MSD Distributor

Don Jacks

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 3
How many years have you had that one,Barry? I'm thinking that you may have an eairiler version.You know how these manufactures like to change things,especially if the first version worked well in the first place.Then again,the pictures on a lot of these websites are "generic" and not pictures of the actual part.
 

Don Jacks

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 3
Yes,and the newer ones don't have the adjustable collar that yours does.Does yours go into a sleeve that goes into the engine?
 

nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
When I first saw a picture of that distributor, on Show Cars site?, My first thought was that a secondary manufacturer took an existing distributor, machined off the lower housing, machined a new lower housing top fit a W and pressed the two pieces together. :dunno

That’s pretty much how the distributor I’m running was made. The top of the distributor just bolts on to the lower housing so that was removed and one machined to the same dimensions as a w distributor then bolt it all back together and no adapter sleeve needed.02C4DD7B-EDDB-492D-AA30-334D36A70473.jpeg
 

nana1962409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
It’s 85551 like yours. I got it as an unfinished project from an engine shop in northern Wisconsin that I got some other 409 stuff from. It was just the top with pickup, shaft, and the machined bottom with bushings installed. I drilled and tapped the holes in the bottom to mount the top to it then got a gear and advance kit to finish it. The guy I got it from said he had made other ones like it and liked doing it that way better than the adapter. At the time he was making these there were no options from msd yet according to him.
 
Top