Brand new vacuum advance!

[Don Coatney]

good test setup simulating a distributor test machine...

That is exactly what I did.

[T120]

That is exactly what I did.

..I like it!

[JIPJOBXX]

Yahoo my car is up and running! Started right up and vacuum advance is working just fine!!! You know every time you take out your distributor shaft you get kind of a funny feeling as will it start back up after you complete what ever your doing at the time and this time it started right up with no hesitations. Well not bad for a guy that spent four years in the forth grade

[wagoneer]

Found this old useful thread - called up Hagan's automotive (https://hagensautoparts.com/pricesheet/ignition distributor vacuum advance) 

 

Turns out they are going out of business, and no longer have these vacuum advances nor ability to rebuild the vacuum advance any more. 

 

DCM has them - https://dcmclassics.com/engine-parts/112-e-533-vacuum-advance.html for a little bit more.

 

Carquest sells other model vacuum advances for a "reasonable" $23; but doesn't seem to have it for our old Autolite. Wish somebody made a generic va for these old autolites. Finding washers to fit the curve is also a problem.

[Kilgore47]

Kantner Auto Products has them for about 100 dollars.  You may have to send the old one to them for exchange or to rebuild it.  I was lucky and they had one in stock when I needed one last summer.  They were able to send it to me as soon as my old one got there.  I was told by them to keep the washers and fittings before I sent it to them.  

[James_Douglas]

Send you old on to:

Feltz Terrill Jr.
Terrill Machine
1000 CR 454,
De Leon, TX 76444
PH 254-893-2610
FAX 254-893-4841
terrillmachine@yahoo.co

 

They have rebuilt several for me.

[wagoneer]

7 hours ago, James_Douglas said:

Send you old on to:

Feltz Terrill Jr.
Terrill Machine
1000 CR 454,
De Leon, TX 76444
PH 254-893-2610
FAX 254-893-4841
terrillmachine@yahoo.co

 

They have rebuilt several for me.

 

I spoke to them; they are cheaper - $75 + shipping but a 6-8 week backlog! DCM has one available now for $95 + core. Seems these little buggers are expensive.

 

This Summit Billet distributor vacuum advance looks A LOT like our favorite autolite vacuum advance. 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-850426#overview

 

So does this standard Motor products VC-186 

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/smp-vc186

 

 

Anybody try one of these similar units ? I guess the devil is in the advance curve details, but still should *fit*. I guess you can't really tell size from an internet picture. <LOL>

[Polsonator2]

15 hours ago, wagoneer said:

 

I spoke to them; they are cheaper - $75 + shipping but a 6-8 week backlog! DCM has one available now for $95 + core. Seems these little buggers are expensive.

 

This Summit Billet distributor vacuum advance looks A LOT like our favorite autolite vacuum advance. 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-850426#overview

 

So does this standard Motor products VC-186 

 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/smp-vc186

 

 

Anybody try one of these similar units ? I guess the devil is in the advance curve details, but still should *fit*. I guess you can't really tell size from an internet picture. <LOL>

 

Anyone know if a slant 6 vacuum advance cannister will work? Here are some curves for slant 6 cannisters:

 

https://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13198

[Sniper]

I have a spare distributor from a 52 230.

 

I have a points distributor from an LA engine (small block Mopar).

 

I have an electronic distributor for a slant .  Both have vac advance cans.  Now all I have to do is remember that safe place I hid them in, lol.

 

One thing about the LA and slant six OEM MoPar vacuum advance cans is that they are adjustable for rate of advance, to some extent.  They also have the max advance stamped on the arm, remember to multiply by 2 to get crankshaft degrees.

 

 

[Tooljunkie]

halifaxhops@hotmail.com also sells the vac advance cans. Nos or rebuilt. I went rebuilt. Nos will likely fail due to the age of the rubber inside. 

[Polsonator2]

I decided to try and retrofit a brand new $17 vacuum canister from O'Reilys to my extra distributor and was able to get it to fit. I bent over the rod on to itself, then cut off the end and drilled a new hole for the plate's peg to fit through. Drilled new mounting holes on the cannister too.  The plate engages properly when I suck on the end of the cannister.

 

This cannister is 9.5 distributor degrees stamped on it.  Looking through different distributor vacuum advance specs in my old Motor's manual this one seems to be ok and within the range of different ones used.  I will be putting it on my in car distributor and see how it work.  If it does, this would be an easy $17 way of using a new in stock off the shelf cannister.  

 

Here is the one I am trying and it was used on mopar V8s and Slant 6's:

 

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/standard-ignition/ignition---tune-up/distributor-vacuum-advance/acc1ad8ac67e/standard-ignition-distributor-vacuum-advance/std0/vc168

Edited July 27, 2021 by Polsonator2

[Tooljunkie]

1 hour ago, Polsonator2 said:

I decided to try and retrofit a brand new $17 vacuum canister from O'Reilys to my extra distributor and was able to get it to fit. I bent over the rod on to itself, then cut off the end and drilled a new hole for the plate's peg to fit through. Drilled new mounting holes on the cannister too.  The plate engages properly when I suck on the end of the cannister.

 

This cannister is 9.5 distributor degrees stamped on it.  Looking through different distributor vacuum advance specs in my old Motor's manual this one seems to be ok and within the range of different ones used.  I will be putting it on my in car distributor and see how it work.  If it does, this would be an easy $17 way of using a new in stock off the shelf cannister.  

 

Here is the one I am trying and it was used on mopar V8s and Slant 6's:

 

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/standard-ignition/ignition---tune-up/distributor-vacuum-advance/acc1ad8ac67e/standard-ignition-distributor-vacuum-advance/std0/vc168

Any modern mopar vacuum canister with the hex shape after the vacuum nipple is adjustable. I recently learned this in another mopar specific forum. 

[Sniper]

Yes, the rate of advance is adjustable, not the total advance.  If you look at the 9.5 stamp on the arm there is a stop to the right of that, which can;t be seen in teh pic, that limits the total advance.  Somewhere I have a listing of various cans and their max advance.

[wagoneer]

20 hours ago, Polsonator2 said:

I decided to try and retrofit a brand new $17 vacuum canister from O'Reilys to my extra distributor and was able to get it to fit. I bent over the rod on to itself, then cut off the end and drilled a new hole for the plate's peg to fit through. Drilled new mounting holes on the cannister too.  The plate engages properly when I suck on the end of the cannister.

 

This cannister is 9.5 distributor degrees stamped on it.  Looking through different distributor vacuum advance specs in my old Motor's manual this one seems to be ok and within the range of different ones used.  I will be putting it on my in car distributor and see how it work.  If it does, this would be an easy $17 way of using a new in stock off the shelf cannister.  

 

Here is the one I am trying and it was used on mopar V8s and Slant 6's:

 

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/standard-ignition/ignition---tune-up/distributor-vacuum-advance/acc1ad8ac67e/standard-ignition-distributor-vacuum-advance/std0/vc168

 

How awesome! I was doing something very similar with a V93 that says 8.5X but according to the slant6 crew, is 10 degrees of advance that corresponds to the 10 on the existing vacuum advances.

 

the current arm is a bit too long and needs to be cut back a smidgen with a new hole drilled (these have pins instead of holes)

 

the diameter matches nicely with the iat-4003a

 

Please do post your test results in your car.

Edited July 28, 2021 by wagoneer

[Polsonator2]

I just redid how I bent the arm and also on my newer '46 Dodge distributor, the original bolt holes on the new canister work and no drilling of new holes except one on the arm is needed. Also, you do have to cut the arm too as it is too long.  The distributor I am using is from a '46 Dodge and is #IGS-427A-1.  On my older '39 Plymouth distributor, it requires new holes drilled into the cannister bracket to mount it as the holes don't line up and also needs to have the bracket bent back and spacer/washer added to let the bracket clear the distributor cap.  The later model distributor worked way better as the distributor cap fits right on and you only need to modify the arm of the cannister.

 

Took it for a spin and it worked great although I am going to try and fine tune adjust when the advance kicks in. I read somewhere that the advance on this VC168 cannister starts at 12" of vacuum. My motors manual says my distributor vacuum advance should start activating at like 5 or 6".  This is super cool as it allows us to use off the shelf new cannisters with only minimal fabrication needed.  Cant beat $17.

Edited July 29, 2021 by Polsonator2

[Polsonator2]

I hooked up my brake bleeder vacuum gun to the VC168 to test when the vacuum comes on.  I found it starts to activate at 7-8" of vacuum and is full in at 15".  I also tried adjusting it clockwise with a 3/32 allen wrench but it barely moved and the readings were still about the same.  I think that basically the out of box settings on the VC168 cannister has adjustment all the way out.  Still runs awesome though, I definitely feel better throttle response at cruise and deceleration is more smooth. My old factory advance was leaking.

Edited July 29, 2021 by Polsonator2

[Bryan]

On 7/29/2021 at 4:35 PM, Polsonator2 said:

I hooked up my brake bleeder vacuum gun to the VC168 to test when the vacuum comes on.  I found it starts to activate at 7-8" of vacuum and is full in at 15".  I also tried adjusting it clockwise with a 3/32 allen wrench but it barely moved and the readings were still about the same.  I think that basically the out of box settings on the VC168 cannister has adjustment all the way out.  Still runs awesome though, I definitely feel better throttle response at cruise and deceleration is more smooth. My old factory advance was leaking.

Think I'll try this on my IAT distributor. Not paying $75-95 for a simple vacuum advance.