What Distributor Do I Even Have?

This distributor came with my jeep but I’m pretty sure it’s not a dauntless odd fire. The cap Never really fit well and I just now figured out why. The tab on the Cap didn’t line up with the notch on the distributor.






Just the other day I noticed and had to cut a small piece of the steel bar that holds the vacuum advance to let the cap Spin enough to get the notch lined up.



You can also see the hold down clips don’t line up correctly with the distributor either.



It has been working OK for a couple years. Should I get a different cap? New distributor?

 

Wrong cap !
Jeep used several different DR distributors.
Not all use the same cap.
DR number is stampe into the outermost edge at base.


Jeep DR 1110376 and 1110668 distributors.

 

I gotten 3 caps from 3 different FLAPS all the same.
I’ll check those numbers and report back.

 

DR 1110322 distributor used in 1965 with single bore manifold uses 1957684 rotor and 1957693 cap.

DR 1110342 distributor used in 1966 with dual bore manifold uses same rotor and cap as previous.

DR 1110376 used in 1967 uses 1957684 rotor and 1967286 cap.

Later than that and Jeep switched to Presolite IAT 4502.
Best I can recall the DR 1110668 was an earlier Fireball 225 distributor.

All three Jeep Dauntless DR mentioned above use the same rotor.
I have two rotors available. 1957684

 

I was going to say Delco, but there are others here that know more about this than me. Oldtime's post implies that it's a Delco. DR is Delco-Remy. The cap attachment looks like Delco, but the hold-downs are wrong for the distributor body. Those L-shaped hold-downs should fit into the pockets on the underside of the distributor body. The key on the cap (to prevent it from rotating) should match with the hold-downs positioned so they turn into the pockets on the base. I would replace that vacuum advance mech that's been hacked away.

Sorry if this is obvious.

 

Does the cap have the #1 molded into it at the number one tower? I'm sure the oddfire cap is the only delco cap with that cast into it.

 

All the towers are marked on my late type 1967286 cap.
And yes these two different caps have different notch positions for them to engage with the distributor base.

 

Not directly pertinent but Rockauto has reman oddfire hei's for around $90

 

X2 on the HEI and will probably never need to pull the cap ever again.

 

Hmmm....

The cap on my Delco fits the same as the pictured cap above.

I will have to see what the part number is.

 

There were no numbers stamped on the new caps. Autozone guy (being nice) couldn’t look up DR numbers. I’ll try NAPA tomorrow.

 

Delco/Jeep distributor cap p/n 1957693 was used with Delco/Jeep distributor numbers 1110322 and 1110342.
Delco/Jeep distributor cap p/n 1967286 was used with Delco/Jeep distributor number 1110376.

The quick visual difference is the positioning of the window for adjust points or dwell.
One is on the tower, the other is between towers.

Both use the same rotor.
Distributor differences for the 225

 

Can you please post a link or part number?

 

You need to identify the distributor not the cap.
It is stamped into the distributor base / outside diameter.
I can tell by it’s looks that it’s not the 1110376.
But it could be either a Buick or Jeep version.

That thing is going to need a new vac advance too.

 

Should be this.
1975 BUICK SKYLARK 3.8L 231cid V6 Distributor | RockAuto

 

Using Rockauto part numbers to buy off of Amazon increases the odds of finding it and sometimes is much cheaper. Rockauto routinely shows out of stock on these. I have also used the A-team branded odd-fire and even fire new units lately. Just remember to swap the cam gear with an old oem if using any new hei distributor. I just ran a test of 100 miles using a brand new hei unit and the gear showed noticeable wear.

 

Is this an issue for the Buick's?
I know cam/dist gear compatibility is a huge issue with the AMC V8's. Is this creeping into the V6 as well?

 

This has been an ongoing issue for all the "cheap" new distributors for at least twenty five years now. I just ran a test to confirm that it is still an issue. As a rule, I always swap the gear for an original to avoid the issue. I install an HEI into almost every motor that I touch, especially Buick v6s.

 

Are all the gears the same across distributors? As I can I use the gear off my Prestolite distributor on a HEI?

 

Except maybe some tiny screw nothing on a Prestolite will interchange to the DR nor the GM/HEI.
Not even the condensor.