Hornet Distributor problems

EngineerLecompte
EngineerLecompte Member
in HUDSON

 When I got my 51 Hornet, it ran reasonably ok, but had a low idle miss and kinda ran like crap at higher speeds. In the process of getting it tuned up after some years of sitting, thinks I, it would be time to try out a Petronix kit now instead of later. It is my understanding that the distributor should be a IAT 4009a based on some reasearch and some forum questions. So I order the kit for a IAT 4009a and it arrives, and its now time to install. I could not get a clear view of the distributor tag at the time, but the engine number matches the body so I figure its the correct distributor. 

I pulled the distributor out and find its actually a IAT 4203 8J. First off, is this actually the wrong unit for a Hornet? Might that be why the car runs poorly when I hit the passing gear? 

Secondly, if this is the wrong gadget, I suppose I am looking for the correct one. 

Anyone help a brother out?
RyanL

Comments

  • RichardD
    RichardD Member

    You need a mirror and a small flashlight OR a small camera to hold down and take a photo of the tag, as below. With a small camera you can even take a photo behind the dash with killing yourself on the floor !


  • Glowplug
    Glowplug Expert Adviser
    The symptoms you note are those of a ignition spark problem. Have you ran your engine after dark where you could visually view cross fire at the plug/coil wires? What about the cap is it cracked are the contacts corroded from sitting? Are the rotor contacts for cap and firing clean and bright? What about the wires inside the distributor has the insulation failed? A pertronic update is a good investment, but it will NOT fix the problems noted. Good luck and take a look at my website for further tips. http://hudsonrestoration1948-54.com/index.html#RESTORATIONAIDS
This discussion has been closed.

Categories

In this Discussion