The Initial Freshening
Go to <Last, Summary, Next>Engine—Bugsby Has A 1927 Olds Distributor
 The Kissel Model 6-55 advanced six-cylinder engine |
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| DISTRIBUTOR: Diagrams of the distributor from the Kissel operating manual (left), the distributor found in Bugsby (left) -- they're not the same model! |
Lynn bids on and wins some ignition tune-up parts (points, cap, rotor, condenser) for the Kissel offered for auction on eBay. John Hart, the seller, asks Lynn some questions about the distributor before shipping the parts. After a couple of email exchanges including one where Lynn sends photos of his distributor (Remy model 637T), John declares "The distributor in your car originally came from a 1927 Olds model 30." John also notes that a 1924 Kissel 6-55 used a Remy model 626B distributor. John thoughtfully does not send the wrong ignition parts and substitutes the right parts for the distributor in Bugsby.
Indeed, one can see that the distributor in the car is smaller then that illustrated in the Kissel Model 6-55 operating manual. The original distributor is larger and has the condenser internal to the cap. The model 637T distributor in the car is a smaller, more modern distributor with an external condenser.
Note how cramped the engine compartment is around the distributor due to the steering box being on this side of the car. Lynn wonders if the smaller, newer distributor might have been added to make more room for the right-hand steering conversion. Lynn has been wondering if the conversion to right-hand drive might have been performed after the car left the factory. If this speculation is correct, the newer distributor would support the idea that the conversion to right-hand drive was done after the car was sold and in the hands of an owner, apparently sometime after 1927.
The ignition tune up (breaker points, condenser, rotor, cap, spark plugs) greatly improves Bugsby's performance. Lynn suspects that the old condenser was bad.
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Last updated: May 24, 2009