KR Wilson 126

ctvpa

ctvpa

Senior Member
Does anyone know of a 126 for sale, or if someone in New England (Western Mass) has one that they would set my timing with? I have the car to where it will run, but I would like it to run better.
Is there any alternative to the 126?
I used the ruler method to get me to where I am now.
What is the going price for a Wilson 126? I have seen them go from $75 to $450.
Thanks
 
if you have the points set correctly and it is running, just loosen timing screw and slide the plate up one mark, tighten, then see how it runs. usually one or two attempts work
 
In my opinion, if you've set the point gap, and used the ruler method, you're pretty much there, leaving only the overall condition of the system, and the vacuum brake as issues to address. The vacuum brake should be set up with minimum drag for the fuels available today, serving only to prevent erratic bouncing of the advance plate.

I'd love to have a V126 myself also, and would jump on one quick for anything less than $150. The alternative is actually a very good one, that being to have your distributor set up by a professional builder using a sun machine or the like. There are several that regularly post here on the Barn, one of whom also rebuilds the original coils, which is preferable to new coils. This would be Skip Haney in Florida:

www.fordcollector.com
 
Skip uses the original Ford~Heyer strobe machine that was used by Ford dealers
and distributor rebuilders back in the day. A rebuilt distributor was only a couple
dollars and everyone just went to Pep Boys or even Sears and just bolted the
rebuilt one on and the engine ran like new. The advance brake vacumn, the points
and timing were all set to original factory specs. Once in a while if it pinged on some
cheap gas the timing adjustment on the right side of the distributor had to be moved
a little. Timing fixtures will get the engine running but not like being done on the
correct machine by someone that keeps the machine set as it was from the factory
and regularly does a number of distributors. This isn't an add for Skip, at $50.00
for a distributor he only does this to assure the engines run right when he rebuilds
a coil. G.M.
 
A KRW fixture just sold on eBay for $300 ... link below. It was the early model without the degree scale. Anyone looking for one should be aware of the differences; not long ago the later version with scale and adapters for crab distributors topped $800.

I would encourage anyone wanting to mess around with distributors to educate themselves on how flathead distributors work. If you decide to buy a tool, like the KRW, know exactly what you expect it to do and whether or not it can do it.

The helmet and crab distributors are very basic machines that have had undeserved reputations hung on them. (Too much myth, mystery and ... plain old ********.)

Lesson for the Day: Study why the "Ruler Method" was offered for setting initial advance, and how/why it works. (That's a good start.) Clue: What does the KRW model that just sold on eBay do differently than the Ruler Method.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/KR-Wilson-126-timing-fixture-/291840847086?hash=item43f311ecee:g:nGIAAOSwbsBXn58C&vxp=mtr
 
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I have had good luck using a ruler and my multi-meter (set to check continuity). When the points are closed the meter beeps and stops when they open.
 
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