Ford Y Block Distributor Identification

all american boy

Well-known member
y blocker's

the distributor is loose.

i hold it up and look where

for the stamped in number?

anybody know about these later

y block distributor's sharing parts

with the Windsor engines?

points, cap and rotor.

have a nice day!
 
All the innards of a mid to late 60's Windsor distributor will interchange with the 58 on dissy. The only real difference is the drive shaft is longer and the gear is different.
Regards
 
rick

looked at caps on NAPA.

i was ready to get into this 'Ford' thing

with a Ford Blue cap.

they only have that bakelite brown.

oh well!:)

regards
 
y blockers

here's what's stamped on distributor housing.

12127 in the little rectangle

there's a capital 'M' to the right.

then FoMoCo cast in.

there might be a faint '650' to the left.

anybody know what distributor this is supposed to be?

have a nice day!
 
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12127 is the base part number for all distributors. The M is design info. You need what's in front of the -12127- to determine year and application.
 
They didn't make a 351 windsor until the 1969 model year all ford V/8 single points are the same 1957 to 1974 condensor rotor and cap too.the earlier y block distributor didn't have a centrifical advance and had straight points the 57 up has the common curved style points.worked at napa for 25 years there is a black,brown and gray cap for these.
 
Rad1138 you are not totally correct. Cleveland engine distributors are a whole different beast using completely different components, certainly the ones here in Oz anyway.
Regards
 
y blockers

my distributor matches up with later

Y block description on Timmy's Y Block page.

i'm not going to clean distributor anymore until

it's time to go through it and put it back on.

it did run the engine so it's a y block distributor.

have a nice day!
 
There were four cap styles as I remember-

B7A 12106-A was the 57/ original black cap

B7AZ 12106-A was the 57/ Transistorized Ignition brown Bakelite cap

D5AZ 12106-A (75/ ) was the first DURASPARK II cap (small) and was blue

E7TZ 12106-A (77/ ) DURASPARK II cap large (used w/ adapter) grey in color (early blue)

Basically, all parts are interchangeable from 58 to early 74. The 57 Y had a slightly different point style than the 58/ .

Exactly what are you trying to do?
 

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Rad1138 you are not totally correct.

Cleveland engine distributors are a whole different beast using completely different components, certainly the ones here in Oz anyway.

Regards

Here, the distributor housings are the same for the 335 (351C) and 385 (429-460) Series engines.
 
kult ulz

you caught me!:)

i'm looking for the 'most bang for the buck' way

to upgrade the ignition plus keep it all Ford.

Duraspark II fits the bill!:)

good old wikipedia:

'The Duraspark II ignition system is a common upgrade for older Ford cars equipped with a points type ignition. In most cases the distributor will interchange with the older style points distributor. The system is similar to some aftermarket systems and the control module may be easily swapped.'

thanks kultulz!

have a nice day!
 
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y blockers

took another look at my distributor.

it does have a triangular body!:)

this is from Mummert's technical page.

'Late and service replacement distributors use the 289 style triangular body with o-ring seal.'

i was looking at stamped numbers and letters.

i'll give it a little scrubbing and see.

have a nice day!
 
There's no "0" in the first spot of a Ford part number. It's either B,C,D,E or F. They signify respectively the decades of the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. Your "0" is probably a "C".
 
The Duraspark II upper rotor shaft should fit on the "C8" (Y-block service replacement) version - like this.... There are several versions which set of advance slots do you have?
MotorcraftAdvance.jpg
 
Greenbird, is there a "special" tool for getting the clip off to remove the upper rotor shaft. Hard to get in there. Last time I had mine apart I thought I would never get that clip back on (not to mention my eyes are crap).
 
It's some combination of two small screwdrivers (to spread the clip on the way out) - and like playing the banjo, holding your mouth right.

Going back in is similar......:)
 
Greenbird, is there a "special" tool for getting the clip off to remove the upper rotor shaft. Hard to get in there. Last time I had mine apart I thought I would never get that clip back on (not to mention my eyes are crap).


Grab one end of the clip with needle nose plyers , hold really tight and pull and twist at the same time. Works like a champ , we have removed hundreds of these . Straighten clip
( assuming you bent it coming out) and push back in with small screwdriver .

Note :
Be carefull what you lube this shaft and cam inside with , thick grease will slow the advance down , We use a thin spray lube or light oil.....:eek:
 
The Duraspark II upper rotor shaft should fit on the "C8" (Y-block service replacement) version - like this.... There are several versions which set of advance slots do you have?
MotorcraftAdvance.jpg


Note that the spring retainers (outside) are bendable. No need to chang springs just bend tabs in and out to get a proper advance curve. Note one spring (not shown) is heavy and the other is light . Thats low and high speed advance .
Spring tension may be adjusted thru a hole in breaker plate to modify advance rate.
 
Bubba, good info. Thanks. Be careful when bending the tabs, I got a "rebuilt" distributor from NAPA that had the tabs bent at some time in the past. But they were bent in a fashion that prevented one of the weight to move freely.
 
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