Ray if the one I ordered is the wrong one I'll definitely check out NAPA...thanks. Jeff.

 

Distributor hot wire @ NAPA ECH LW40 - $12.99. special order
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...W40_0366065575

From a Number Dummy post on the subject:
CODF12216A .. Distributor Primary Lead (Motorcraft DW10). Your Ford dealer may stock it?!

 

I know you don't wish to spend money needlessly, and that is good. The "shotgun" approach to auto repair is wasteful, and just plain stupid.

That said, when dealing with vintage iron, especially when it is as old as these trucks (60+ years), there are a few things that you need to just bite the bullet on.

Wires: Do replace the aforementioned distributor wires. As stated by Bob and myself, these things are located in an abusive environment, and fail with some regularity. Do replace with HEAVY gauge wiring the battery and starter cables. Six volt systems absolutely have to carry maximal current to achieve proper efficiency.

I brought this out in another post, but it bears mentioning again: Power, or in electronics parlance, watts, is the product of amps and voltage. The equation is P=IxE.
Where P is wattage, I is amperage, and E is voltage.

If you want more power, you must increase one or the other, or both. Detroit chose to increase voltage when they went to 12 volt systems. In a 6 volt system, you need amperage.

Lets say you have to have 60 amps to properly crank that flathead. If it were 12 volts, the wattage consumed is 720. In a 6 volt system, it is only 360. To get that wattage up where it needs to be, you are going to have to increase your amperage output to 120 to achieve the same results.

With wiring, wire size determines amperage carrying ability. You can carry thousands of volts with little amperage through a wire the size of a hair. You want to increase the amps, you better have a fatter wire.

The above is inarguable, its physics.

Points, Plugs, Condenser, Plug Wires, and Cap and Rotors: These things are considered "consumables". You need to replace them on some regular basis to maintain reliability. You can file the plugs, but even with the price of plugs as they are, your time is better spent just replacing them. Points are the same way. It is true that the old points were of infinitely better quality, but dinking around with filing them is just not worthwhile. For one thing, the contacts are tungsten. Tungsten doesn't file well at all. When you file a point set, all you are doing is knocking off the transferred metal from one of the contacts. You still have a crater in the other one, so the damage is already done. Another thing to consider, is that in the point set, one arm is insulated from the other by a bushing. These bushings can and do fail. When they do, you have a short. Shorted points equals no spark equals dead engine. Just replace them.

Plug wires deteriorate without the engine even running. Corrosion, and insulation breakdown are just as much a result of time as use. Replace them.

Caps and Rotor: These critters are made of Bakelite, which is a substance that has great longevity. The problem is, the contacts in them are prone to failure due to corrosion and mechanical wear. Another thing is that Bakelite is very brittle, and can develop minute cracks that can become pathways for current to undesirable places. Too, there is the issue of carbon tracking, which is a phenomenon where carbon is deposited in lines across the surface of the Bakelite. These tracks conduct electricity to unwanted places. Replace them.

I would be willing to bet that if you replaced all the above components, your starting and running issues will disappear, and that old flattie will start just about as reliably as a newer engine.

Case in point: My F-2, a 1949, was allowed to sit in the weeds for around 13 years without ever being touched till June of 2012 (by me, what a dumba**s, should have known better). When I pulled it from the weeds, I replaced all of the above items as a matter of course, regardless of how they "looked". The points, condenser, dist. wires, cap, rotor, plug wires, battery ground strap, starter cable, were all replaced. I've driven the truck since then almost every day, and have NEVER had a starting or running issue except for crap working it's way from inside the gas tank and plugging things up. Even that has pretty well resolved itself. I decided last year that I would rather spend my time on restoration, not screwing around with constantly trying to keep it running.

 

On your ground strap, use one of the bottom head bolts toward the front of the engine as an attachment point. Just looked at Gertie, and I selected the first bolt on the bottom row, underneath the distributor.

Drain your coolant down so you don't have it pouring out the bolt hole. Use teflon thread sealant on the threads when you put the bolt back in, and torque to spec. Make absolutely sure the bolt and head surfaces are clean to allow a good ground.

 

Thanks J.D., sage advice!! I have a mechanical streak, but I'm not a mechanic...that's the beauty of this forum...I get thoughts/ideas on places to start that I would not intuitively consider. I did think to change the ignition parts earlier but when I got the tank cleaned out (mostly), rebuilt the carb, and replaced the fuel pump ole Buck started up like no tomorrow...I've been running it for weeks just to entertain myself and to blow out any gunk in the carb but haven't really driven it much because of the brakes. I fixed the brakes finally this weekend and thought I was ready to roll...and I did for a short while...I guess running down the road probably caused one of the components in the ignition system to fail...I'm hoping it is as simple as you suggest and probably is. Now for another question...the timing seems to be good...at least while it was running...if I replace the points I shouldn't have to reset the timing should I??? If so I don't really know how to time an old flathead...unless it is the same as an OHV engine. Jeff.

 

Ray...thanks for the link to the primary wire...this looks identical to the one I ordered...hopefully it is the right one. Jeff.

 

You need to reset the timing, gap affects timing directly. You set it with vacuum disconnected, so that pointer and bump on crankshaft pulley align at idle.

 

Ross, I was worried about that...I'll have to do some research on setting the timing on this engine...I'm not sure what you mean by the having the pointer and bump on crankshaft pulley aligned at idle...is this the timing mark on this engine?? Also when you say have the vacuum disconnected you are referring to the vacuum line that comes out of the side of the distributor? Jeff

 

Yes, the vacuum line from carb to distributor (you should cap it while setting the timing).

The bump is at 3 deg BTDC, which is the correct timing at idle.

 

Roger all...I understand now...how about idle speed for this engine??

 

550 - 600 works best, actual spec is real low, like 475

Flathead Tuneup Specifications for 1949-53 V8 (239 & 255)

 

Ross has it right.

On the front of the timing gear cover, directly above the crank pulley and to the left as you face the radiator. It is easily visible when you are standing by the passenger side front fender, and looking down on the distributor. Looks like a nail sticking out from the front of the engine. The bump is on the back on the crank pulley. If your fan belt is tight enough, just grab the fan and slowly turn the motor over (key off, out of gear) until the bump becomes visible.

The easiest way to set the timing, is to use a timing light. Almost everyone had these things in their garage until the 1970s when electronic ignition took over. They are a dime a dozen, and crop up all the time at yard sales, Ebay, etc. Most of them are designed to operate off of the vehicle's 12 volt battery. These 12 volt lights are very plentiful. Finding a 6 volt light in working order is much rarer. Just get a 12 volt light, and hook it to your car (I park my Jeep next to the '49 when I time it).

The nicer lights had an inductive pick-up that clamped over the #1 plug wire, cheaper ones had a spring on the end of the wire. One end of the spring went on the plug, the other into the plug wire, and in the middle, the lead wire to the light was connected. Either style will work fine.

After the points are replaced and set (gapped), you start the engine and let it warm to operating temp. Disconnect the vacuum line to the distributor and plug it (the carb. side). If you have a tachometer, set the idle to around 550 (If I remember correctly). Most timing lights were configured to look like a gun. Therefore, you just aim the light down at the pointer and pull the trigger. The light is a strobe that rapidly flashes every time that #1 cylinder fires, and makes the bump appear stationary when it lights off. To help see the bump easier, take some white chalk, and rub it on the bump.

The bump should align perfectly in front of the pointer. If not aligned, you loosen the distributor hold down bolt, and twist the distributor one direction or the other till the bump and pointer align. When they line up, check your RPM again and adjust as necessary.

 

I wasn't very clear about the timing light wires, There are three. One of the leads is connected to the #1 plug, the other two are the leads that go to the battery that powers the light, and are marked red and black (positive and negative). The power leads attach to your modern vehicle.

 

Yeah, tried to set the F-2 that low, and it acted like it wanted to die, and that was 22 years ago when the engine was completely gone through and basically new again. Tried to set it that low this time around again: same results. Seems much better at at least 550.

 

Ross, J.D., thanks...I've got a 12 volt timing light I've had for years...so just connect the battery end to a different vehicle...say my jeep??? and then just like regular to the #1 plug wire?? That seems pretty simple. Jeff.