[Mike Lannom]

What is the correct distributor cap for an April built 69 Judge?

Patent Pending ?

Patent Pending with an R

Patent #

Thanks
Mike

[gtohurstjudge]

HOLY COW! That's what I call getting down to the nitty gritty! You are taking numbers match where no man has ever gone before! One small step for man,
one giant step for GTOAA points judging! Anyone who knows the answer to this query,
may know the answer to something that has been buggin me for years.....On a February 69 Arlington built GTO, what color is the grease inside the ball joint cups.....
black, blue, or brown?

[Mike Lannom]

I'm 99 percent sure it was blue but only at the Arlington Plant. I believe all the other plants had brown.

[SWEETJUDGE]

thats some serious grease............................

[gtohurstjudge]

Thanks for the info....Unfortunately, I have the wrong color grease in my
boots right now. What is the best way to remove the wrong color grease without
damaging the boots on the ball joints?

[dr-doug]

You folks have got to be kidding.....but I don't see smiley faces or LOL's.....I'll try to find my directory of Psychiatrists, and posts some numbers in your area.Imagine these as the marbles you have lost .....DW

[Judge273]

I sold some parts to Mike a couple of years ago. He is a great guy, and he likes to do things right. Mike has the right cars for the detail that he is trying to attain in the restoration process.

Better to do it right the first time in my book. Good luck Mike and keep digging for the answers it will help all of us who sweat the details.

Post some more pictures of that sweet 69 vert Judge too!

[RUFFJUDGE]

Since you guys are looking that close to #'s I was wondering if the cap should be that burgendy/brown color or red? I have seen delco cap's both colors and have been wondering what was correct...

Thank's, Dennis...

[gtohurstjudge]

All the Delco caps I have ever had including the original that I tossed
in the trash can 34 years ago was black. If I had only kept it we could find out if
there is a patent pending or R on the thing. If someone will pay me 2500.00 I will go
to the landfill outside of town and see if I can dig it up. Of course the money would be
provided at your own risk(kind of like speculating on oil wells).

[Held for Ransom]

On my '70 RAIII motor, the cap is black and is embossed with PATENT PENDING and a R. Plug wires are stamped PACKARD TV R SUPPRESSION 2Q-70 and plugs are an AC R47S ACNITER. Engine was in a '70 TA.

[RUFFJUDGE]

Thank's guys, must have been some kind of replacement stuff. Glad I didn't buy now, something just didn't look right!

Dennis...

[68alpinebluegto]

The red caps were used on some TI applications. The brown ones are also correct for some pre 69 applications... which ones? I don't know.

[BUQUICK]

I can't say for sure that this information is totally correct, but this is what I have been told by a few people regarding original delco distributor caps.

1959-Early 1968: Patent Pending (no R)
1968-1972 : Patent Pending R
1973-up service replacement: patent # 276xxx R

The guy that told me this information was selling caps and seemed pretty knowledgable about this subject. I usually buy any version of these caps when I see them reasonably priced. Every GM car we restore will at least have one of these rather than just an autoparts store garden variety cap. Very few people at shows notice this detail but when they do, they go look at the other cars in the class and notice that no one else usually has one. Since few seem to know which version is correct, I've never heard anyone say "you have the wrong distributor cap!". It's not too obvious on the Pontiacs but on the Buicks it is really noticable since the distributor is up front.

The examples shown in the pictures below have all been painted (they were used caps), only the NOS cap has the correct finish.

Hope this helps.

[Mike Lannom]

Thanks BUQUICK,

This site is great! It seems somebody always has the info your looking for!

[Bet Winner]

Originally Posted by BUQUICK

I can't say for sure that this information is totally correct, but this is what I have been told by a few people regarding original delco distributor caps.

1959-Early 1968: Patent Pending (no R)
1968-1972 : Patent Pending R
1973-up service replacement: patent # 276xxx R

This is an old, informative and quite funny thread so let's give it another go!! LOL

I only see what must be a generic cap sold here at PY, but Ames has a repo distributor cap without the "R". The description on Ames site says that these were used into 1969, but BUQUICK had been told that 1968 was apparently the transition year. I suppose that there were so many caps floating around in the GM system that it was superseded at different plants at different times. And it may have made a come back at some plants when using older stock.

Does anyone have an updated rule of thumb before I buy one? And is the Ames repo cap a good quality cap?

Also, I see the Delco-Remy D308R and D309R for sale. The 309 apparently has copper connections. Was it used on Pontiacs? I assume that most of our cars got the 308. Is that right?

And how can I get some Baltimore factory air for my tires?

[johnta1]

And how can I get some Baltimore factory air for my tires?

You realize how much smog they had back then?
It probably had more solids in the tire than air.

[trishieldchief]

Great cap detail here Gary
Thanks
Is the 70 GS Stage 1 ready for th road yet?
Good seeing you at the Buick GS National last fall
Regards Rich

Originally Posted by BUQUICK

I can't say for sure that this information is totally correct, but this is what I have been told by a few people regarding original delco distributor caps.

1959-Early 1968: Patent Pending (no R)
1968-1972 : Patent Pending R
1973-up service replacement: patent # 276xxx R

The guy that told me this information was selling caps and seemed pretty knowledgable about this subject. I usually buy any version of these caps when I see them reasonably priced. Every GM car we restore will at least have one of these rather than just an autoparts store garden variety cap. Very few people at shows notice this detail but when they do, they go look at the other cars in the class and notice that no one else usually has one. Since few seem to know which version is correct, I've never heard anyone say "you have the wrong distributor cap!". It's not too obvious on the Pontiacs but on the Buicks it is really noticable since the distributor is up front.

The examples shown in the pictures below have all been painted (they were used caps), only the NOS cap has the correct finish.

Hope this helps.

[gtohurstjudge]

Originally Posted by Bet Winner

This is an old, informative and quite funny thread so let's give it another go!! LOL

I only see what must be a generic cap sold here at PY, but Ames has a repo distributor cap without the "R". The description on Ames site says that these were used into 1969, but BUQUICK had been told that 1968 was apparently the transition year. I suppose that there were so many caps floating around in the GM system that it was superseded at different plants at different times. And it may have made a come back at some plants when using older stock.

Does anyone have an updated rule of thumb before I buy one? And is the Ames repo cap a good quality cap?

Also, I see the Delco-Remy D308R and D309R for sale. The 309 apparently has copper connections. Was it used on Pontiacs? I assume that most of our cars got the 308. Is that right?

And how can I get some Baltimore factory air for my tires?

I can help on the air in the tires. My car was built in Arlington, and the plant
is still there and only 36 miles from my house. What I do whenever my tires need
air, is drive my GTO to the plant, set up my portable air compressor just inside
the door when no-one is watching and plug it in. I make sure that the tank is
empty on my compressor when I start, by pumping it down to 30 inches of vacuum
with my A/C vacuum pump. Once the pump kicks on, it starts drawing genuine Arlington
Plant air into the storage tank. When I get 90 psi in the tank, I air up my Polyglas
tires and voila! Usually while I'm there I try to breathe some of this genuine air into my lungs for a while, at least until they catch me and run me off!

[Bet Winner]

We may be a humorous group, but I don't believe we're stand up comic material.............

Anyway, I take it that nobody knows any more about when the "R" came and went so I may eventually go the repo route with the no "R" cap. This detail is about as small as it gets anyway..............Used caps are apparently going for $100+

Those are great picturs of the caps and helped me because I knew little about these.

[marxjunk]

its know r is 69 up, no r is 68 down..r is for resister..which became standard for 69..if your car had the sheilding around the points.(which every 69 ive ever seen has) it should have the r cap...the tolerences are tighter to reduce radio noise...rotors are resistor or not also..i have a few NOS rotors

i have 4 or 5 delco books dated and they show the specific numbers for the years..not like a generic fits all.

red caps are TI caps..the brown caps are over the counter HD pieces...

disclaimer....all statements made are subject to change in the event someone challenges me or what ever..i'm tired of arguing my point on the internet...lol
these statement have been reviewed by my lawyer and to the best of my knowlede are believed to be correct in my mind..at least the voices say they are right...