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MG MGB Technical - Distributor Lucas 45D4 41517

A local garage has offered me a Lucas Distributor 45D4 which has the number 41517 on it.

It is by all appearances an original, brand new and from a very respectable source.

I'd like to buy it for my 79 roadster because it looks like the original, and I need a new one anyway, however the number 41517 doesn't seem to be one of the distributors listed in Haynes, and the garage has lost the old Lucas technical manual, so I dare not purchase, only to find it will not work.

Has anyone heard of this dizzy spec, and if so could they enlighten me with some technical info, or point me to a websource that can.
John

I would have thought that if the dizzy is not listed in Haynes, then maybe it is not an MGB dizzy and is off some other exotic beast.

Did I read elsewhere on this BBS that a 41610 was the one for Anglo specs, although 41517 seems pretty close.
Jack

John-

I had a dizzy with an unknown number on it and Roger Tamworth Parker, who visits this site identified it for me. Turns out it was a Marina application which used the 18v B engine. Im running it in my MGB-GT now.
I think Roger has a Lucas dizzy application guide.

Sam
Sam

Sam

Many thanks, I was beginning to think that I was going to have to throw away a bargain.

Does Roger Tamworth Parker visit this site often enough for him to identify this dizzy for me.

If Roger could look in his Lucas dizzy application guide, and say what this dizzy is for and most importantly, if it has similar characteristics to the 41610, I won't have to drown my sorrows in the pub this evening, well not quite so much.

John

John-
I don't know how often he reads these threads, perhaps if you post a thread with his name in the subject title he'll see it or someone will let him know.

Sam
Sam

Many thanks Sam, I'll probably try that approach if there is nothing constructive coming forth from Roger or anyone else.

It seems a great pity if I have to pass up this opportunity to get my hands on a brand new Lucas dizzy for lack of the right info, I kinda imagined there were legions of guys out there who had all this data tucked up their sleeves.

Here's hoping.
John

Check out paul Hunt's website. If anyone can help you, he can.
Ken R
Ken Rich

John,
Try a search for Roger Parker in the archives. One of his posts will come up. If memory serves me correctly his email address shows.
Sam, I may be off line with this, but my recollection is that Roger is from the city of Tamworth, in the New England range area of NSW.
Regards
Roger
Roger

Roger, couldn't resist replying. I lived in Armidale, 69 miles north of Tamworth,on the New England Highway from 1948 to 1960, when I left to attend Newcastle Teachers' College. In those days we called it the New England Region, and had high aspirations for statehood. Even had our own flag. great place for mgb roadsters, with lots of hills and twisties between Tamworth and Armidale.
Ken R
Ken Rich

Ken,
A beautiful part of Australia right up through New England. I remember the politics well. Not sure the sentiment ever really completely died away! Will be up that way in June looking to get a breal away from the Canberra winter. You are absolutely right about the MG type of country and roads - something similar here in the Brindabella range, which you would know is really just a more southern part of the same Great Divide. Do you ever get back there?
Regards
Roger
Roger

Roger,I went back to AUS in '70, after migrating to BC in '67, and drove up with my wife, towing a trailer to get my TC. Didn't get back again until '98, to see my sis when she was dying of cancer. Flew into Armidale from Sydney. The whole region has changed much, and so it should in 30 years!But still undeniably beautiful, and that in Winter! We are booked to fly down to AUS in late Dec this year, but doubt that i will visit the NE region. Think we will rent a car and drive up the Pacific Highway to Port Macquarie, where I was born, and on to Coffs,and camp in our pup tent. Hopefully, we will see some classic MG roadsters on the coast roads. Eastern AUS (at least ) is God's gift to sports car drivers. Used to drive regularly from Sydney to Armidale in the 'sixties, waving to the MG, Austin Healey and TR roadsters ( even counted the bug eye Sprites) It was common to see 30 or more top down roadsters on the 350 mile trip. Ah, youth!
Ken R
Ken Rich

The 41517 is virtually identical to the 41610.

My information shows two Base Plate assembly part numbers, 54425400 and 54403145, the 41610 being 54425400.

The Vacuum Unit is shown as 54425516 whereas the 41610 has a 54428147.

I don't know why there are two Base Plate assembly part numbers, and haven't the foggiest idea as to whether the Vacuum Units are interchangeable.

I can't help you on the vacuum advance or range.

Perhaps more informed enthusiasts may know the answers.

Hope this helps nevertheless.
david

Even if the dizzy is a different number, surely it can be tuned to suit.
Bill

Roger Parker hails from Tamworth in England and his e-mail addy is Roger.Parker@virgin.net
Chris Betson

Chris,
Thank you for the correction of my assumption. Ah, egocentric beasts we are! In my defence I would offer that I have, in the wee small hours, often wondered at the breadth of the experience and knowledge of Roger Parker in the Tamworth I know. That is no depreciation of our Tamworth but, knowing the size of the city and location, I had thought it surprising that so much MG/British car activity seemed to be centred there. My rationalisation of all that was that Tamworth sits in a beautiful and very wealthy region of the Great Dividing range in NSW, and has a rather traditional flavour about it - as per the discussion of mine with Ken regarding the (very significant and real) independance movement of the past.
Of course, your post clarifies all that. I have been back through the archives as a result and located Roger's web contributions. Very good hey are too.
Of course Ken and I are also right. Tamworth NSW is a very beautiful place.
And at least my suggestion to John would, at least, have led him in the right direction.
Regards
Roger
Roger

This does not surprise me, as every place in AUS that is not aboriginal seems to be copied from a place in the british Isles,( especially so in the New England region, including Armidale, my home town) right Pete?
Ken Rich

Fascinating stuff from the colonies, remember everything has to start somewhere, and it seems that the British Isles were populated with a pretty ruthless bunch of cut throats and hooligans who just happened to like going on vacation, except when they did they out fought, or bamboozled the natives, and ended up with the place.

Of course being the rif raf that they (we) were, they couldn't hang on to the place (s) and after WWII, once the Japs had proven that the white man was not invincible, our collective goose was cooked.

Also those damned troublesome Irish and Scots added to our problems at home, but yet managed to populate the entire world, Canada is full of Scots, Auz is full of Irish, and well the States is full of both, whereas we here in Blighty are full of illegal asylum seeking Aliens, and not from the planet Mars unfortunately.

I for that matter am English, Irish, and Scots, call me Heinz, isn't there a joke about an Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman, well anyhow all this frivolity isn't getting me any answers to my original question, re this 41517 dizzy, so six lashes all round if someone doesn't come up with an answer soon, Mr Parker please note.

Perhaps he knows not.
John

This thread was discussed between 01/05/2002 and 14/05/2002

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