after a rebuild and mild upgrade of my EAB, the next weakest point seemed to be the load-o-crap distributor. based on suggestions from FTE and Ford Barn Folks, i purchased a chevy distributor converted for flatheads by Bubba's Hot Rod shop. It took about 15 minutes total to put it in, it started immediately and runs great. won't have it on the road again until spring, but really looks like a nice upgrade. the chevy dizzy is taller than the flat-o-matic, but it is barely noticeable, except maybe to chevy guys. dick r.

Chevy Distributor Conversion for 1949-1953 Flathead Ford

 

Nice. I have one as well and am very happy with the performance. I plan on sending mine back to Bubba for a tune up and have him add the vacuum advance for better mpg's.

 

You won't regret it, Dick!

I have an MSD, same basic setup, and find that vac advance does more than just economize. At part throttle it gives you a much more lively engine. BTW Scott, I think you can add it yourself, just buy Mr Gasket #31034 for GM points style dizzy. I have mine set to a maximum of 8 deg. advance, per results from "Richard in Florida" on the Barn.

 

Yes, I talked to Jim(Bubba) about it......he said he would do it for minimal cost and check out the dist at the same time. That way I can't screw it up....

 

OMG!!! A chevy in a Ford????? How can you do that, I just can't believe it...
Hmmm, I guess it is ok if a purist does it because, well...
I have gotten a lot of grief for having a SBC in my truck, just sayin.

 

He can also do a Mallory dizzy if he has one on hand.

 

my good friend has a camaro, corvette and a 32 chevy coupe: of course he has a 9" Ford rear end in the coupe, so he understands. i'm certainly not a purist, but i did rebuild the flathead to keep that part of the heritage alive.

 

Everyone I've known with a Mallory in any engine has constant problems with them. Especially dual-points.

 

The only reliable dyno testing I have seen of a stock 8BA found that the original carb and distributor setup gave the optimal timing curve for power. This is documented in John Lawson's book Flathead Facts which is an excellent book for anyone interested in flatheads. If a longer duration cam is used or a not stock carburetor is used then you need a different distributor.