Looking to buy a L134 distributor for my 12V-converted M38. Mine is cracked:
No marking or tag on it, no external oiler. Research says it might be an older aftermarket IAY-style?
Nothing on distributor suppliers and quality in the supplier review forum or CJ forums that I could find. All I can seem to find on the market is a lot of what looks similar to what I have but has an external oiler, seems to be a Crown distributor, probably made in china or worse and going for $100-$150. Does anybody have any experience with these? Junk? Not worth the trouble? Your advice appreciated.
Would prefer to buy a good useable original take-off or NOS with centrifugal advance (IAY or IAT?). Even a rebuildable core (anybody out there doing rebuilds?). Hate to take a chance on the aftermarket stuff unless there's no way out.
Thanks for your advice and pointers, or that distributor if you have one that you'd care to part with!
Ron D.
1951 M38 Unknown Serial Number
1951 M100 Dunbar Kapple 01169903 dod 5-51
“The only good sports car that America ever made was the Jeep."
--- Enzo Ferrari
Hi Wes. Thanks. I have a copy of the SM, all good stuff. I roughly measured the side-to-side slop in the top end of my cracked distributor at about 1/32nd (.03125) which is way out of the .005 tolerance given in the SM. Even without the cracked case I'm thinking it's toast anyway.
The distributor that all the suppliers seem to be selling is the Crown 923068, which I believe is equivalent to Autolite IAY4401. Nobody publishes specs on the Crown (not even Crown), but buyer feedback across the board seems to be good (thanks MarkR!).
In other words, NOS or good used original take-offs appear to be scarce. It looks like the Crown is the only game in town. I can get one for just under $100 delivered, ready to drop in. A couple of more phone calls will decide....
Q: does a 12V distributor also get the anti-rattle clip on the end of the shaft where it mates to the oil pump --- or is that strictly a M38 24V distributor part? Can't find any reference to it in the SM and I don't have any CJ parts manuals. Your advice appreciated as always!
Ron D.
1951 M38 Unknown Serial Number
1951 M100 Dunbar Kapple 01169903 dod 5-51
“The only good sports car that America ever made was the Jeep."
--- Enzo Ferrari
Got lucky and found a NOS Prestolite IAY-4401-11E for a reasonable price. Mostly coated in cosmoline, wrapped in wax-paper, no box. Noticeably heavier body and more rugged parts than what I had. BTW, it has a cast iron (not aluminum) body, or so my magnet tells me. It's a beautiful piece of work, zero side-to-side play in the shaft. Cleaned, lubricated, ready to install......
And yes, it has the anti-rattle clip on the distant end of the shaft.
Ron D.
1951 M38 Unknown Serial Number
1951 M100 Dunbar Kapple 01169903 dod 5-51
“The only good sports car that America ever made was the Jeep."
--- Enzo Ferrari
