Volvo 940 distributors (2)

roverman · June 30, 2014, 01:43:38 PM

I need excellent used, or new. This be for my 32 valve RV8 project. Thanks, roverman.

ex-tyke · June 30, 2014, 06:45:36 PM

No doubt you've checked Car-part website - some available in California.

http://www.car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi

ex-tyke · June 30, 2014, 06:48:21 PM

Hmmm......'website issue...try this:
http://www.car-part.com/

Moderator · June 30, 2014, 07:18:19 PM

Looks like remanufactured 940 distributors go for about $154 (including core charge) on RockAuto, plus you'd need to buy rotors and caps separately. Ref: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1289088,parttype,7108

roverman · July 01, 2014, 10:56:39 AM

Perhaps I'm cheap, $154. for "Cardone" rebuilt, with no vacum or centrifugal advance, so they clean it and "maybe" replace a bushing ? I would like to find a short/side wire, with centrifugal. Thanks all, roverman.

Moderator · July 01, 2014, 03:54:53 PM

I know you're concerned about appearances... but have you considered making fake distributors (or fake magnetos!), and actually having crank-fired electronic ignition and multiply coils squirreled away? It could be so much more precise and also more easily tunable. It's not like the Volvo distributors are all that handsome.

roverman · July 02, 2014, 11:56:31 AM

"fake distributors", where do I hide the crank trigger ? I actually like the Volvo cap. Maybe I should make custom bodies, to fit these caps ? As for "precise", I could re-time ,if cams are indexed +/-. I wish a Volvo guru, would chime-in here... Fred ? Cheers, roverman.

Moderator · July 02, 2014, 12:40:53 PM

Mount a toothed wheel to the back side of your flywheel.

Here's where Rover put their crank position sensor on later model engines:

Or, if you prefer, I'm sure you can find suitable Hall effect sensors to mount through your bellhousing or on a bracket inside your bellhousing.

Distributors driven off cams are always subject to timing chain bounce or gear lash. Mechanical advance mechanisms are crude too, and to tune them properly you need a distributor dyno. Weld here, grind there, try different spring combinations... and then do it all again on distributor number two. Tuning ignition advance with a laptop while your car is on a rolling road is just better all around - and with electronic control you can even advance/retard individual cylinders.

For a very retro super-high-performance look... Vertex magneto caps!