[Healeys] Distributor Base Plate

[Chris Dimmock]

Hi Price,
A 25D vacuum advance baseplate is a 25D vacuum advance baseplate.
The 6 is 6 cylinder. What makes a 25D6 a 6 cylinder distributor is 3
components - the distributor cam (6 lobes); the rotor; and the distributor cap
(6 plug leads plus coil).
i.e. 25D6 has 3 components that make it 6 cylinder. Not the other components -
like points, bearing, condenser, weights, baseplate or springs, These items
don't care about cylinders.
The 25D4 is the 4 cylinder version.
They are interchangeable  in most major components. The 25D4 can become a 25D6
by changing 3 components (cam, cap, rotor).
The baseplates are the same for all vacuum advance Lucas 25D distributors. So
are the bodies, bearings etc.
25D4 baseplate = 25D6 baseplate.
Therefore, If you want a factory BJ8 distributor baseplate, you can get one
out of any vacuum advance 4 cylinder BMC production car of the period -mini,
mgb, sprite. The baseplate doesn't care about cylinders, its a plate.
The only issue is diameter of the points "post" - and I'm 99% sure they are
all the same on vacuum advance 25D dizzys. Cooper S had a non vacuum advance
23D with a thicker post for the 32 oz heavy duty points.
I don't have vacuum advance as I have triple webers.
So I have a cooper s 4 cylinder non vacuum advance baseplate with a cooper s 4
cylinder distributor body in my BJ8, with a 6 cyl cam, cap, and rotor. So did
all factory BJ8 racecars. I converted a 23D4 to a 23D6 just like Geoof Healey
did.
The distributor cam, rotor and cap are the components of a Lucas distributor
which determine how many cylinders there are.
And you know what? DMH used Lucas distributors just like ours to set land
speed records, and to run at Le Mans and Sebring. And our little brothers
using A Series engines used Lucas distributors in A Series engines to pull
9,000 rpm in Formula Juniors.
Lucas vacuum cleaners may have been the only Lucas product that didn't suck;
but Lucas distributors, correctly assembled and setup, have set more land
speed records and track lap records in Healeys than modern electronics in
Healeys by far.
Oh. And whoever said about condensers? Your mates need the competition ones -
http://www.distributordoctor.com/distributor_condensers.htm
Vibration is the enemy of condensers.
Best
Chris
Sent from my iPhone

On 21/08/2012, at 1:03 PM, Price Lindsay <050.rpl at gmail.com> wrote:

> Listers -
>
> Where does go to purchase a distributor base plate for a 25D6 (BJ 8)
> distributor?
>
> Thank you in advance for your input.
>
> Price Lindsay