Rare Unique and Oddball stock ignition distributors

[tasb]

I've been searching for one of these for a bit over two years. It's a flat top cap with the "raised finger" for the coil wire.

There appears to be a resistor in the raised finger.

This cap comes in two color versions. There is dark brown, as well as black. It's fairly common to see these two piece caps in both colors at the same time. The cap end of the plug wires do not have any connectors.. The wires are simply speared onto the nails inside the cap. When the top is screwed down it helps keep the wires secured.

The cap has some unusual markings which indicates to me that this cap may be of pre war production. The bottom of the cap has a triangle logo with L3 on two sides and DAMW at the base. Inside the base is KP and what looks like a castle along with WEB inside the castle. The top of the cap has a prominent Bosch logo. In the years prior to WW II Bosch and many other German firms were not allowed to produce anything that might be used for military purposes. Bosch got around the regulation by partnering with some non German firms in order to continue production.

Another interesting feature of these caps is the notch on the back side of the cap. Some of the earliest VW distributors had the condenser through bolt facing the rear of the car and I am sure that other makes had the same design. This cap has two notches, 180 degrees apart.

Here is the cap finally installed on an April 1942 Bosch military Kubel VEK 4 BS 276 distributor, where it belongs.

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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[tasb]

This one came in a core pile the other day. It's definitely an oddball. According to the doucmentation that Andy (Glutaqmodo) and I have been able to uncover. it was used on type III from 1966 until 1967, but to locations other than the USA. It is for this reason that I am theorizing that it may have come on a Notchback VW since these were not directly imported into the USA. This is the first one that I have come across.

It is equivalent in nearly every detail to the Beetle/Bus 113 9095 205 T. I dressed this one in some special clothes. It has NOS German Bosch points, condenser, rotor and cap. The dark Brown German cap is espiecially difficult to acquire.

The part numbers: Bosch: 0 231 137 033 VW: 311 905 205 Q
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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[EverettB]

[tasb]

Here's another odd one that came in the same pile as the 311 Q found above.

Obviously it's an SVDA. It is of Mexican manufacture which does make it a bit odd. The Bosch # 0 231 170 040 which indicates that it is similar to the oft sought after "034". The VW #: 043 905 205Z. It was manufactured in September of 1974. What really makes this distributor odd is the Third line of text stamped into the housing.

Once I saw the odd third line of text, I knew that it looked familiar. SIC DGE 5919. Earlier in this thread I featured a odd distributor that still has not been identified for application. It appears similar in specifications to a 113 905 205 M (1968 types I and II) but it has the VW# 111 905 205 S, Bosch 0 231 137 025. It was manufactured in April 1972. I was more than a bit surprised when I discovered that the third lines of text are identical on both of these distributors.

So why this same extra line of identity text on two very different distributors made two and a half years apart? I don't know the answer but I'm open to suggestions.

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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[mr. lang]

[tasb]

to Mr. Lang. Whooda thunk that an early SVA distributor that looked and felt and had parts that were of high quality would have been manufactured in Mexico? Not even me. I even restored the thing and didn't notice the stamping on the bottom of the housing was a bit different. Bosch Hecho en Mehico
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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[tasb]

It's oh so good to have fine friends. One of mine brought this distributor to me at the recent OCTO Show here in SoCal.

I've featured a couple of these mechanical advance only Garbe distributors early in this topic. This is only the fifth that I have seen in a lifetime of VW observations.

This one is different from the others. It is a newer version. It has a part number sticker like the vacuum advance versions. The earlier versions had a gold metal tag with nails holding the badge to the housing. Sadly, the most important suffix has been scuffed off the tag. The cap clips are the same design as the vacuum advance units, as well. The earlier ones had manufacturer date stamps on the underside of the rim where this one is lacking a date stamp.

In all other respects including tune up parts this distributor is the same as the earlier versions. The advance curve starts at 1200 rpm with 4 degrees and tops out at 2400 rpm with 21 degrees of advance.

From a historical perspective, Garbe Lahmeyer GmBh began producing parts for VW in early 1955. It appears that mechanical advance distributors were first although Progressive Refinements is not specific. GL also produced coils, generators, regulators, and starters for VW. Later products don't seem to have any consistent date stamps. The vacuum advance GL distributors became fairly common starting in 1960. There has been some questions as to when the mechanical advance distributors would have continued. The example above dates from at least 1960. It appears the Garbe Lahmeyers relationship with VW ended around 1972.
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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[tasb]

In the same small pile of a dozen or so distributors was this oddball. Some documentation on it is posted a few entries above. It is a 0 231 137 025 by it's Bosch number or 111 905 205 S by it's VW number. It is identical to the 113 905 205 M which was the stock distributor for 1968. Y+This one does not have a date stamp. The documentation above lists it as "commerce" production made in Mexico, but this one is made in Germany. Mr. Lang, what is your best guess as to the meaning of the terms "commerce" and "manufacturer production" in the documentation above?

_________________
Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[mr. lang]

[tasb]

My understanding of how the numbering system works is that if it only has a Bosch part number then it was a dealer service department replacement part. If it has both Bosch and a VW part number it was installed on a car that left the factory.
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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[wcfvw69]

[tasb]

Yep, that is my understanding. This applies to the aluminum bodied distributors. The cast iron with the badge didn't have room for both number sets. One exception, there always is isn' thre? is the later 010's with the 211 905 205 F designation which were made post production bastard 40 horse.
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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[wcfvw69]

Here's an NOS 111905205AA replacement distributor in the original box. It has both VW numbers and Bosch numbers on it. The boxes stickers are dated 8-9-76
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[mandraks]

[tasb]

Presumably you were finding the vacuum advance versions which are fairly common. As above the mechanical advance ones are extremely rare. Both models used the same tune up parts. I've found the caps at swaps but the asking price is sky high just because of the VW logo on them.
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Roads Scholar &
1957 Kombi low mileage 36 hp governor equipped M 178 Slow Drag Winner 2014, 2015, 2018

1965 hardtop Deluxe Microbus owned since 1990 M 620 factory 12 v 1500cc

1961 (October)Single Cab- Road Trip Workhorse

[tasb]

[wcfvw69]

[mr. lang]

When you buy a part at the VW shop parts counter, then do those parts have the VW number stamped on them?
It's been a while since I bought a brand new part (except screws and a fuel filter) from VW, so I don't know exactly.
The fuel filter had the VW and the Knecht part number printed on it.

Could it be possible, that those NOS distributors were bought from VW directly?
factory installed in a brand new car -> VW and Bosch number
bought from VW factory dealer at parts counter -> VW and Bosch number
bought from independent parts dealer -> Bosch number only


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1966 Bus | 1969 Bug | 1976 Passat LX two-door | 1984 Golf 2 C (daily driver)
There are three kinds of people: those who can count and those who can't
Und läuft ...

[glutamodo]

Sounds like a reasonable theory to me.
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Andy T.


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[MODIFIER]

Is this a rare one?
If I recall correctly it's from a type 4 one year only.it spent several years in my sons bug working flawlessly.

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Happyasshell
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