V-12 distributor -- time for electric ignition?

E-Type
1

[I guess I could go into a long story at this point, but I’ll save that 'til later for now, my current problem … ]

I have a '72 (V-12), and the distributor from hell. First, one of the
mounting brackets on the outside of the housing where the screw goes
through broke. Vicarage rummaged up a new housing, and then after a
couple of years of working on other cars, I finally got back to the
jag, whereupon yet another part, this one plastic (I think it is the
pick up) and brittle with age, it also cracked where the screw goes
in. More time passes…

This part, Lucas part 54419381, seems to no longer exist anywhere.
(I called SICP (nice), Welsh (semi-rude), Terry’s (nice), wrote
Vicarage). The fellow at Terry’s said it was discontinued. Does
anyone know anyone who rebuilds distributors who might have this part?
Somehow I find it very disturbing a crucial element of my car is NLA.

Soooooo… I can probably glue something together, there is no
way I’m going to buy a rebuilt one when I’m one tiny piece of plastic
away from success and for the money I’d go electric. Somehow, gluing
parts of my car together also disturbs me. :slight_smile:

I might consider electric ignition, after all the bantering about,
what is recommended for the V-12 engine for ease of use and dependability?

I have an allison system in my volvo which works fine, and was
installed before I bought the car, so I really don’t know much about
them. Obviously, many people think highly of them, and the one
recently mentioned. Would that work in my car (or is it even
available)?

thanks,
jennifer–
Jennifer Joy SBC Technology Resources Austin,TX
@Jennifer_Joy 512.372.5517 fax:512.372.5591

2

Hi, Jen -

I had a '71 V-12 Series 3 FHC for two years, during which it ran about 6
months (mostly ‘waiting for parts!’), so I appreciate your situation. Had
great fun when the Lucas ignition packed it in, and finally
reverse-engineered the electronic module (also a long story). My
distributor had a fiber-glass disk with 12 ferrite rods in it; when one
passed close to the pickup (plastic housing), it completed a magnetic path
between the pickup primary windings and the pickup secondary windings,
making a whole “E” transformer coupling a high-frequency (about 40 KHz)
oscillator to the four-stage amplifier, outputting to the distributor rotor
for distribution to the appropriate spark plug wire. Kludgey, to be sure,
but it worked (most of the time).

Sorry to hear about your lack of success with other suppliers; try John
Willard at Continental Auto Parts, Havertown, PA (610-446-0900), East Coast
Jaguar, Wilmington, DE (Naavans Road), or XKs Unlimited, San Luis Obispo,
CA (800-444-JAGS) for the part you’re seeking. I’m not aware of a
distributor replacement, though know one may exist. Suggestion - John’s
Cars in Texas (not sure what city).

Best of luck; hope you remember what a pleasure it is to drive one of those!

Larry Schear
Twin Cam, Inc.

At 01:49 PM 9/2/97 -0500, you wrote:>

[I guess I could go into a long story at this point, but I’ll save that 'til later for now, my current problem … ]

I have a '72 (V-12), and the distributor from hell. First, one of the
mounting brackets on the outside of the housing where the screw goes
through broke. Vicarage rummaged up a new housing, and then after a
couple of years of working on other cars, I finally got back to the
jag, whereupon yet another part, this one plastic (I think it is the
pick up) and brittle with age, it also cracked where the screw goes
in. More time passes…

This part, Lucas part 54419381, seems to no longer exist anywhere.
(I called SICP (nice), Welsh (semi-rude), Terry’s (nice), wrote
Vicarage). The fellow at Terry’s said it was discontinued. Does
anyone know anyone who rebuilds distributors who might have this part?
Somehow I find it very disturbing a crucial element of my car is NLA.

Soooooo… I can probably glue something together, there is no
way I’m going to buy a rebuilt one when I’m one tiny piece of plastic
away from success and for the money I’d go electric. Somehow, gluing
parts of my car together also disturbs me. :slight_smile:

I might consider electric ignition, after all the bantering about,
what is recommended for the V-12 engine for ease of use and dependability?

I have an allison system in my volvo which works fine, and was
installed before I bought the car, so I really don’t know much about
them. Obviously, many people think highly of them, and the one
recently mentioned. Would that work in my car (or is it even
available)?

thanks,
jennifer

–
Jennifer Joy SBC Technology Resources Austin,TX
jjoy@tri.sbc.com 512.372.5517 fax:512.372.5591