[DeTomaso] DISTRIBUTOR ADVANCE / Dick Ruzzin

[dickruzzindesign]

This is just a heads up to anyone that has an original car that has had the air pump removed.  If you did not change the distributor vacuum advance mechanism then do it.  The 68, 69 70, cars sold with air pumps had the advance mechanism on the distributor retard timing to start the hydrocarbon fire in the exhaust manifold.  

I was looking at my 1969 engine about three months ago and realized that through the years that the thing on the distributor is the only piece of the ignition system that I have not changed.  I immediately removed the air pump when I bought the car.

Research on the internet explained what it does along with all the efforts by the industry to meet the new emission regulations of those days.  The first thing altered, because it was easy and could be done quickly, was the distributor advance mechanism.

Anyway, I bought a 1964 distributor advance mechanism, B-1, it was used on all GM high performance engines.  I could not believe the difference.  I ended up retiming the engine, new weights and springs in the distributor, new needle valves in the Holley, etc.

Long and short of it is the original advance mechanism was actually retarding the spark at idle up to the point where the very heavy weights and springs were overcome at about 2200 rpm. The new one runs 16 degrees advance at 1000 rpm.  The car feels like a thousand pounds has been taken off of it at low speeds.
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All the best,
DICK RUZZIN
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dickruzzinDESIGN at aol.com / Home: 313-824-0539 / Cell: 313-300-9558