Distributor Reconditioning

[gs.davies]

Has anyone ever had a dizzy recon'd? The one off of my car has a slightly worn shaft and the vacuum advance is knackered. However, it's dated 11/61 and is original to the car so I'm keen to keep it.

[Spider]

I have re-bushed and in some cases, fitted bearings to some. I have found it worthwhile, but if the engine's tired, or a low compression type, you're less likely to notice the difference.

There is a local company we have who can recondition the vacumm advance units, I have used them a few times now, no issues and they do get it right, handy since so many of the correct units are NLA now. I believe this is a fairly specialised operation so I don't know that there are many places about who can do this aspect of them.

http://advancediaphragmoptions.com/

As a side note and a little OT, I've tested around 30 of those dissys that are so cheap and popular on ebay and the like. None of them are stamped with a serial no. and so far, no two that I have tested have had the same curve, some have had as much as 23 degrees distributor advance (46 at the crank) and others have as much as 11 degrees 'free play' in them, but they are all Oh so shiny It really is a lucky dip as to what engine the one you might end up with would be for.

[gs.davies]

Don't really fancy sending my dizzy all the way to Australia for a rebuild!

I have found a place a little closer to home H&H Ignition Solutions in the West Mids - anyone used them before? They've quoted £125 all in to recon my dizzy. A new one from Mini Sport is half that..

[Toby]

I recently got mine recondition by Martin (distributor doctor), he does a great job. However he isn't cheap either. On return it's like new and it's been set-up with better specs than it left the factor with.

[gs.davies]

I recently got mine recondition by Martin (distributor doctor), he does a great job. However he isn't cheap either. On return it's like new and it's been set-up with better specs than it left the factor with.

Thanks - have you got contact details for him?

[Toby]

http://www.distributordoctor.com or you can reach him on 01984 629 540

[mini63]

yes definitely rebuild your original as the cam and springs are
matched to the type of engine you have. The capacity, CR and the like.
All the lucas distributors are a simple to rebuild with a new OEM bush
and vacuum advance unit.
The OEM vacuum units if and when you find one are expensive though.

Any reputable auto electrical specialist could rebuild it and could/should also
graph the unit afterwards.
Done properly it should last another 30 odd years...

[dklawson]

On other U.K. boards where I post they frequently recommend Distributor Doctor as mentioned above by Masnarda. Were you in the U.S. I would suggest Jeff at Advance Distributors.

While you can mechanically rebuild your distributor, the professionals can also check the advance curve and adjust it as necessary with new springs and parts to return it to original condition OR customize the curve to better fit the build of your engine.

[Chewie Baker]

Don't really fancy sending my dizzy all the way to Australia for a rebuild!

I have found a place a little closer to home H&H Ignition Solutions in the West Mids - anyone used them before? They've quoted £125 all in to recon my dizzy. A new one from Mini Sport is half that..

i used H&H earlier this year, they sorted the dizzy on my Fiat 500 and provided an excellent service

They are based in Brierley Hill, and although they are on the next trading estate along from my place of work, id never heard of them

The MOT station opposite my work put me in touch with them and said they come highly recommended

regards - Martin

[carbon]

If the bushes are only slightly worn and you are not looking for ultimate performance then might be worth using as it is, but with one of the electronic conversions. Something like Magnetronic which can fit inside the distributor. A small amount of play in the distributor shaft won't have as much effect on timing scatter with this as it does on points.

You mention to vacuum can is goosed, you can find they are 'stuck' and won't advance even a jot but are not leaking. This can sometimes be due to corrosion inside the can, a bit of delicate fettling can sometimes free them up. If it is leaking then you will need a new one, try to get the same specification if possible. There should be 3 numbers marked on the can, something like 4-10-8, and this if what you need to look for on a replacement.

[Surgeryman]

I have a distributor of similar age to yours and had this refurbished a few weeks ago by H&H Ignition Solutions. I am very pleased with the result for it now looks new. I was concerned about keeping the correct vacuum advance, but they dismantle this and re-plate the top and they reassured me that they use the correct spring and bullet inside to retain the appropriate advance spec. See before and after photographs.

[Toby]

looks like H&H use the red rotors for their recons that were developed and are produced by the distributor doctor. When I got mine done, I specifically asked for an original Lucas one to be fitted.

[ianh1968]

I specifically asked for an original Lucas one to be fitted.

Is there not an ongoing problem at the moment where the "Genuine
Lucas" type of rotor arms are failing at an unacceptable rate?

I had this problem recently on a 25D fitted to a 1098 Morris Minor.
All the symptoms pointed to the condenser - ie, running for a while,
then stopping - let to cool off, then OK again.

Fuel OK, different coils, new leads, new cap, new "Standard Lucas" arm
- everything else changed, one item at a time. Same problem - Ran for
10 minutes, then problems...

A set of electronic points did not cure the problem either and nothing left
to change. I had a spare "Red" rotor arm, so I fitted that - The problem has
disappeared.

One would ask the question as to why someone would go to the trouble
of producing such a mundane component if the existing ones were OK...

Ian

[Toby]

The original type made by Lucas were fine, however the later ones have the tendency to cause short circuits as you mention Ian. As the originals are becoming rare and the current Lucas ones are no good, so the red ones came into production.

The rotor on my distributor is a new old stock one as I specifically asked for it to be fitted. As the rest of the parts used to recondition it were also new old stock.

[gs.davies]

Great, thanks for the recommendations everyone.

[ianh1968]

Ah! - I kind of read "Original Lucas" and being "Genuine Lucas"...
(Sorry, Masnarda!)

A very good point about using N.O.S. items, if you can find them!

I made the post on this forum more than anything to advise other
owners that some of the current stuff supplied in a "Genuine Lucas"
box is pretty poor. I am sure that they now make their rotor arms
out of some kind of material that conducts electricity once it
reaches a temperature of 87.9 degrees C...

Whilst investigating the problems with the MM, I found references
to the rotor arms being the culprit on MGB sites and others, but not
on any Mini-based site. I thought that I would highlight it here as it
certainly had me scratching my head for a considerable amount
of time...

The car needed assistance at the roadside on at least three
occasions!

Conclusion:
If you can find a "New-Old-Stock" item, this should be OK, otherwise
use one of the "Red" type. The latest "Genuine Lucas" ones are
made out of cheese.

Ian