Distributor Wicks

[Martin N.]

Anyone know of who is offering distributor wicks out there. The local generic stores just scratch their heads.

Marty

[Donald L.]

Re: Distributor Wicks

Long Island Corvette-#14

http://www.licorvette.com/pdfcatalogfiles/cat/48.pdf

[Duke W.]

Re: Distributor Wicks

The felt wick/retainer was replaced by a cylindrical piece of urethane foam/retainer saturated with a lubricant sometime in the seventies.

I recall that at some point the wick bent and didn't contact the lobe, so I replaced it with the service part, which was the foam piece.

Does anyone know if the this part is like the original sixties vintage felt wick of the later gause type?

Duke

[Donald L.]

Re: Distributor Wicks

Duke,
The wick I got from LIC last year is a felt like material similar to the polishing felts from Dremel .

[Wayne M.]

Re: Distributor Wicks

The felt wick/retainer was replaced by a cylindrical piece of urethane foam/retainer saturated with a lubricant sometime in the seventies.

I recall that at some point the wick bent and didn't contact the lobe, so I replaced it with the service part, which was the foam piece.

Does anyone know if the this part is like the original sixties vintage felt wick of the later gause type?

Duke

Duke -- the LI catalog sketch leads me to believe they sell the original square dense felt type, rather than the foam cylinder. Pic below is of NOS vs. old square wick; notice the clip design is beefier to retain the foam.
My experience with the foam type is that over years of shelf storage, the impregnated cell structure deteriorates to the touch, leaving it operationally worse that what it was intended to replace.

[Duke W.]

Re: Distributor Wicks

Good comparison photo! Unfortunately, just about anything made out of urethane foam, saturated with oil or not, will begin to disintegrate, even sitting on the shelf, in about 10-15 years.

A couple of years ago when I was researching distributor replacement parts, I could not find any kind of cam lubricator replacement. Just about everything regardless of brand is manufactured by Standard Motor Products.

It's good to see that it's available, but ten bucks is a little steep IMO.

Duke

[John H.]

Re: Distributor Wicks

Paragon has the felt one too, with the plastic retainer - their #12650, ten bucks.

[Duke W.]

Re: Distributor Wicks

I suspect this wick/retainer is available in a OE replacement brand, but my research has failed to reveal it.

Most of the Corvette parts house distributor parts are off-the-shelf items that they repackage and double the price!

I notice they also show a breaker plate. That was another part that I was unable to find in an OE replacement brand.

Duke