Vintage Sun Distributor Tester ID help wanted

[OldIronLover]

I have a older Sun Distributor tester that I would like to determine the model and possibly get access to a manual. It is a cabinet style 6 volt machine. It has a 6 volt battery charger in the cabinet. It appears to have all the badges on it but no model number. It has the apparently optional RPM dwell unit and the vacuum advance unit.

 

[four.cycle]

One of the "Sun" threads is HERE

You might want to bookmark this link

and this one

That looks like a fun project.

Welcome to the site!

 

[engineer2]

Here too:

Anyone else a Sun Equipment junkie??

I was a rep for Sun Electric years ago which probably fueled my passion for automotive service and test equipment. Now if I see an old Sun machine, I have to have it. Not only are they some great garage art, they actually are quite useful for diagnosing engine and electrical automotive problems...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[mikegt4]

I have a similar one although it's in pieces, a stalled project. Mine is a 1950's era tester, I found a ink stamp dated in 1958. I am not sure that they classified them by model, just a "Master Distributor Tester". I assume "Master" signifies that it had all the best and whistles available at the time. One of the photos claims a model #104A. These photos I picked up off the web over the years.

 

[FredWanaker]

go on TheSamba.com and contact either Bill at SparkWerks https://www.sparxwerks.com/ or Glenn Ring https://www.glenn-ring.com/bosch/ to see if they have any suggestions. Both have working sun machines, and the do Bosch distributor restorations all the time.

 

[mogandave]

Is that a Fairbanks-Morse in the background?

 

[MBfreak]

6V ? Is that a UK machine?
Ola

 

[lostmind]

I used one like that in the early 1960's. Probably 57/58 era

 

[mogandave]

6V ? Is that a UK machine?
Ola

My '53 Ford was 6V

 

[MBfreak]

Mogandave.
Thanks for the info.
My experience from classic US cars is only from repairing their radios, going back as far as a 1936(?) Lincoln V12.
And so far, all have been 12 V , with negative earth. Of ourse, some of the cars may have been conerted from 6 to 12 V?

Ola

 

[mogandave]

I think up until the mid-fifties most all US cars were 6V. My F-100 was positive ground which I think was pretty common as well.

12V conversions were pretty common as were inverters that would allow you to run 12V negative ground tape players and whatnot.

 

[firebirdparts]

All points distributors are 6V. That's what everybody is forgetting. If you put a points distributor in that machine, it'll work. You need to measure dwell and the advance curves, and you just don't need 12V to do that.

 

[Ricky Joe]

All points distributors are 6V. That's what everybody is forgetting. If you put a points distributor in that machine, it'll work. You need to measure dwell and the advance curves, and you just don't need 12V to do that.

I don’t think distributors are sensitive to voltage, before electronic ignition systems. So even 1960s/early 70s points distributors can be tested on a six volt system.

 

[RPH]

I don’t think distributors are sensitive to voltage, before electronic ignition systems. So even 1960s/early 70s points distributors can be tested on a six volt system.

This is why the ballast resistor is installed in series with the run switch position. In start position 12 vdc is applied to boost coil output during start.
Points have a tendency to burn up on 12 vdc if run all the time. Coils another item that is voltage sensitive in some applications.

 

[Ricky Joe]

When doing conversions, I always replaced the coil. The condenser never got a second thought, and I never had any problems from that. I would guess that if you didn’t replace the coil that it might send too much voltage to the points, resulting in burning them up.

 

[warbird1]

Points are not voltage sensitive; Coils are... you have to use a balanced system, coil, ballast resistor and condenser.

 

[Ricky Joe]

Points are not voltage sensitive; Coils are... you have to use a balanced system, coil, ballast resistor and condenser.

I’m going to respectfully disagree about the condenser. So long as it can handle the current, it doesn’t matter whether the voltage is six or twelve, or twenty-four. All it has to do is collect current and release it. There is no such thing as a separate condenser based on voltage.

 

[warbird1]

You are correct about condensers not being voltage sensitive; but it's not about the voltage on the condenser... it's about the current flow and capacity of the condenser regardless of the voltage.

http://www.bubbasignition.com/condensors.html

 

[RPH]

They allow a spot for the current flow at the moment of opening, anytime electrons are flowing they want to continue to flow, that is an arc.
Condenser are capacitors. We all know they have voltage specifications. 12 vdc is not the concern. Interesting though if the condenser is the wrong value it can cause arcing on the points. Depending which point had the deposit pointed which way the capacitor had to move value wise.