Inliners International Forums General Discussion Electrical Delco Dual Point?

This is on eBay. I've never seen one. Is it a conversion?
LINK

Looking at the 'Mallory' condensor, I would think it is an aftermarket conversion.

Tim

That's what I was thinking. There are several dual point plates for stock distributers on eBay. Thanks!

As far as I know, Delco never shipped a dual point dizzy for a stovebolt. The Mallory coil is certainly a 'tell' - but not of the origin of the conversion plate. Mallory sold a competitive dizzy that used a point set of their own manufacture.

These after-market plates use stock point sets - two of which leaves no room under the cap for a condenser:


So an outboard Mallory condenser is an option.
My research leads me to believe that the 'first' aftermarket dual point conversion plate was offered by Harman Collins depicted here using a more conventional condenser mounted outside of the cap.

What I haven't been able to figure out is the odd point set configuration that was depicted in this ad from Speed Age circa '50. The point set on the top right appears stock; on the lower left a mirror image . . . sourced from where?

regards,
stock49

Thanks this all make sense, except as you say the mirror image point set. Maybe they were Australian.

I did a little research and some trying to remember, from the mechanical advance, model number, and date code I'd bet this distributor was used in an early '50 GMC truck. The dual points for efficiency and the mechanical advance to regulate pinging on up grades and such. Of course it could have been in someone’s hopped up Chevy coupe also.

Tim

Never have seen a stock Delco dual point but Harmon Collins and Mallory both made a conversion plates in the 50's to use dual points, the ones I have all use an exterior condensor. I believe Hudson made a dual point at the factory.

Back in my high school days I used a Mallory dual point coversion kit in my '54 chevy with a .060 bored 261 (dunno why they were needed as my stock truck cammed 261 couldn't see over 5000 in neutral). The unit used Mallory points, the were tied to each other with an insulated STRAP as shown in the picture, also had the big externally mounted condensor. I even saw the original instruction sheet a few years ago when the Double E Guitar Works U.S.A (used nation-wide by at least two professional musicans) patterned their famous logo from the old Mallory script. The kit was purchased locally in Arlington, Texas about 1961 way before they got the Washington Senators (so long Nolen-stupid Rangers-stupid Jon Daniels) just after buying a Hurst Dual-Pattern floor shift (pre-Synchro lock). Also adding to the hard to find stuff was a pair of Smith-Reiser "Bumble Bee" pressed sheet metal headers, followed by a pair of steel pack Smitthys very closely followed by official proclaimations of their plate glass breaking "Rapabilities" (stupid cops-stupid stupid Rangers)

I have seen some military distributors for GMC/Chevrolet sixes (warhorse type), in some swap meets that had water proof "ells" screwed into the special caps with the plug wires running through the ells. I guess used in the more amphibian military vehicle versions. Dunno if they were dual point type-they would likely be of Delco-Reamy manufacture. Anybody got access to that stuff?

I have one of those distributors down in the barn that came off of a military 302" GMC, it has 'aircaft' type screw-on leads for both the cap and plugs and I believe it is a 24 volt unit.

Tim

Found this link. Looks like GM made dual points for a long time.

http://www.corvettemagazine.com/old/2000/march/dist/distp1.asp

Hey Whitedog . . . interesting article - but it is about dizzies for v-thingies . . . the thread is about dual-point setups for stovebolts . . .

regards,
Keith

Found an old Fawcett book of Hot Rod Ignitions and it shows how to take the dual point breaker plate from a V8 and use it in an inline distributor. I will try and scan the article and post it.

I pulled the Pontiac V8 Mallory Dual point apart today to get it ready to fit the 153. This appears to be an unused old Mallory but the vacuum advance piston is stuck in the distributer body. It has to come out before I can remove the shaft and chuck it up in the lathe. The way the vacuum advance works is very reminiscent of a Ford Flathead. I'll take some pictures while I'm cutting it down. If it works I'll show them to you. If it doesn't I'll parts for sale on eBay.

Here are a few shots of a cut down and adapted stock Chev v8 HEI (yeller) for reference ,

A Mallory 4 cylinder cap will fit in place of the 8 cylinder cap on most Mallory distributors. If you use a Unilite you can switch to a 4 cylinder rotor and cap.

Thanks, I still can't get the vacuum advance piston to come out. Does the pin in the bottom hold it? There isn't enough sticking out to get a hold on to pull it. I don't want to try to drill a little steel pin out of an aluminum distributer.

I got it apart. What I was planning wont work.
I bought an old Mallory dual point for a Pontiac V8. This is the one with the two piece cap and it has vacuum advance. The part that fits into the engine is longer and thicker than the Chevy so I thought I could just turn it down and shorten it. When I go it apartI could see that the OD of the lower bushing and seal are too big to take the cut I needed. It would have been cool because it only has 4 lobes and would be perfect for my 153. I have a new 4 cylinder cap

PPLAN B: I have a similar Mallory for a Chevy 6 but it doesn't have vacuum advance. If I can fit the lobe and advance mechanism in it I'll use it.

Dual point kits for the 235 and 261 were made by a few companies of lesser notoriety then Mallory and delco. I have an nos set made by a company called "Renberles Products" of Detroit. They called them Dyna-Flyte model 115-D. These were made in 54 and use stock points. Interestingly enough, the kit fit not only Chevrolet from 33 to 54 (and to 62 although the box stops at 54), Nash 48 to 54, packard 41-47, gmc 38-54 and international truck 41-54.

It would be interesting to know what else from those distributors would interchange.

That is how in the old days a good parts man could walk back and get whatever you needed without looking in a book many parts fit lots of different applications not like todays world where the same part might have a dozen different designs in the same model year.

I quit my parts job last year. My son manages a parts store. Those good old parts days are gone. The guys who own the corporations that supply auto parts now have never ridden in a car with points ignition or a carburetor for that matter. Every year less and less of the stuff we need is available, even to the parts guy who who what fits what.