Scintilla, Harman-Collins. Kurten

[3W Hank]

Ideas of distributors.

My style on the 32 5W coupe is asphalt street race and non blower FH based out on what parts ’normal’ guys could or used, not desert track or Bonneville or pure Indy style parts.
Shore I has Wing gauges, Bell steering wheel, Lincoln Bendix brakes, F-1 box, Okie Adams front axle but most parts is late 40’s and maybe was affordable to the dudes.
Tve chop is 3”, std gas tank, textile roof, sofa, Lincoln transmission and Lincoln Z carbs, steel Ford 4” front and Lincoln rear on big n littles 16”, but maybe few had B&L in that era.
Hood is upper std but sides is from La made 2 row louvers very early 50’s old hotrod and grilles had a filled top.
On engine its a 41 ported up block and L&S high comp 10 to 1 heads, Merc 4” crank and a truck oilpan, PM 7 intake and I has Hellings aircleaners but I serach for 2 L&S frogs.
Pretty basic stuff and all was around late 40’s.
Cam is a Potwin E 425 and std Ford lifters.
Now on the distributor I has struggle find a solution.
First I was a Scintilla only man and idea was a angle adapor ( the longer one at 3.6” CC ) but hard to find and a action at E-bay it skyrocket so I walked off.
I found a older 40’s Scintilla ( nice tag ) and it had a 8AB lower part.
I bought a 8AB camcover to it in aluminium and with the steady rest to axle and yes, this is 40’s style.
So I thought that was the solution.
Parts was sended to Cirello in LA and I found a NOS brown cap.
Now as I like to use the older generator 6V, as this intakes was made to has the std mounted place generator and I dont like lower the fan so I has a 32 fan.
Now critics might say a high RPM motor/cam and a 32 fan is bad choice.
I cant say what was ’back then’, anyway its a issue on the belt.
A company in Florida sell upgraded stock pumps and he can get the pulley out ex 1/8” to clear the cam cover but still the belt is going into the distributor house.
I can do a own pulley get the belt do a S curve, but this belts is not made to get pressuare from outside.
So one way is use 8AB pumps and move a fan down and dual belts but then I need swith generator.
So I has no solution there now.

Now to the question.
As I doing this style, so how many was actually use a Scintilla on the streets at that era.
If I use a Harman Collins magneto I avoid the belt issue but what is the ’factor’ to use that one or a Kurten/Lincoln V12 ( not magneto but will hold up the RPM ) vs the Scintilla.
I can get both here ( Kurten and a H-C ) in Sweden and I read the Kurtin was very rare. Made in LA and its 40’s.
Ideas on this.
Picture on a cool 3W with H-C, a Kurten for sale and my set-up.

 

[Flathead Fever]

I collect photos of roadsters from the 40's, I have hundreds of them. Becusde of the cost usually, a racing distributer was one of the last parts they installed. On a '41 block like you have you would want to stick to a pre-49 distributor. In an early roadster there just isn't that much room to extend the water pumps out and put a late model distributer in there like a '49-53. I have my dad's '32 roadster and it has a late model 8BA. He bought that way, and I wish they would have used a 59A or earlier flathead in it, mainly because it does have the engine steady rods running from the block to the center K-member. It wants pulls to the right when you stomp on the gas and I suspect it's because of the lack on those engine steady rods, it could be something else, but I have never bothered checked it out. I haven't had it very long and then I had a stroke so it's just sitting for now, up on my hoist.
In most of the early photos I have they are running Lincoln converted distributors like that beautiful Kurten one or just a stock 59A crab distributor, that's all there was before 1949. Those flathead engines only go up to around 5200 rpm and those dual point distributors worked just fine. There were the Kong distributors which were probably the best, but they were big bucks and only a serious racer would have been able to afford one. Now because they used a one-year production, low production 1930s V8 Lincoln they are "hard" to get. The distributor occasionally they show up for sale, but they are missing the caps and rotors. Rarely, when a cap comes up for sale it's cracked, and nobody reproduces them. I met Kong a few years before he died, and we became good friends. So, I have a fondness for his distributors. I bought a Kong distributor just to have the connection to him but it's missing its cap.

Honestly a stock 59A distributor would be just fine with a "new" coil, that's your most dependable setup. Its dual points will handle the flathead's rpm. But I have to admit I like the converted early Lincolns; they have that early race look. I would stay away from putting the late model water pumps and late model distributor on an early block in a roadster. It's not that it can't be done, it's just not what they were doing in the 1940s and it complicates the fit into an early Ford.

 

[alchemy]

For a simple, and authentic hot rod, I’d use a stock 42. For slightly more bling, I’d use a HC dual coil converted 42. For even more eye candy I’d use a converted Lincoln.

 

[hotcoupe]

Using a converted LZ distributor would be appropriate for your build period, and it would solve the problem with generator/ water pump belts.
Tom

 

[3W Hank]

Yes the Kurten is a good candidate.
If guys back then in LA had not afford a Kong ( or maybe the H-C came out on the 50’s ? ) how could they afford a Scintilla, Ok they might found them on plane junk yards ?
I got some info from the guy has the Kurten and its said its good for 8K ( but Kurten might made magnetos to ?
One issue when I was try get the distributor it was hard to find and very expensive ( advertised on ex Hamb to get one.
I found this one in Sweden but bottom was 8AB.
I wanted a 59 BA lower part.
As I explained I thought that was the solution.
Then I bought the cam cover and the Potvin cam.
This is all for 8AB.
The Scintilla is cool, it will spark good.
The Kurten would be a better match up for my car plus more easy and I dont really like the 8AB ( both block, pumps, cam cover etc )
I bought the steady rods to engine/frame at LARS and I sold my Speedway engine mounts and bought a rubber more like std and Ford logo.

Thanks on inputs so far.

 

[3W Hank]

Here is the steady rods to engine/frame I bought at LARS.
Is has this motor mounts from Bob Drake ( I hope has good rubber and not cast on old sneakers.. )

 

[Bored&Stroked]

You should look for a set of 32 style motor mounts - they bolt right to the front of the block (the holes are there for ALL flathead blocks) and then down to the standard 32 cross-member. If you have a stock front cross-member, this is the way to go.

I love properly setup magnetos . . . they just run and run with very little maintenance. The Harman-Collins magneto is a good setup - other than it does not have any mechanical advance. This is fine for racing, but not so good on the street (is hard on the starter).

You might also consider a Harman-Collins dual-coil. The one you'd want is based on the crab style distributor - so much easier to work with the spark plug wires than any converted helmet style distributor. If you find one, make sure it is setup by somebody who knows these units well and can test the secondary using the actual coils you plan to use. I've built a few of these units and they perform well - as long as they are correctly setup, the mid-plate is sound, etc..

 

[Automotive Stud]

In my opinion the H&C ducoil would be period correct, period affordable, and still sort of available without a second mortgage. Also it should fit on the car with less fuss.

 

[3W Hank]

My front cross is allready cutted off and its lowered to a A-Ford cross.
I planned to keep it that way, as std it feels little more pre-war plus room for the 4” crank and pulley and the S/W RPM unit ( on crank )
I think with the stready rods and good rubber mounts I will be Ok.

I could use the H-C magneto but is that a 50’s idea.
I guess Kurten was one of first made improvments, but the Scintilla to hotrods must been pre-war stuff, correct ?
I like Lincoln stuff, can’t help it.
But going for a perfect Scintilla I invested allot of time and money ( plus invest in a worse part ) its not real wise, but the Kurten fits my era plus I like LA made hotrod stuff.
To me my car gets more and more ; less is better (?)
I do wonder if this garage fixed parts hold up for heat and RPM.
Whats your call.

 

[3W Hank]

Automotive Stud, when was they out and used ?

 

[3W Hank]

Keep post me on the time era H-C and Kurten was at.