4/12/11
Sun Distributor Machine Rebuild

I bought a new Marelli Distributor Adapter from http://paramountd.com/ to try out on Francois’ distributor machine. Just as I was getting close to getting a set of points phased in, a puff of smoke came out of the back of the machine. I quickly shut it off and took the back panel off to take a look. I could see a resistor was starting to burn near the original vacuum tube, so I called Paramount. Mark sells a repair kit for about $40 bucks that eliminates the vacuum tube and converts the unit to a solid state tester.

He sent me some photos of the repair and the kit came with detailed instructions, but I could see a look of skepticism from Francois as I took his trusty old distributor machine apart.

I took my time and carefully removed the dried out capacitors, and soldered in new diodes to replace the vacuum tube.

All the old parts were replaced with new parts supplied in the kit, and I took some time to clean some of the contacts inside and the strobe lens.

I put everything back together and I was very pleased when it all began to work again! The timing marks are bright and steady, and I was amazed how easy it was to phase in a set of distributors with this refurbished machine. Even Francois was impressed! Thanks Mark for your help.

Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you’d like to explore, I’d love to talk to you. I can also help if you’re thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, share, and how I make a living, so if you’d like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an e-mail!

Save the Date! Fourth Annual Radcliffe/Tomyang.net Spring Car Show on Saturday May 7th 2011. Richard Garre and I are looking forward to planning this show and more details will follow here and the Radcliffe Motorcar Company Website, but if you want to mark you calendar, the date to remember is May 7th, 2011!

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