Pinging

[Nighthawk]

Ok, the vacuum advance line is connected to the base of the carburetor, i do have a dwell meter and a timing light , im going to do the next steps (checking the dwell and timing, etc ) in the next day or two.

As a side note, i checked with Napa today and they do not have a new or rebuilt distributor for my car, if it was a 318, yes they do, the guy checked online with US Napa and found that they do not have it either, i emailed an antique Chrysler guy whos not too far away and he was no help either, so, ill press on with this until i resolve it!

[rogerh]

The report from Napa is discouraging for sure.
There is a reputable distributor rebuilder here in Seattle (at least it existed a few yrs ago, I'd have to check to be sure). They re-bushed my 318 distributor...hmm, I guess that was MANY years ago as I sold that car last century!
I will Google for more info.

[rogerh]

But I hasten to add that you first should replace the vacuum advance can before giving up on that distributor.

[RICKYMOPAR]

HAPPY FATHERS DAY! With the addition of a hand operated vacuum pump, you can test the vacuum pot. There are many good pumps for about $35. US. and I realize the silverline kit with all the accessories cost more. The simple plastic squeeze pump with gauge and line adapters is all you will need. with the adjustable timing light. After you set the base timing hook the pump line to the vac. advance pot. Watch the timing, it will advance. If the engine starts to stumble the wire to the coil may be shorting to ground inside the distributor, and the advance mechanism is facilitating the problem. After you shut down the engine pull cap and inspect the wiring and components inside. electrical tape has solved a great deal of these problems. Also the vacuum gauge should hold a steady reading low to high, if not then find a replacement. I personally use this method even on my Allen distributor machine, being the vacuum pump died decades ago.
The newer degree checking timing lights can do wonders in a diagnostic situation. Vacuum advance still disconnected. you can speed the engine up to about 2200RPM and dial the timing gauge to zero on your timing mark, add this dial amount reading to your timing advance number will give you the total mechanical advance. Using the Vacuum pump, idle the engine, pump about 17" vacuum and using the timing light again dial to zero, add the total and this is the economy advance number. the two totals added together should never exceed 45 degree with the exception of a few engines.

[Nighthawk]

I called my friend in Indianapolis, and he found a rebuilt distributor for me at a parts store nearby him, so hes sending it to me as of today, so i'll let you all know how it works out when i get it in the car!

[rogerh]

Great news!
Tom Fox was just telling me how his bored out 413 Golden Fury was running "okay" but seemed to be holding back. He sourced a dual-ppoint distributor, and his car is now a rocket on wheels!

[Fins59]

Just a little distributor fyi. After I purchased my 4 dr 318 Fury I decided to replace the points. So I go to parts store and tell guy I need points for '59 Ply V8, 318 etc. The points he gave me looked nothing like my original points so my son "altered" them a bit to fit in distributor. It worked. Come to find out later, by checking # on distributor, that dist was for a '60-'61 Plymouth or '60-'61 Dodge. So someone had replaced original dist with this one. With this info in hand I could now purchase correct points that fit in this dist. It was puzzling for awhile. So apparently other Mopar year dist interchange. That knowledge might come in handy when trying to find new distributor.

If I remember correctly back a couple years ago when I replaced dist on my Sport Fury I could detect movement on dist shaft of old distributor because of worn bushing. You could actually see point gap change ever so slightly. Again, if I remember, I ran the car for a while with vacuum advance unhooked because it ran better. I think my old school mechanic buddy said it would just reduce my gas mileage.

[Nighthawk]

Well, just to update whats happened since, my friend sent me the distributor and i got it yesterday, but before i had a chance to look at it or install it, i had to go out and gas up my truck, my 59 Chev, my Plymouth and my girlfriend came along with her car to gas up because on Thursday here in Ontario we are going to be hit with a new 8% tax on gas and various other necessities,but aside of that, when i got back home i washed both oldies, and then later on i went to move them around and the Plymouth ran poorly,smoke and water is coming out of the tailpipe, further checks showed the rad down and the oil milky, so it looks like ive got a blown head gasket, i've got one, so i have to do that now as well, sigh, seems like one thing after another lately!
On a side note, a brief inspection of the new distributor shows me that it appears to be the same except that the rotor from mine wont fit it, looks like i'll have to look for a different rotor for it........