hey guys, quick question on an 8ba distributor. when you disconnect the vacuum line, what happens with the advance?? is it just locked out or?? I ask because I am going to be driving a vintage mod that had a stock 8ba distributor put in it when the electronic unit fried. want to know what to expect.
8ba distributor
- Thread starter revkev6
- Start date
flatheadmurre
Well-known member
You will have a fixed timing...no advance...
rotorwrench
Well-known member
The Load-O-Matic ignition system uses venturi vacuum to function the change in advance. It is a system that requires the carburetor be set up for it and the distributor with correct spring calibration. There is no centrifugal advance in this distributor.
It would have to be set at max advance to work at all so there would be no retard for starting or for pulling a load. It would likely kick back during starting with no retard and it would get poor fuel mileage at road speeds.
It would have to be set at max advance to work at all so there would be no retard for starting or for pulling a load. It would likely kick back during starting with no retard and it would get poor fuel mileage at road speeds.
one more question if I may, what is the RPM limit on the single points on these distributors?? two reasons...
don't want point float on the track
Sometime down the line I was contemplating a possible EFI system. if you run the stock distributor it could be used as a trigger for an EFI ignition. either with points or converted to electronic pickup.
don't want point float on the track
Sometime down the line I was contemplating a possible EFI system. if you run the stock distributor it could be used as a trigger for an EFI ignition. either with points or converted to electronic pickup.
Ol' Ron
Well-known member
Our stock car ran aprox. 18 degrees advance with a stock 8ba dist . which was fixed. WE also ran a 2GC carb on a bored out intake. Starting was:: Spine the engine with the starter and hit the Ignition, always worked.
The first time I saw a chevy dist in a Flathead was at the track, back in the 60's.
The first time I saw a chevy dist in a Flathead was at the track, back in the 60's.
thanks ron, you do anything different with the point springs??
BUBBAS IGNITION
Well-known member
Use Echlin (NAPA) heavy duty contacts and you wont ever float the points, They are double strap and spring construction . The best made...
Use Echlin (NAPA) heavy duty contacts and you wont ever float the points, They are double strap and spring construction . The best made...
part number? or just ask for the heavy duty ones for a 1950 ford??
BUBBAS IGNITION
Well-known member
I like that Echlin stuff, went and looked at the ignition parts I'd bought for my 8BA. 3 sets I think I have. My numbers are the same as Bubba mentioned except my condensers are marked FA76. Now I gotta worry about the difference. I've had piss poor luck with condensers on some of my other non Ford ignitions.
hey Ron, just talked to the car owner last weekend about the build of the motor. sounds like it's a pretty mild engine. pretty much a stock 8ba with a "mild" cam that he couldn't name. has 59a style offy heads and a regular dual intake with two 97's. fired it up after sitting and as soon as it got fuel it ran good. He didn't have a timing light and mine is a dial back with a suspect dial so I'm waiting to see where it's currently timed at. last time the car ran on the track they had overheating issues which I'm thinking was related to the mallory unilite distributor it had. hoping to time it so we don't have this issue going forward.
Why run without spark advance?! That's quite primitive, kind of like a Model A with the advance lever on the column! Since the stock vacuum only 8BA distributor won't work, find an aftermarket unit with mechanical advance, or adapt a Chevy, or even Mopar. You don't need any fancy electronics, but you do need mechanical advance for max power and efficiency over a broad RPM range. If you ran at a constant, fixed RPM you could run a fixed amount of timing (once you got it started), but since your RPM varies greatly, the optimum amount of advance changes, too.
It's on a stock car. No advance really needed.
BUBBAS IGNITION
Well-known member
Actually you still need advance on a stock car , just doesnt need to return to zero as rpm is mostly up.... Set the timing at 18 -24 at 2500 etc and spin then the engine and turn ign on while cranking to start..........
Actually you still need advance on a stock car , just doesnt need to return to zero as rpm is mostly up.... Set the timing at 18 -24 at 2500 etc and spin then the engine and turn ign on while cranking to start..........
not saying it wouldn't be better, I ran a midget with an aircooled vw in it and everyone else ran either minisprints with clutches and transmissions or other vw's with magnetos. the minisprints would use the clutches to chug the direct drive vw on starts, I was using a msd distributor with a custom curve to get smoother starts. made a big difference there.
this car is a vintage class deal, obviously it would be easier with a curve, but its what he has in it and I'm not paying the bills.