Your Mustang's distributor performs one heck of a job. It has to deliver a timed spark to each spark plug at precisely the right moment in sync with piston travel and crankshaft, camshaft, and valve timing events. And it has to do it quickly and under extreme conditions. Because your Mustang's distributor has such an overwhelming task, it's important to understand how to rebuild and properly tune it for optimum performance.
Spark timing is everything to performance and engine life. We're not talking just for trailblazing, dragstrip performance; it's also required for normal driving where you count on precise distributor function. You need pep to get onto the freeway. You need a smooth idle and an engine that will not stall at the traffic light. And you need just the right amount of spark advance as rpm increases. Poor performance happens when there isn't enough spark advance (retarded timing). It also happens when there is too much (advanced timing). Engine damage can occur when there's too much spark advance.
We needed a distributor for...
We needed a distributor for a '64½ Mustang with a D-code 289 4V engine. Garrett Marks at Mustangs Etc. pulled this core from his inventory. It's a C4AF-12127-U single-point Autolite distributor, exactly what we need for a daily driver. Garrett was also able to provide us with the correct B8QH-12120-A bushing to complement our rebuild. PerTronix set us up with an Ignitor II module, a Flamethrower ignition coil, and ignition wires for improved driveability.
As antiquated as old Ford distributors may seem, you can fine-tune them if you think of them as precision components. Vacuum advance and centrifugal advance must work hand in hand for a seamless transition from idle to power. You can fine-tune a distributor with a distributor machine, but they are in short supply these days because distributor curving has become a lost art. You can also tune your distributor in a running engine using a timing light and dwell meter.
The vacuum advance unit is a small chamber that attaches to the distributor with two machine screws. Inside you'll find a rubber diaphragm and a linkage connected to the breaker plate inside the distributor. The vacuum advance unit moves the breaker plate to advance spark timing as we come off the carburetor's idle circuit and begin accelerating. The centrifugal (mechanical) advance is tied to the distributor shaft beneath the breaker plate and is there to advance or retard rotor position. As the shaft spins faster, it throws the flyweights outward (centrifugal force) to advance spark timing. Spring tension against the flyweights is what limits spark advance. The more spring tension, the higher the rpm as the mechanical advance is being applied. The less spring tension, the lower the rpm range when mechanical spark advance comes into play. It all depends on spring thickness and how much tension we place on the spring during curving. This is where a distributor machine comes in handy.
We managed to unearth a serviceable...
We managed to unearth a serviceable Ford vacuum advance unit for this rebuild.
An important footnote to this article is the distributor we've chosen. Our C4AF distributor, as found in early '64½ Mustangs, is fundamentally the same as C5AF (1965) and later distributors. However, the mechanical advance unit is different with smaller flyweights and a different approach to adjustment.
Precision Tuning
Ignition tuning isn't black magic. It's the simple physics of spark timing as it relates to piston position during the compression/ignition stroke. You want to set initial spark timing around 6-12 degrees BTDC at idle (650-750 rpm) with the vacuum advance disconnected and the vacuum hose plugged to get your baseline ignition timing.
Make sure the vacuum hose is getting metering vacuum, not constant intake manifold vacuum. Metered vacuum is above the throttle plates where vacuum occurs only when the throttle is opened. There should be little or no vacuum at idle.
The objective is to have vacuum and mechanical spark advance that is seamless. When you lean on the throttle, vacuum advance goes to work right away, handing off to mechanical advance as rpm and vehicle speed increases. To get there, vacuum and mechanical advance needs to come into play at appropriate times, rpm-wise.
 Closer inspection reveals...  Closer inspection reveals a 1964-vintage Autolite distributor with an oil wick. The vacuum advance had been replaced with an aftermarket unit. |  Here are the three breaker...  Here are the three breaker plates available for single-point Autolite/Motorcraft distributors. From left to right: the original plate removed from our Autolite distributor, Car Quest PN FD8006, and Motorcraft PN D2PZ-12151-A. The best advice we can offer is to buy the Motorcraft breaker plate and borrow new parts from it for your distributor's original breaker plate. It's still the best breaker plate because the replacements aren't as durable. The Car Quest breaker plate (likely universal across the aftermarket industry) is flimsy. The replacement Motorcraft breaker plate has a plastic spring-loaded pivot that doesn't offer the stability of your Mustang's original breaker plate. |  There are three types of shaft...  There are three types of shaft bushings used in Autolite/Motorcraft distributors. Early distributors have one bushing-B8QH-12120-A. For 1965 and later, you can expect the C5AZ-12120-A bushing (main bushing) through the top and the C5AZ-12132-A through the bottom (lower bushing). Not all distributors will have the lower bushing. Although widely reported that these bushings are unavailable, they can be found through obscure sources. If you go to www.amazon.com, you will find all three of these bushings. Bearing companies, such as WBParts Aircraft Parts Procurement Service, is another source. Just give them the part numbers. |