Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Contact Breaker Set Screw?

Here's an interesting one!

Just fitted an electronic ignition set, all working very well. However, in the process, I dropped one of the contact breaker retaining screws and it's disappeared into the ether......

Thankfully, the electronic set only required 2 screws, rather than 3, but I'd like to get a replacement to keep in the car if I ever need to revert back to points in an emergency.

Anyone got any idea of the thread size? Or somewhere that sells them?

It's a 1600 Crossflow, with the FoMoCo distributor. I've scoured the t'interweb, but can't find anything (Bosch and Lucas, yes, but not FoMoCo).

Last resort is to buy a scapper dizzy off ebay, but I'd rather just get the screws if possible.

Give Martin a call, he'll pop you a few in the post!

http://www.distributordoctor.com/

Does he do FoMoCo bits? From his website it looks like he just does Lucas.

Are you sure it didn’t drop into the distributor its where they often go and sorry to say eventually they’ll jam the distributor bob weights and often cause the sheer pin to fail. It’s really worth taking the baseplate off and having a good look down inside or remove the distributor and turn it upside down. Pain but well worth it if there is even a chance it’s dropped into the distributor body.

BR
Colin

If you do pull the distributor it on a skew gear so mark distributor and rotor arm positions with a felt pen or Tippex to aid refit.

I've got a few scrap FoMoCo distributors here that I can cannibalize for a spare screw if you don't have any joy

Out of interest, which kit did you go for?

Arwyn

No, watched it fall. I'm working outside on a scrabby bit of concrete, covered it tree detritus. Normally I put a bit of tarp down, but not today!

Thankfully the base plate of the FOMOCO Dizzy pretty much covers the innards completely with only one small hole, so it would be very unlucky for it to drop down there. You can see the plate in this picture - the hole at 9 o clock has a wires/grommet in so it's just the small hole below it. The rest is well covered.



Been outside to double check for piece of mind though and no, its not there.

The Distributor Doctor does only do Lucas, and I've tried the place where I got the Leccy conversion from, but their modern distributors are all Metric so the screws won't fit. Mine are about 4mm, but not M4.

Thanks Arwyn. I went for the simonbbc 'Powerspark' kit. I'd used his stuff before on my Land Rovers - and apart from a duff unit which he replaced straight away (this was about 15 years ago) I'd not had any trouble.

This fitted easily, and seems to run nicely (only on the drive at the moment) after I set the timing. Thankfully, rev counter is also working OK - I'd read that some kits can affect the earlier rev counters.

It must be the day for electronic ignition conversions, I'm putting a Boyer Bransden unit into the Bonneville.

TBM ... I have a magnet that can lift a small anvil that I drag through the gravel and muck to retreive lost bits .... fine til it's stainless

Worthwhile scavenging one out of an old loudspeaker for such times.

K

Got a complete 711M dizzy off eBay for a tenner. It can go in my 'parts' collection for a rainy day