Help identify this distributor

corvette8n

Well-known member
Pick this up a while back for my 41 Ford, but the coil shape is different than my original, box says fits 37-41. Can it be identified by the part#.
 

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Looks like the distributor on my '34 which uses a 3 screw coil....The '37 was changed to a two screw coil....
 
Your dist is a 33-early 36.Here is a pic of a 37-41.It has a remote coil adapter on it instead of the orig coil.
 

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I really like learning about Ford flathead V8's. Does the steel tube on top of the '37 - '41 distributor go to manifold vacuum for the vacuum break timing advance ?
Also, does anyone have a picture of a '32 distributor ? I thought I heard that they had a tall coil ?


Sal
 
I think they experimented with several coils for the first year of the V8. David G had some good info about the early distributors on this board someplace.
 
Thanks Mart and rotorwrench. Don't know why I didn't think of Google. Might have something to do with age.


Sal
 
The first few photos in that Google batch is the earliest of the two '32 V8 distributors. Everything about it is unique and it is incredibly rare as all of them were supposed to be recalled and destroyed in an April, 1932 service campaign. Both the camshaft, timing gear, and the timing gear cover were unique to that distributor and also recalled at the same time along with a number of other changes to the engines. Both distributor and the coil attached in four places.


The next photos in the Google batch show the typical '32 distributor with a pull-out oiler and direct connection of the vacuum line to the center of the vacuum brake adjustment. It attaches to the timing gear cover in the familiar three places and the tall coil attaches to the distributor housing in three places. On a very limited basis during the '32 model year another coil was released for use in production. It was ball shaped and had a metal band around its circumference. (I call it the banded-ball coil and survivors are extremely rare.) It was replaced late in the '32 model year with the familiar domed coil that was standard equipment for the '33, '34, '35, and most of the '36 V8s. It was used simultaneously in production with the tall coil until the end of '32 model production.


I'll post a photo of the 'banded-ball' '32 V8 coil later as it is not shown in the Google photos.
 
DavidG,


Thanks for all of the good information. I'll have to try and find that picture of the first V8 hand stamped by Henry Ford (serial # 001) just for curiosity if I can see the distributor.

Sal
 
I really like learning about Ford flathead V8's. Does the steel tube on top of the '37 - '41 distributor go to manifold vacuum for the vacuum break timing advance ?
Also, does anyone have a picture of a '32 distributor ? I thought I heard that they had a tall coil ? Sal


Yes that is for a vacuum advance brake. 36-38 (personal info) it connects left side to the intake. Found personally, added a slight cut v in the bottom only in the intake gasket to insure more air (maybe overkill, but the gasket would have probably filled it. also didn't use any spray tack there either) but insured the vacuum was present. ***Didn't want to grind into the block. Block has a cleaned and had a milled intake and cylinder deck. But running a bur over the intake deck for some more, probably wouldn't be bad, just didn't.
 
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