Adjustable vacumn advance

junkyardjeff · November 13, 2009, 09:13:27 PM

I am looking for a adjustable vacumn advance for a Ford duraspark distributor,I looked on Jegs and Summits websites and nothing for a Ford but I bought one years ago so someone should still make one. I need one for the 351-w that I have in my 55 sunliner but I found out the reman duraspark distributor I got for a 302 has one but I need it for another project and if I knew it was adjustable it would still be on the car. I bought two reman duraspark distributors for smallblocks and they both made the motor ping too much,I was going to get someone to recurve them but if I can just find one more adjustable vacumn advance then I can do it my self.

crdnblu · November 13, 2009, 10:32:51 PM

Check out this link. Reading the article, I'm not sure whether this is a Crane adjustable vacuum advance unit, or the stock Ford piece that is adjustable via the allen wrench routine.

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2000/03/timing/

The article triggers a recollection on my part when I owned 60's, & 70's Fords, using an allen wrench to slow down or limit the vacuum advance. Quite honestly, time has muddied the memory, somewhat.....

wayne petty · November 13, 2009, 11:11:23 PM

just curious.... can you measure the spacing between the screws on the existing vacuum advance... there are 2 different versions...

i think i saved some part numbers from a autozone search... maybe it was some ware else.. i almost think i posted it in the throne room about 6 months ago...

some of the autozone versions had the adjustability... but they were boxed like the others... and they were in stock in the AZ hub stores..

there is also a tiny square window that you can see the end of the bendable spring mount through when you bump the engine around with a remote starter switch... you can bend the tab slightly to change the mechanical advance curve...

this is an interesting article... but it is for big block fords.. but the info similar..

http://www.reincarnation-automotive.com/Duraspark_distributor_recurve_instructions_page-2.html

edit.. i just remembered.. that the ones that were adjustable came with a chart of how many turns for each application...

only a few out of a dozen or so ford V8 units were adjustable ... and they were almost 30 bucks...

junkyardjeff · November 13, 2009, 11:24:24 PM

I checked the one that the local autozone had and it was not adjustable,I was told some of the ones that came from Ford were adjustable too.

crdnblu · November 14, 2009, 10:37:29 AM

Another thought: Have you considered trying an early Ford or GM "vacuum delay", or "spark control" valve inserted in the distributor vacuum line? They were/are small plastic disk valves, aprox. 1" in diameter, usually black on one end, & color coded on the other end to I.D. the amount of delay (in seconds) the valve provided. They were used in the early "rats nest" emission systems vacuum lines.......
Parts houses MAY have listings, & charts showing the different delay factors. Or you could visit your local dismantler, & source some from under the hoods of 70's to 80's vehicles.
I have used them with success in past years, to eliminate a "pinging" condition, as you are trying to accomplish.

wayne petty · November 15, 2009, 07:16:55 PM

i did some research.. i am still looking for the paper i wrote out with the full list of part numbers...

you might look in the box and see if there is a installation instructions.. that show adjustments...

at autozone...

FV2024
FV2039
FV2041

the above 3 are actually 78 351W in a E150 applications...

below are dual chamber versions that look like they will work..

FV2026
FV2027
FV2031
FV2032
FV2033

this is a single
FV2038

i know that i have the list some where... but where..

junkyardjeff · November 20, 2009, 11:40:54 PM

I forgot I had a wells catalog and found some that were adjustable but even though I had numbers I could not get anywhere so I need to try at another store. They had FV2039 but it was not adjustable and it was the only one they stocked.

wayne petty · November 21, 2009, 12:39:34 AM

can you post the wells numbers of the adjustable versions that might fit.. i visit the autozone hub store often.. i do have to pass 5 other autozone to get to it.. but i know some of the people who work there... but i will spend the extra time to examine the ones they have in stock...

junkyardjeff · November 21, 2009, 10:33:30 AM

The ones that are say they are adjustable are for points distributors, FV 2027 and FV 2025 that will be discontinued when stock runs out. The two say adjustable and there are a few that say factory pre set but nothing on the others and do they have a part number stamped on them as I do have a distributor for a 302 that has a adjustable on it.