Mallory dual point distributor question

smittykid

smittykid

Senior Member
How do you set the timing on a 4 cyl. with the Mallory dual point distributor with centrifugal spark advance? Thanks, Smitty
 
This might help
 

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burner31 said:
Wow, did not know it was possible.
Do you have to cut or modify the shaft?
Still use the spark lever?
You can buy them for the Model A?
Had one on my Chevy 350
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Burner,
Had a single point Mallory on Minerva, ran like a different car! They pop in with NO MODS.
Her best timing was 7 1/2 degrees BTDC & she would operate like a stocker, in PARADES.(TADA-TADA-TADA-TADA) Chief called that, "CADILLACING"???
Bill W.
 
Mallorys have been used on Model A's for a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time. They work slick & it's like driving a different car. Once set, the timing & advance is always correct for your driving speed, & usually gets better gas mileage.
Bill W.
 
I believe that the concept of the dual point distributor is that one set of points controls points opening and the other points closing, with the points' closed times overlapping. This was intended to compensate for "point bounce" at high rpms. Since Model A's do not ever reach sufficiently high rpms for point bounce to be a problem, the dual point feature of the distributor is overkill. However, it does have centrifugal advance, which makes it worthwhile for some. I put one on my mom's coupe so there would be one less thing she'd need to worry about when she drove it.

There was a time when the regular Model A vendors sold a version that was made to fit a Model A. I believe that I got my mom's from Snyders, around 1990. Mallory also made a single-point centrifugal advance that fit the Model A, but I haven't seem one of those offered by the usual vendors.

Of course, it's not the be-all and end-all; it doesn't have the vacuum brake feature of modern distributors, so knock under load is still a problem if you haven't set things up so further spark retard can be added when climbing a hill, etc..
 
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Interesting--I have one that I've had for about 40 years and would like to install it. How do you determine timing? Since there are no timing marks do you need to put a degree wheel on the crank pulley and mark it? Or??
 
If you don't want to pull the head and find true TDC, you can use the stock timing pin and there the rotor points well be #1 on the cap. follow the firing order counter clockwise for #2,#4 and #3. compare how it runs with the stock distributor and either advance or retard it where it runs best.
 
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