Burtz Head

Klattu1929

Klattu1929

Senior Member
Just got a new burtz head, checking it over and found my distributor won't slide into the hole to mount it in the head. Stock distributor, came with the car. No idea how old it is. Question, ream the mounting hole in the head a couple thou, or try to turn down the base of the distributor. Anyone come across this before?
 
Post the I.D. of the head and the O.D. of the distributor, and hopefully someone can tell you which one is off.
 
Perhaps there is a burr on the top — will it fit the other side?
What does the place you bought it from say?
 
Try a brake cylinder hone. You probably only need a few thousandths off...


Frank
 
The new head should have a distributor hole that is 0.999/1.000 inches in diameter with a 3/32 inch x 45 degree chamfer at the top. All heads are CNC machined so there should be no differences between heads.

The "New Engine" parts are guaranteed to be in tolerance. If you find the head to be out of tolerance, please contact John Lampl at BurtzBlock.com and leave a message with the answering service.

Also check your distributor housing for damage including a crack caused by an oversize lower bushing, and a burr either on the head or distributor housing.
 
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OK, got all the wifey stuff taken care of. Back to the good stuff, Burtz head looks Great, .9995 with a touch of overspray from painting. Found my distributor is out of round, .9995-1.004, nominal with slight variation top to bottom. Plan on just some light dressing with a file on the high spots. Hope Mikes A parts in Georgia is doing well after the storm.
 
I am constantly amazed by these cars after so many years, what they have been through. Can't imagine one of todays plastic cars making it so many years, and a world war. My dad told me about mountains of cars melted down for ww2. Dressed the distributor with a file, after about 6 trial fits she dropped in like nobody's business. Also cleaned some overspray out of the distributor hole in the head. On to fitting up the water pump.
 
Klattu1929 said:
...... Can't imagine one of todays plastic cars making it so many years, and a world war. My dad told me about mountains of cars melted down for ww2.......
Click to expand...
I think WWII saved the Model A. By the time WWII started most Model As had been relegated as a second car for the wife or stored in the backyard. Their value was minimal so they didn't get traded in. They lacked the modern no running board look. As the war progressed those As came out since they had tires and didn't use a lot of gas. After the war all those returning GIs needed a car so people passed their Model As on to returning servicemen - who for many that A was their first car.
 
When I started messing about in Model As in the late 60s the cars were 40 years old. Some in better condition than others, but definitely still viable. Fast forward 50 years and here we are today. Compare that with the cars of the late ‘70s or early ‘80s. How many of those are still on the road? What will be of a Chrysler K car in 2071 (remember “if you can find a better car, buy it”)? Those, and most American cars of that era, were POS when they were new.
 
Yes, the Model "A" Ford is a rugged survivor, better than any other car of its era. By 1962, my 1931 Model "A" Coupe was in ragged cosmetic & mechanical condition. In 1962 I bought it on Staten Island, New York. My father & I drove it home to Floral Park on Long Island. It had a Florida State University decal on its window. I thought that the Coupe may have driven to & from Florida by a young college student. Several years later, the nut retaining the pinion gear went off into the differential and was the end of its life until I restored the Coupe many years later.
 
ModelA29, you are exactly right. This photo is of my grandmother, 26 days after my grandfather returned from his 4th tour in the Marine Corps in the South Pacific. She saved every paycheck he received and she worked McDonnell Doulglass riveting airplane wing spars. They bought their 1st car, 15 years old at the time. He paid $2.15 for tags in Oklahoma. I found that signature with the engine number and 21 years of searching later found the car in Virginia.
In the process of rebuilding her top end, now.
These cars were built to last. It is our responsibility to pass them to the next generation better than we found them.

Diastole in the Smoky’s
 

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