Hi, Does anybody know where I can get a Bosch Distributor rebuild kit. I've been told that Bosch wont sell them but i believe they are out there somewhere. It is for a '63 220b.Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks,Pat.

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Pat McCusker
1963 220B

Was thinking of the same for my vehicle and stumbled onto this guy's site.

http://www.glenn-ring.com/010/

He rebuilds these older Bosch units and quoted me $100 for a rebuild. He specializes in VW/ Porsche units but they look similar if not identical to mine dist. His told me his Bosch parts are ordered through a Porsche shop.

At least it's a step-by-step on what you're in for - process doesn't look terrible.

One would think universal rebuild kits would be available through Bosch. You might ask your local VW or Porsche dealer who their Bosch contact is and try them.

Your Bosch model # located on the small plate on your distributor body will be needed rather than your M/B model.

Keep us posted.

Thanks for the info Joe. I will check the Link you gave me. I spoke to a large part supplier that advertises in Hemmings and he said he went to Germany and talked to Bosch and they refused to sell them. I have the thing apart and all cleaned up and polished like new. The bushings are good but if they had been bad I could make them. I work in a machine shop. Basically what I need is washers and spacers and two little springs and things like that. The distributor is a
VJUR 6 BR 47T. If anybody else has info I'd like to check it all.
Thanks, PAT.

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Pat McCusker
1963 220B

I found my rebuild kits thanks to the responses I got from this and other forums. I have a spare distributor and want to rebuild both of them so I bought a kit from two seperate suppliers in case one is better than the other although I have heared great things about both of them.
I got one from Ray Paul at SL Classics who specializes in parts for early SL's His number is(800) 293-2358.
I got one kit from Dan Caron at Benz Barn in Michigan. He specializes in restorations and also distributor rebuilds. His number is (877) 661-6061.
Also Thanks Joe , the Glenn-Ring.com website is an extreamly helpfull pictorial on Bosch distributor rebuild.
Thanks Pat.

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Pat McCusker
1963 220B

Pat --

Wanted to check and see if you've rebuilt your distributor yet. I'm about to order a rebuild kit from Dan and wanted to check how yours turned out.

Difficult job? Did the rebuild kits have all necessary parts? Any difference in car performance?

Regards,

Hi JMela, The Kit from Dan came with everything I needed. It also came with the bronze bushings for the shaft but I didn't need to replace them, But it was a good kit.You will have alot of parts left over. The rebuild was relatively easy but I would recomend you take alot of pictures to help you remember how it goes back together. I got good detailed pictures and some instruction from a site called http://www.glenn-ring.com/010/ One thing that would help you is if you are carefull when you remove the thin fiber type material spacer that goes under the weights of the centrifugal advance. That material just disintegerated on me from careless handeling so I had to use the replacement from the kit and it wasn't nearly as good. It was just a flimsy plastic sheet. fortunately I work in a machine shop so I was able to sand blast the body and polish the shaft so it looks real good.And arter the rebuild it works nice and smooth. Also I bought a crane electronic ignition from George Murphy but I havent installed that yet.It will make it so I never have to worry about points and dwell again especially since my cam that opens and closes the points is a little worn. Purist might not like it but I think it will be great . It is a CraneXR-700-0231. I also bought a new Crane Coil. Good Luck to You. I really enjoyed doing mine. It was actually a fun project.

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Pat McCusker
1963 220B

I didin't mention that I had bought another distributor on EBAY for nine dollars because the picture looked like the cam on it was better than the one I had and it was a little better but it was still a loose and sloppy with alot of end play on the shaft and I didn't like it so I rebuilt both of them and that is the one I put back in the car and I am going to put the crane ignition in the other one and swap them. My car still isn't running great because I have other problems.I just lapped the valves and replaced the head gasket and everthing looks good but it seems to run at 30 d BTDC and it should be 4deg. I'm not sure whats up. Im still studying.

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Pat McCusker
1963 220B

Just reread the whole thread and realized I got the glenn ring thing from you so you know all about it . Great Site. Pat.

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Pat McCusker
1963 220B

Thanks for checking in, Pat. Looks like yours turned out nicely. I'm running an optical unit (Pertronix) instead of points and found it to be a huge improvement. I'll post my rebuild efforts when they are underway.

Here's another cheer for Crane's breakerless ignition unit. I have been running one, the XR-700 driving a HI-6 CD ignition for several years now, no problems except that the additional energy in the CD tends to eat up the resistor in the rotor, I have bypassed the resistance by digging out the epoxy (after it cracks open from the heat) and soldering a tiny wire (solid strand of wire from a heavier electrical wire) across the cavity in the rotor (if you need a picture to understand that, it will require me to take the rotor out of the car to shoot a photo!) I read this is a common problem in other cars where the multiple strike CD ignitions are installed. Seems that Bosch rotors were not made without a resistor in them
Attached is the set up in my W115 car, all that ignition stuff plus a fuse block and a couple of relays is located where the battery used to live. I relocated the battery to the trunk, where a group 49 lives inside a plastic battery box. Not a classic car so no effort to keep it stock, eh?
I have since replaced the oil filled coil with a Crane LX91 coil, and 8 mm silicone wires.

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

Does Pertronix have an optical unit now ?
Tnx

Art - although LED-based 'optic' switches are similar, the Pertronix is a magnetic 'Hall-effect' unit. My mistake. Hall-effect switches involve 'a sensor that creates a pulsed voltage signal as a trigger wheel with windows or other protrusions interrupts a magnetic field. Like the photo-optic sensor, the Hall effect sensor toggles a reference voltage from the engine computer to ground to create a sequence of voltage pulses'.

Pat - here's a reference link on the MB install of a Crane unit, which is a LED-based 'optical' unit.

Joe,

Yes . I am familiar with the hall effect ones , I just thought , from your post, that Petr. had finally come out with an Optics trigger one..
We have done several scope testings of both units for some time now and are always looking into any newer editions.
thanks
Arthur

Remember me . I live in Milford and talked to you a while ago. Any Idea what might cause this. "My car still isn't running great because I have other problems.I just lapped the valves and replaced the head gasket and everthing looks good but it seems to run at 30 d BTDC and it should be 4deg. I'm not sure whats up. Im still studying." All my marks are lined up. It was like this when I bought it. Could the pointer on the damper have moved or something like that? You had thought the centrifugal advance was stuck in the distributor and it was. there was so much end play that the pins had pulled out of the weights so they werent moving properly but after rebuild it still runs that way. Pat McCusker.

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Pat McCusker
1963 220B

Pat ,
I think I spoke to you over the phone ?

Have you turned the dist. to correct the timing?
A test for the mechanical advance is to turn the rotor by hand and see if it springs back to original position when you let it go..
If you still have a problem and are still in town, just give me a call.
Arthur