• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Very odd radically modified SBM distributor... For a dry sump engine with a crank trigger???

67charger383

Well-Known Member
Local time
6:09 AM
Joined
Dec 13, 2019
Messages
1,237
Reaction score
5,077
Location
Maryland
Ok. This is a mystery to me.
I bought this distributor at a swap meet in a parts lot.

It has the body, cap, and rotor of a MSD 8534 old style distributor for a LA Mopar smallblock.

But here's where things get weird:
It has zero electronics inside or advance mechanism at all, and it appears to have a different shaft put in it. It does not have the screwdriver tip at the bottom to work with a oil pump driveshaft, and instead has a bronze distributor gear at the bottom.

Someone on a previous post commented that it is for a SBF, but after further inspection it is absolutely for a small block Mopar.

Here's what I am thinking:
Could it be for a small block Mopar with a crank trigger ignition? That would explain the lack of electronics and an advance system.

But what about the cam gear being on the shaft?
It appears to be long enough to fully engage with the cam and sit in the bushing when locked down.
How would that work without any type of way for an oil pump driveshaft to mount?

The guy also DID have a crank trigger and a SBM dry sump oil system for sale...

Is this distributor for a super radical SBM that uses a crank trigger ignition and a belt driven dry sump oil pump? that would explain the lack of an interface for a oil pump driveshaft and the custom longer shaft.

That's all I can think of it being for...

Does anyone have any experience with dry sump oil systems and crank triggers that can confirm this?

q-4jjwcqavvzzci3dbpjm7pxol5ujztf79idjxjayonx9omrxilfpvgyfse6xmfgyfj-w1264-h948-no-authuser-0-jpg.jpg
 
I think you are spot on.

the distributor is for and engine that uses a crank trigger so all it does is distribute the spark. The reason the drive gear is on the shaft is the engine it was on didn’t use a factory type oil pump. Instead it had a belt driven external oil pump.
 
I think you are spot on.

the distributor is for and engine that uses a crank trigger so all it does is distribute the spark. The reason the drive gear is on the shaft is the engine it was on didn’t use a factory type oil pump. Instead it had a belt driven external oil pump.
So will the bronze gear work on any SBM? I'm probably gonna part this thing out because I'll never find someone who would use this for it's original purpose. The cap and rotor are brand new
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top