antique looking wire

[pan50head]

I had a slight problem with my electrical system that caused some of the wiring to smoke, melt, burn and generally tick me off. I was lucky to catch it in time to prevent even more damage.

I know that I could purchase a wire kit, but does anyone have a source for spools of the colored cloth-wrapped wire?

[RussW]

Bill Lopoulos Magneto Parts, also has cloth covered plug wire
http://www.magnetoparts.com/wire.htm

[biker_k]

http://www.sundialwire.com/

[Cotten]

Gosh, Russ,
Did you really take a hammer to the fins just for those wires?

....Cotten

[RussW]

Wasn't me, I swear! When I bought the bike back in '75 as a used Police workhorse, it was running with a Pool distributor. Someone in the motorpool must have figured the easiest way to install that setup was with a large hammer. Still have the Pool, don't find too many people who even know what they are..

pool5.jpg (41.43 KiB) Viewed 1423 times

[Cotten]

Russ!

I have encountered a '61 where the head fins would not let the base of the stock circuitbreaker to be removed. Bashed or ground early sixties front heads seem to be the norm.

The Pool distributor is a new one to me!
The rotor looks Autolite; Can you explain how it is driven off of the stock circuitbreaker? The brass plug thingy doesn't look like it fits the square tachdrive hole in the points cams.

....Cotten

[RussW]

Was suppose to be the hot aftermarket setup for single fire in the late '50s, early '60s. Hole in point cam in round, as you can see below.(Think that cam came as part of the kit? Hardened cam with square hole for tach drive would have been a pain to take out to round) Brass insert keyed for rotor has allen head screw with an "expansion" setup to secure to point cam. It was using a stock two pole coil (not the '61 single coils), with one plug wire to cap and one to ground. You are right about the rotor, appears to be the same as the Autolite rotor I use in my Bluarc distributor.

pool4.jpg (67.09 KiB) Viewed 1422 times

[59Panman]

I had a slight problem with my electrical system that caused some of the wiring to smoke, melt, burn and generally tick me off. I was lucky to catch it in time to prevent even more damage.

I know that I could purchase a wire kit, but does anyone have a source for spools of the colored cloth-wrapped wire?

Try this site. I bought some of the same wire you have.

http://www.magnetoparts.com/wire.htm

[108]

RussW, I've never seen the POOL distributor either ! It looks like the plug wire posts are offset from center because of the uneven V twin timing? Are the plug wire sockets marked front and rear ? Were they sold chromed ? It looks like you could make the cap fit on a later auto-advance distributor too. And by the way,great looking engine RussW

[el paso 52]

My 56 has a Pool that uses the stock circuit breaker. The end of the shaft has a fixture that holds the rotor button. I often wondered if the button was an "off the shelf" item. Does anyone know if it is?

I can't tell that it helps anything, but it is a good conversation piece on the rare occasion that someone notices that it is there and not stock.

Mine uses the stock coil with one lead grounded. I am having trouble finding metal core wire. The last I got was labeled Packard 440, but has very small wire.

Ron

[RussW]

The rotor in my Pool is a dead ringer for the Autolite rotor that I use in my Bluarc distributer. I get them at Carquest, Autolite # AL 64. Does your Pool use any clips or clamps to register the cap to the circuit breaker base? It's been SOOOOO long since it ran on this bike, I can't remember how it was set up. The "updated" 1980's version, Bluarc, works well for me, and does certainly add that "what to hell..." factor. The link above will get you the copper core wires I use in old-style cloth colors.

[el paso 52]

The cap is held on the base by a worm clamp. The rotor was burned because the cap wasn't aligned right.

I got a spare rotor and cap with the bike, I aligned the cap and it has been working for the last 25000 miles.

[108]

I get the impression from whats been said that the Blu-Arc and Pool caps were about the same? Is the diameter about the same as a stock HD ditributor body ? Does anybody have one for sale or know where one might be found? Thanks for any help .

[RussW]

They are completely different. The Pool kit used a cap which fit over the stock point breaker base, and a rotor which attached to the point breaker cam. It was a modification done to the stock system. The Bluarc kit,made in the '80s, was a whole new distributor. It's billet aluminum, uses an Autolite 143 cap and 64 rotor, Bosch points. Mine needed to be adapted to retard/advance manually, since timing is set. I've seen one on Ebay that looked to have an auto-advance mechanism.
Both these systems are long gone, especially the Pool. That was back in the late '50s- early'60s. I bought my Bluarc in '93, as the company was closing their doors. They sent me out the last one on their shelves at the time. These still pop up on Ebay every so often; if you happen to score one and need any help setting it up, let me know. In still have the original instruction sheet that came with mine.

caps.jpg (41.94 KiB) Viewed 1421 times

[Cotten]

This is the one instance where the word "distributor" applies!

It makes me wonder if an adapter ring could be made to use an Autolite cap as well, since they are readily available, and cheap...

(Bakelite is one of my many adult fetishes; krome is for kids.)

Back to topic,..
Since new wire looks too new for un-restored machines, I often scrounge linen-covered wire from old light fixtures. Some older extension cords (with true rubber and not vinyl covering) can be stripped to reveal not only lovely innards, but occasionally linen loom that has not been coated with "asphalt".

....Cotten