[cnc]

Originally Posted by eaglesan13

Nice garage!

GARAGE.....it looks like a freakin WHAREHOUSE....lol.....I can only Dream....

[The Boss]

Originally Posted by cnc

GARAGE.....it looks like a freakin WAREHOUSE....lol.....I can only Dream....

A REALLY NICE warehouse.

[6 Grrrs]

Steve - That Charger is a sweet ride.

I'm jealous you guys got to go for a ride. It was beautiful here Saturday. I thought about firing up my truck, but was busy all day Saturday. My GTO is in hibernation at a friend's garage up on the top rack and surrounded by Mopars. Two of the Mopars needed to move before the lift could be set down for me to get my car out.

I decided it wasn't that nice. Lots of Salt on the roads.

[charles bledsoe]

Steve-

Nice Mopars!! I have always liked the Charger, a friend of mine had one in high school. Went to the link and saw pics of your Viper, were you saying that it had not been started in 6 years? What a beautiful car!! When were you editing for Muscle Car Review? I have had a subscription to the magazine for years, it is one of my favorites.

[njsteve]

I have not taken it down off the jackstands in 6 years. I started it once last year. I am a bad car guy.

I was the tech editor and managing editor for Musclecar Review and Mopar Muscle from 1990 to 1994. I still have both the Viper and the wife from those days. (We met when I worked there). :-)

Here is the link on the haunted Charger in case you have a few minutes:

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbt..._of_#Post77973

[njsteve]

I was tracking down a grumbling sound in the belts and it turns out that the bearing in the idler pulley on the 80 amp alternator setup is going. The bearing is actually loose in the pulley.

Does anyone have an extra good pulley?

The 1972 pulley is different than the same set up on my 75 Firebird. The 1975 has a replaceable bearing but the 1972 is sealed in and doesn't look like there's any way to remove it.

Anyone run into this before? I replaced the bearing in the 1975 pulley and it was the same bearing as in an alternator rebuild kit. It looks like someone has had this before and I replied but didnt realize there were different pulleys at the time: http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...t=idler+pulley





and here is the removeable bearing in the 1975 pulley. It has a snap ring that keeps it in place. and the mounting bolt goes right through the bearing and into the bracket.

[Pepi]

Steve, I have been looking for a pulley like that also. PM sent.

[Held for Ransom]

http://www.forums.maxperformanceinc....d.php?t=668062

[njsteve]

Reviewing all the past threads on this has been a great help. Until I can send out mine to get fixed I just ordered the following from Rock Auto. Total was around $30.57 with shipping and 5% discount code.

Gates #38038 idler pulley, $17.69 This is the later style that uses the through-bolt
Four Seasons #45920, idler pulley bolt $4.06
Four Seasons #45907, idler pulley bolt spacer $5.02 (I dont know if I need it or not)

BTW, you have to search for the part numbers. They don't come up under any application for my car.

[1973Formula]

Hey Steve-

Are you sure that bearing isn't a press fit into the pulley? That knurled edge makes me think it is. It is hard to tell from the picture, but you might be able to use the threads on the bolt to fashion a puller that would allow you to remove the damaged bearing.

-Tom

[njsteve]

It is press fit but then the metal is knurled around to retain it. The bearing is actually wobbling in there and the only thing retaining it at the moment in the knurled edge. If I can't find a better one, I may send it to Pepi to see if his machinist can replace the bearing and fix the oversize.

[Held for Ransom]

Glad to help.

[njsteve]

The new idler pulley arrived today. It works out fine. Here are the parts I ordered:

Gates #38038 idler pulley, $17.69 This is the later style that uses the through-bolt
Four Seasons #45920, idler pulley bolt $4.06
Four Seasons #45907, idler pulley bolt spacer $5.02

And as I thought, you do not need that 45907 spacer. The bolt is designed with a shoulder that fits the bearing inner race perfectly without any spacer.

Here are some measurements:
1972 sealed cover pulley: 3.720 wide
Gates 38038 pulley: 3.740 wide (it has a slight rib on the edge, otherwise its same width as 1972 pulley)
1975 replaceable bearing pulley: 3.625 wide

All three have the same belt groove width

The new pulley does have a slight offset difference (.010) depending on which side you put the bolt through. So pay attention. You still need to put a specific thcikness washer to get it to sit out from the triangular bracket at the proper distance for belt allignment. I mix and matched two washers to get it to line up perfectly. WIth the original single factory washer between the pulley bearing and the bracket, the pulley was around 1/32 too close to the block and you could see the belt cocking at a slight angle.



Here's all three together. You can see that the 1975 pulley on the bottom is slightly smaller.



Here are the three pulleys and two brackets. Note that the 1972 bracket on the left is slightly different than the 1975 bracket, which is wider near the adjustment slot.

[njsteve]

I have been hunting down some parts to try to assemble a correct unitized distributor for the car. I recently got one 1973 1112203 off of ebay, a 1974 1112810 from a trade for an old holley carb I wasn't using, and got a rebuilt 1973 1112203 from an auto parts store. I do still need an actual 1972 1112133 in case anyone has a useable core out there.

These contraptions were a standard option on the 455HO Formula and optional on the Trans Am. They were somewhat notorious for glitches, being the first self-contained transistorized ignition developed by Pontiac. In evolutionary terms, if the the later HEI distributor was a modern human, then the Unitized Distributor was a Neanderthal.

The big problem was that the parts were unique and never produced by the aftermarket. The distributor cap, the rotor, the coil, and most of all, the wire set were unique and insanely expensive even back in 1972. The ignition module was housed in the base with wires that connected to the coil pack. The wire set was a molded one piece octopus that required complete replacement as a unit if you burned or broke a single wire. It sold new from the dealer, for several hundred dollars back when a regular points ignition wire set was around $20. So when something happened, the entire distributor was usually tossed and a newer HEI was installed in its place for 1/4 the price.

Here's one assembled:



Here's the three I have now

[njsteve]

The cap is more of a fixture for holding the wire "octopus" and has no internal terminals for the spark plug leads. It has a spring that sits on the top coil terminal and a spring loaded carbon button that is inserted into the center of the bottom of the cap. (the cap on the left is cracked and missing the carbon button).





The coil pack sits on top of the wire "octopus" and two long screws go through the coil pack, then the wire set and cap and into the distributor base.





Here's the internal module:

[njsteve]

And here is the notorious wire set. The eight spark plug wires are permanently molded into the center ring. If there was a problem with one wire...you had a problem with the whole set and had to replace it as a unit. Big $$$



Here is a chopped up center ring.



There is a way to split the center seam of the molded rubber ring with a razor and insert a regular wire set into the terminals. I will be trying that just to see if it will work. Others have done this with good results in the past.

[njsteve]

Using the original 1972 service manual, I went through the diagnosis and testing procedures with an ohm-meter as described in the manual. All three distributors, modules and coils packs tested out fine. The common problem with these distributors was overheating the coil pack and melting the windings until it shorted out. If the coil windings were going, then the module was overworked and failed as well. This usually all happened without warning.

I have a pile of original repair work orders from London Motor Products, the dealer that sold the car new. There are multiple work orders for replacing the distributor or coil pack or some other no-start condition.

[charles bledsoe]

Thanks Steve for posting the pictures!! When I got my 72 Formula the distributor had been long changed out. The one in there is for a 1980 301 motor. Not sure if that's when it was changed out, or if it was done at a later date. Your pics give me a clear picture of what to be on the lookout for next time I go to the swap meets!!

[PB]

Looking forward to the details when you slice one open....I have a few I have been wanting to try doing. Nice details as usual Steve!

[RicksGTO]

Steve, have you considered going the HEI conversion route like Pat did with an original 1112133 unit on his blue '72 T/A?
I'd like to convert one like he did but will put that off until I'm done with the car and maybe try it then.