AM

And Now, For the Rest of the Story......
Went back to the barn yesterday. Keep in mind this barn is a good 50 minute drive each way. I live on the far Eastern end of Orcas Island and it's out on the Western tip. As far as it gets from here. I brought my new napa coil and we hooked it up. Still no spark. Re-checked every connection and found nothing obvious. Pulled the distributor, took it out into the sunshine and looked closely for anything that looked out of order to the eye. Looked perfect. My helper said it looked like it was assembled by a surgeon. I have a box with 6 or 7 untested 59 ab style distributors here in my shop. They came from dead trucks, parts trucks, and cracked blocks I dragged home. I decided to build a testing apparatus set up on the tailgate of my Foyota, as all my flat spaces are occupied.... I like the deep cycle/marine starting batteries for their extra stud terminal. I made up an 'L' bracket for the neg stud and bolted one ear of a distributor to it. Holder and ground combined. Zip tied the coil to the batteries handle and ran it's neg terminal to the distributor. I decided to test one of the 'unknowns' until I found one I could use for a control sample. I already knew my rebuilt one didn't spark. What do ya know?! First one threw a fat spark at 3/8", perhaps even 1/2". Very audible and the air had the aroma of ozone. Next one was a dud. Third was right up there with the first. This is fun.... OK, time for the big test. My 'Ignition Switch' was wrapping a stripped wire around the pos battery stud. On the first three testers this operation created the normal sparking one might expect, but the rebuilt showed no arcing even when I tried to produce it. I spun the shaft and as expected, no spark. I got to looking at the nice paint job Charlie had laid down and the word 'ground' came to mind..... Sanded tie ear all shiny and got my first spark. Sanded the opposite ear where my coil wire arcs and voila! Fat spark, audible snap, and wafting ozone. Charlie gave me his full blessing for me to share this with you all, and he requests that I send his friends on the Barn a hearty Hello!

11-11-2022, 11:02 AM	#2
GB SISSON Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Orcas Island Washington Posts: 6,202	Re: Bushing dropped out of crab distributor? And Now, For the Rest of the Story...... Went back to the barn yesterday. Keep in mind this barn is a good 50 minute drive each way. I live on the far Eastern end of Orcas Island and it's out on the Western tip. As far as it gets from here. I brought my new napa coil and we hooked it up. Still no spark. Re-checked every connection and found nothing obvious. Pulled the distributor, took it out into the sunshine and looked closely for anything that looked out of order to the eye. Looked perfect. My helper said it looked like it was assembled by a surgeon. I have a box with 6 or 7 untested 59 ab style distributors here in my shop. They came from dead trucks, parts trucks, and cracked blocks I dragged home. I decided to build a testing apparatus set up on the tailgate of my Foyota, as all my flat spaces are occupied.... I like the deep cycle/marine starting batteries for their extra stud terminal. I made up an 'L' bracket for the neg stud and bolted one ear of a distributor to it. Holder and ground combined. Zip tied the coil to the batteries handle and ran it's neg terminal to the distributor. I decided to test one of the 'unknowns' until I found one I could use for a control sample. I already knew my rebuilt one didn't spark. What do ya know?! First one threw a fat spark at 3/8", perhaps even 1/2". Very audible and the air had the aroma of ozone. Next one was a dud. Third was right up there with the first. This is fun.... OK, time for the big test. My 'Ignition Switch' was wrapping a stripped wire around the pos battery stud. On the first three testers this operation created the normal sparking one might expect, but the rebuilt showed no arcing even when I tried to produce it. I spun the shaft and as expected, no spark. I got to looking at the nice paint job Charlie had laid down and the word 'ground' came to mind..... Sanded tie ear all shiny and got my first spark. Sanded the opposite ear where my coil wire arcs and voila! Fat spark, audible snap, and wafting ozone. Charlie gave me his full blessing for me to share this with you all, and he requests that I send his friends on the Barn a hearty Hello! __________________ Owner/Operator of 'Jailbar Ranch' on the side of Mt. Pickett. Current stable consists of 1946 1/2 ton pickup turned woodie wagon with FH V8, 1946 Tonner Pickup with 226 H six, 1979 Toyota landcruiser wagon, now wearing 1947 Ford Jailbar sheet metal. 'Rusty ol' floorboards, hot on their feet' (Alan Jackson)