MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGB Technical - Distributor Recurve

I tried posting this on the conversion section with no response.

Does anyone know of a company in the SE London area with the proper test rig to set up a Lucas DLM8 distributor with the advance curve I require.

I know there is Aldon up in Birmingham but like to find someone a bit closer if possible.

Kevin.
Kevin Jackson

Try H+H, also 'oop north' but good guys who know what they are doing. Cheaper than Aldon!!

http://www.h-h-ignitionsolutions.co.uk/

Colin P
Colin Parkinson

Colin.

Thanks for the link, I'll give them a call to see what they want for doing a recurve. There don't appear to be too many people with the proper test rig to do a recurve job.

Iv'e been quoted £75.00 which seems like a lot of money for a pair of springs and about 1/2 hours work for someone who knows what they are doing.

Kevin.
Kevin Jackson

I suspect the price is more to do with supply and demand than what it actually costs - it would be if they have any kind of business nous about them and don't do it purely for the love of it. But half-an-hour just for swapping the springs is only a fraction of the job, potentially. As far as I am aware no one has the OE springs, and they are only any good if you want one of the standard curves. If you specify the curve you want they will have to spend a lot longer than 30 mins selecting and then tweaking two individual springs.
Paul Hunt 2

Paul.

I'm sure your right, just me trying to save a little money, i've spent a lot on the car in the last few months and i've still got the rear suspension to do.

However I spoke to our local rolling road company,Sanspeed at Bexleyheath, Kent. who said they would do the job on the rolling road, and recurving the distributor is included in the setting up and tuning cost of £100.00 + VAT. They also provide a printout of the test results which seems quite reasonable, so will be booking it in shortly.

It will be interesting to see what the power curve looks like and of course the max BHP, but drivability was the most important factor,

Kevin.
Kevin Jackson

Kevin, I think they charge £40 for a recurve, but they will not recurve a knackered distributor!!. Then it will be more to recondition.
They will not rip you off

CP

Colin Parkinson

Just received the lastest MGOC mag and they claim to sell reconditioned distributors with the correct springs and weights, with the curves checked by 'Lucas UK'. FWIW.
Paul Hunt 2

Colin,

Thanks for the advice, but it would appear to be more practical to do it on the rolling road and optimize fueling at the same time.

Paul,

I have just purchased a very good s/hand distributor from a 3.9 R/Rover with no apparent wear, a working vacumm unit, module, and new cap for £48.00. The vacumm unit on my original distributor isn't working and it would have cost that to replace it, so made sense.

I didn't know Lucas uk. still existed, it appears that the service centres are now operated by a company called LSUK and they unfortunately, no longer have test rigs for distributors.

I am looking for a curve of(vacuum disconnected) 10degrees at 1000RPM and 34 degrees all in by 3500RPM the standard curve doesn't maximize until much later, 5-5500RPM on some apparently.

If I have it set up on the rolling road I will be present to make sure they do it properly.

Kevin.
Kevin Jackson

*Surely* the MGOC aren't telling porkies ...

You are right about the vacuum capsules, on my V8 the carb port is at the bottom and fuel can run down and into the capsule which rots the diaphragm. Being at the top on the 4-cylinder this doesn't happen. After two replacements in a few years I fabricated a separation chamber which so far seems to be doing the trick.
Paul Hunt 2

Paul,

(*Surely* the MGOC aren't telling porkies)

Of course not!

Re the deteriation of the diaphrams, I was thinking of fitting a right angled connector at the carb (4 Barrel) end, facing upwards so that the small vacuum tube has a degree of drain back to the carb,do you think this would work or can you explain what you did?

Kevin.
Kevin Jackson

Hi Kevin,

The principle is correct, but it all depends on how much fuel is going to gather in the pipe before conditions allow drain-back to occur. The chamber I fabricated is about 1" long and 1/2" in diameter, which gives a lot more capacity, see http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/wn_ignitionframe.htm and click on 'V8 vacuum capsule'.

Paul Hunt 2

Paul,

Thanks for your link.

Kevin.
Kevin Jackson

This thread was discussed between 26/04/2007 and 07/05/2007

MG MGB Technical index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MGB Technical BBS now