<VV> Re: VirtualVairs Digest, Vol 9, Issue 220

[Frank DuVal]

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>>Interestingly, the radios didn't go fully solid-state until some time
>>later, although the oldest Corvair radios I have seen already had
>>transistor output amplifiers.
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>Delco started producing hybrid radios in 1960 AFAIR (the 12v tubes, 
>12DZ6,12AD6,12EA6, 12DV6 could not produce the necessary output power but 
>allowed a radio to be built without a vibrator), and went all-transistor 
>for most lines in 1963, the same model year most lines dumped generators 
>and went to alternators. Just more things the Corvair did not get until 
>after the rest of GM or did not get at all..
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>  And while we're at it, why do
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>> And while we're at it, why do the V8 guys get a cute little window for 
>>adjusting point gap/dwell with the
>>engine running and we have to take the cap off and diddle with screws and
>>feeler gauges?
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>Because that was how earlier distributors were designed. You get the 
>feeling that not much engineering effort was ever spent on the Corvair, 
>just about everything other than sheet metal was off the shelf or adapted 
>rather than being designed from the ground up. Possibly their entire budget 
>was spent on making air cooling work and adapting longitudinal 
>transmissions to the transaxle.
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>There is also the issue that the windowed distributor with the unitized 
>points and capacitor is about an inch  wider than the Corvair unit and that 
>would have caused shroud interference problems. My guess it that GM decided 
>not to bother with it for "low line" engines.
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>You have to look at the Corvair in the context of everything that was going 
>on around it. Then at least some of it makes sense.
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>Padgett 
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Ahhh, the old "Space Charged" tubes. They worked with only 12 volts on the plates instead of several hundred like home radios with transformers (or doublers) or 150 volts like the "All American Five" with 12BE6, 50C5, etc., or 90 volts like those portables with the 1 volt filament tubes (1L5, 3Q5). These Space Charged tubes helped fill the gap between high B+ available with a vibrator/ transformer and all solid state radios. From my working on cars and radios it appears to me the Space Charged tube radios appeared in the 1958 model year for GM. I know the 1957 Buick and Chevrolet radios I have seen have been vibrator models. The good old DS-501 germanium power transistor is from the late fifties and it allowed solid state output. No more 6V6 oops,  12V6  push pull.

Well, Ford didn't put alternators on most of their lines until 1965 model year. I can not think of any GM line later than the Corvair for alternator conversion. I guess they wanted to use up all those larger generator pulleys that were made 

On window distributors, didn't these first appear on the 1955 Chevrolet small block (265)? I know 1957 is the year Buick went to the window distributor and of course was a redesign of the nail head engine from 322 cu.in. to 364. My 1957 Olds has a window distributor, but do not know if it was first year for distributor. It was first year for Olds 371 cu in. The Corvair distributor in 1960 does not match any other GM 6 cyl AFAIK (flame on). The 235/216 Chevy stove bolt six was very different. That distributor had the vacuum  advance rotate the body of the distributor. Rev the gas, watch plug wires move. I think the change for Corvair distributor in 1962 was based on the need for another distributor for the new 194/230/250/292 block that came out in the Chevy II in 1962 and full sized Chevys in 1963. Maybe the existing 60-61 distributor did not adapt itself to the new block design. Oh, also the block was used for the 153 cu in 4 cylinder that was available until 1970 in a Chev
y II/Nova. Hmmm, this distributor style is also used with the 4 cylinder tempest, that 1/2 of a 389 V-8 design according to Motors manual, 1970. Was this used in the 1961 model year? I need more literature.

Unitized points did not come along until much later for the V-8's. My 1970 Buick 455 has separate holes for points and condenser. A unitized set will fit, but not necessary. 

The window distributor is also known as Delco-Remy external adjustment  type. It is an inch wider than the Corvair later style because it has two more towers, 8 cylinders vs 6 cylinders, in addition to the window bump. I have a Subaru 360 2 cylinder with a very small distributor cap.

Frank DuVal