Michael Mayben
IHPA Tech Moderator - Retired & No Longer Online
Dam john, you have come along ways in your wrenchin' in the last two years!!!
Yes, any distributor that is 30+ years old needs serious attention! I do those as often as carburetors and the two nearly always go hand-in-hand as to how crappy they are!
Just dropping a p-tron (or any other conversion) inna crapped distributor is a real waste! Now you have first hand experience with that!
As for the weber...just last Friday I visited with a real weber progressive expert for two hours by phone. I now have the insider info I think I need to make these mixers run out properly on a 152/196! I won't know until tomorrow (I hope) when I rip into my own and try the mods that were recommended. If those changes are a significant improvement, then I'll snake a new carb that has not been scruud over in the past, and set it up with suitable tuning for the IH apps and test that one.
If the weber tuning results in performance enhancement (particularly drivability), then look for those conversions to be available here at ihon that are properly set up and not some off-the-wall "kit" that has not been calibrated for the IH apps. I use an oldskool exhaust gas analyzer for doing this so I can easily see the "before" and "after" of these tuning efforts.
So pay attention, I hope to have some more info for ya that will make your bubba's ride even better!
By the way, was that distributor a delco or a Holley?? I have seen the same thing happen before on the older design of the p-tron magnet wheels. But since you mentioned "tape"...I believe what you have is actually a v8 p-tron conversion that has had four of the magnet segments surgically removed!
I have done the v8-to-four cylinder p-tron conversion also and it does work if done carefully! And that was necessary because at the time p-tron did not offer the correct conversion unit for the distributor.
Yes, any distributor that is 30+ years old needs serious attention! I do those as often as carburetors and the two nearly always go hand-in-hand as to how crappy they are!
Just dropping a p-tron (or any other conversion) inna crapped distributor is a real waste! Now you have first hand experience with that!
As for the weber...just last Friday I visited with a real weber progressive expert for two hours by phone. I now have the insider info I think I need to make these mixers run out properly on a 152/196! I won't know until tomorrow (I hope) when I rip into my own and try the mods that were recommended. If those changes are a significant improvement, then I'll snake a new carb that has not been scruud over in the past, and set it up with suitable tuning for the IH apps and test that one.
If the weber tuning results in performance enhancement (particularly drivability), then look for those conversions to be available here at ihon that are properly set up and not some off-the-wall "kit" that has not been calibrated for the IH apps. I use an oldskool exhaust gas analyzer for doing this so I can easily see the "before" and "after" of these tuning efforts.
So pay attention, I hope to have some more info for ya that will make your bubba's ride even better!
By the way, was that distributor a delco or a Holley?? I have seen the same thing happen before on the older design of the p-tron magnet wheels. But since you mentioned "tape"...I believe what you have is actually a v8 p-tron conversion that has had four of the magnet segments surgically removed!
I have done the v8-to-four cylinder p-tron conversion also and it does work if done carefully! And that was necessary because at the time p-tron did not offer the correct conversion unit for the distributor.