I have a mismatched combo of parts that I had laying around and stuff I bought off of craigslist for cheap. I have a 65 econoline I bought with a seized up 240. Instead of rebuilding it I bought a 300 long block out of a 92 f150 for cheap. I had a duraspark II from a 78 f100 in my shed that I plan on using instead of the points style distributor and I already wired the van for it but after reading I'm thinking I should recurve the distributor before I drop it in. I saw in classic inlines to use a mr gasket 925D but I think their application was for a 200 in a mustang. I'm not sure how that crosses over to my van. I know it weighs more, and I do plan on using it to haul some but I doubt I'll ever be carrying a ton of weight in it. I just want to get the best performance I can out of the engine, and I didn't know what difference it made that my block and head are from a fuel injected truck (I'm using the factory manifolds and carter YF from the van also). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Tim O'Connor Distributor Rebuilding and Restoration - New parts and products

talk to this guy. he knows his stuff. its cool to DIY as much as you can. it helps keep cost down, you learn a lot, and it a cool story to tell. when it comes to the ignition and matching up its inner workings with your specific engine combo...its best to at least consult with a subject matter expert...if not have them do it with a calibrated sun machine.

 

I, for one, don't know if i would be willing to trust the goods and/or services of a guy who only lists his e-mail address. No street address, no phone number, and hasn't updated his web site since the first of the year. If i am missing this info on his web site, please correct me.,...jack

 

you're right. i could see how one would be hesitant or have a certain perception based on the info available.
He's done work for me...so take it for what its worth. either way, if a fella isnt sure about the recurve process, etc...its not a bad idea to track down a pro, whoever that may be, to dial in the dizzy proper.

 

When Ford came out with EFI ('87?) they redesigned the combustion chambers in the head for "fast burn" qualities. As such, less ignition spark advance was needed, making for a more efficient engine. To use an earlier distributor with more advance it will be necessary to take some of that advance out or risk possible detonation damage. To get it precise you will probably need to take out some initial advance, some vacuum advance, and some centrifugal advance. But unless you have a dynamometer to determine this you are just going to have to experiment a little bit, reducing the vacuum advance (by turning the diaphragm adjustment screw clockwise), reducing the centrifugal (by using stiffer springs or shortening the advance gates) or by using less initial, all the while being mindful of audible detonation.

I would guess that around ten degrees total would need to be subtracted from these three mechanisms, based on dyno data sheets I've done on other engine families.

 

Harte3 gave me this link. Nonetheless, I take full credit for it.

Duraspark_distributor_recurve_instructions_index