Distributor Cam

[Afordman31]

Why is there a difference in Distributor cams? One being a sharp lobe and the other a round lobe. Snyder's shows just a cam with no mention of sharp or round. Ebay has these listed:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1928-...ts_Accessories


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1928-...ts_Accessories

[1931 flamingo]

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't some of the cams (dist) being offered have a "B" profile to them, is that what would be considered a "sharp" lobe and the "A" a round lobe or viceversa?
Paul in CT

[Gary WA]

yes

[Tom Wesenberg]

The "B" cam is the only one I know of being made new. It has the appearance of 8 vertical lines, where the "A" cam has 4 lines.

[John LaVoy]

We have the new cam in house for evaluation but have not completed out testing for a Model A Times article. But the new cams are much higher in quality than the old cams.

[BCCHOPIT]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I got my new B distributor cam at A&L in CT 860 693 2620 and as with all the stuff they make or have made is of the best quality

[Afordman31]

Can you use a B distributor cam on a Model A? What would the difference be in the running if you could?

[Ron/IA]

Afordman31 - Yes, you can. As I understand it (please correct me if I am wrong), the "B" cam will allow dwell time to be such that the coil will be saturated as much as possible (especially at high speed), and produce the maximum spark it is capable of.

I hope this helps.

[Purdy Swoft]

Originally Posted by Afordman31

Can you use a B distributor cam on a Model A? What would the difference be in the running if you could?

Yes the B distributor cam works very good in a model A distributor. The so called ocean wave profile gives the coil more build up time between firings. The B dist. cam is said to double the spark. I use them in our cars. Don't expect it to give the boost of a high compression head but I am of the opinion that every little bit helps and it is not a visable modification.

[Rainmaker Ron]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

The "B" cam is the only one I know of being made new. It has the appearance of 8 vertical lines, where the "A" cam has 4 lines.

Hey Tom, count them again without using your fingers! Maybe you just got your ABC's mixed up.
Rainmaker Ron

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Rainmaker Ron

Hey Tom, count them again without using your fingers! Maybe you just got your ABC's mixed up.
Rainmaker Ron

Heck, if you don't mark where you started at on the cam, the lines just keep on going forever as you rotate it!

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Rainmaker Ron

Hey Tom, count them again without using your fingers! Maybe you just got your ABC's mixed up.
Rainmaker Ron

Thanks Ron, yes I mixed the two up. The B cam has 4 lines, while the A cam has 8 lines. Anyway, as far as I know the B cam is the only one being made now.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Here's a picture comparing the two cams.

[Bill Stipe]

There is a brand new Distributor cam Mfg it has about 10 more degrees of dwell for a better spark, it is made from air hardened tool steel and heat treated like the original cams.
They sell for $12.75

[Purdy Swoft]

Originally Posted by 29 Red Rocket

There is a brand new Distributor cam Mfg it has about 10 more degrees of dwell for a better spark, it is made from air hardened tool steel and heat treated like the original cams.
They sell for $12.75

Where do you get them?

[Bill Stipe]

Call 1-920-467-2895 ask SueAnn for a Model A-B distributor cam part # SMC0033

[Purdy Swoft]

Originally Posted by 29 Red Rocket

Call 1-920-467-2895 ask SueAnn for a Model A-B distributor cam part # SMC0033

Thanks, Red Rocket!!!

[marc hildebrant]

Can you time the ignition the same way as with the original designed cam ?

With the original cam, you set it just as it's going to open. I wonder if the steeper cam profile makes the timing real hard to set ?

Marc

[JoeWay]

Originally Posted by 29 Red Rocket

Call 1-920-467-2895 ask SueAnn for a Model A-B distributor cam part # SMC0033

That's Bill Stipe at Specialty Motor Cams, so it's going to be an excellent part.

Joe

[Bill Stipe]

Marc
Yes you can time it the same exact way.