Twin Plug Dual distributor build

[volkaholic1]

ok 1 more . here is the 356 setup

now if you look at the 1/2 cylinder head, the upper part, you can see a alumimum disc, that is where the upper camshaft is, this is where they sometimes put a distributor drive
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Volkaholic

[Alstrup]

Here is my 009 version

And here is the billet

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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=435993

[gears]

In 1991 I offered dual plug machining service + this 1-piece distributor body with 031 or 009 internals ...

... which was a step up from my adapter plate test version.

extra wires & years of filth

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9.36 @ 146 in '86 Hot & Sticky
'90 Syncro Westy SVX
'87 Syncro GL 2.5
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[Alstrup]

Cool.
This has been worked on many times, but almost always abandonned again, because "nobody" ever finished the development and therefore claimed "it doesnt work"
There are/were several reasons to why they were not able to justify it. Part of it was understanding the benefits, - and limitations of of it, such as a simple thing as ignition timing throughout the rpm band, not just WOT.
Another thing was the lack of understanding the dual flamefront propagandation. Today we know much more. Maybe it takes off a little again.
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=435993

[Longboardluv]

I'm going to go ahead and revive this thread after 12 years with this video of Ninamashr's motor


Link

[Glenn]

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[Longboardluv]

here's the full video!

Link

[notchboy]

Thanks for posting up the vid - VWLife guys! Just had the chance to see this and Lupe's cool ride

Great job all around. Almost makes me wish I still lived in San Antonio, but then Im like nah.

A Californian that moved there during the 05 bubble that came back to home - San Diego in 2018. See, people do leave Cali for Texas and come back.
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[74 Thing]

Anyone have experience with this programmable dual plug distributor
https://lnengineering.com/products/aircooled-porsc...odels.html

[volkaholic1]

wow - that is what i used to build - mine was not programmable, dual ignitors, and 1/2 that price
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Volkaholic

[volkaholic1]

ok, it has been awhile, time for another twin plug distributor design, i found this on ebay, 1985 911 twin plug setup with belt drive

i had to have it, i took a good look and i like it, ihave used belt drive twin plugs before, i had a HASSAD distributor that had a belt drive ABOVE the advance mechanism, so both moved together, had it for years, then had issues with drag, getting either no advance, or full advance, that is why i switched to the datsun twin cap design.

this design has the belt drive at the base of the distributor, so both are linked, but advance is separate, this also allows you to drop in different distributors if yiou wanted, you could run a 009 on 1 and a vintage VW on the other, or a pertonix, or whatever,,,,

i have been using a small milling machiune and a modified drill press, note i am use forstner bits for making holes, work great when you need aflat bottom, you want high speeds, low feeds, and lots of coolant,

I used 1/2" alum for the top and bottom, and 1" thick for the middle. I am using a toothed belt drive, with bearings in the bottom.

I hate to tel you how many hours i got into this so far,,,, this is strictly a prototype, no way is it nice enough to sell, i have learned a lot about using a mill, the biggest thing is getting the parts bolted down super tight, i think i goet it tight, then teh part moves and messes up the cut! darn it! but like i said it is a prototype.

if you look close, you can see a mistake i made, the distributors are too close together, getting the springs that hold the caps on will be a bitch, i will fab up something, next time, need to put them at least 1/2" farther apart.

since i raised the distributor up 2", i need to extend the shaft down 2". working on that now,

i made drawings to get started, then modified as i went, so when done, i will make "as built" drawing, then modiifed drawings for needing more space, then i can think about building these to sell. 1 thing at a time.
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Volkaholic

[notchboy]

Depends on orientation I guess. These are kissing cousins.

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[volkaholic1]

ok, has taken forever but finally got the prototype built!

i think it turned out pretty good, not good enough to sell, but good enough to use, i consider this a prototype

you may ask, "why the slots on the distributor caps around #1?" well i think it is important to actually look at the spark, you can even run this way if you wanted to!

next step is to take is all apart, and measure and draw it all up as "as built",
because i made some changes as i went along, then i can consider if i want to offer some sort of kit or complete units. i spent way too much time on the lathe, the mill, and the drill press, so maybe i take group orders, get a batch of ten, and have the aluminum machining outsourced? just a thought at this point.
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Volkaholic

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Looks great 👍..maybe you can look for a sand cast company to help cast your twin plug housings ...besides the 009 distributors what cast iron bosch distributor could be used for twin plug....

[volkaholic1]

good question, any4 cylinder dis could be used, VW, 912, 914, heck maybe even ford or toyota
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Volkaholic

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[volkaholic1]

yeah, i just made some felt tiup marks at what i think is 8 degrees BTDC, will not know for sure until i run it, but how would someone mark there distributor so you could match it up?
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Volkaholic

[Alstrup]

Hello.
Using points would create h*ll when you get to the alignment part, unless you can move the distributors individually. Also, the advance curves will take some tinkering to get equal.
The belt drive solution is neat, and - relatively - easy to make. Downside is how to keep the belt tight. It would require somesort of tensioner or the distributors will soon go out of sync.
There is of course a redundancy advance if you run 2 triggers, but one Ignitor or Hot spark module can feed signal to 2 coils, no problem. If you fear that the Ignitor will not deliver enough signal you can instal a transistor/amplifier between the distributor and coils.

WRT the sgl distributor solution. On the (few) twin spark engines I am involved in I went away from the 009 based solution and focussed on the aftermarket Billet/MSD/Magnaspark body, It is simply much more sturdy and you get a more precise spark delivery.
But that doesnt change the fact that the old school dual distributor set up looks cool.
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[volkaholic1]

i used points and condensors because i happened to have 2 brand new units, normally i use a pertronix ignitor, but lets see how this runs 1st, i think the belt will be ok, i copied a porsche 911 twin plug, and it did not need a tensioner, so again, we shall see
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Volkaholic