DKX4A advice please ..

[StewartPorter]

Hi all, my '58 mkll project has no dizzy. No parts. Nothing. I'm looking for options. I thought is won a watch when I came across this from Powerspark https://simonbbc.com/Powerspark-lucas-d ... stributor/ However after chatting with Simon at Powers park, he tells me it's only suitable for an Austin 7....
I'm too electrically ignorant to comprehend the difference. Looks like 4 cylinders, bang, bang, bang, bang to me. I appreciate there would be advance/retard issues but perhaps they could be overcome?
Alternatively, the C15 used a DKX4A apparently. But again I'd need to strip the guts and find replacements.
I can get some suitable innards but it's a body I think I'm needing. Could anyone please, in layman's terms, give me a bit of advice on which bits I'd need to accumulate?
Thanks
Stewart

[simon.holyfield]

Hmm, curious, I wonder why they say it's only suitable for an Austin 7.

Here's mine:

http://ariel-square-four.blogspot.com/2 ... -done.html

At £99 I'd be tempted to give it a go.

[simon.holyfield]

This might help.

[roger.fellows]

Maybe the direction of rotation is wrong, the helical is the other way. Perhaps the one in the Square has a longer 'stalk'. Difficult to tell from photos.

If the main spindle is ok for the Ariel drive gears I guess the direction of rotation can be sorted by connecting the spark plug leads in the 'wrong' order too?

PM Stewart

[paul.jameson]

You could only tell the differences by making comparisons with an original. I do have most of a distributor which could be used for that purpose but it is badly fire damaged. That said, assuming the basic length of the body is the same, the likely issue would be the gear on the end of the shaft. By 1958 we are into duplex timing chain and associated different distributor and dynamo gears to suit. I have, inconveniently, a good stock of distributor and dynamo gears suitable for the simplex chain arrangement but no available spares for the duplex set up.
As for the electronics, I am using their KD1A kit in the Healey project but fitting it was not easy. I would have been better using the plate which Drags supply with their equivalent kit.

If you need me to measure up the original body, let me know.

[StewartPorter]

Thanks guys. Powerspark supply them in clockwise and anticlockwise versions and also + or - earth. Im with you Simes, it sends a spark every 1/4 rotation......As I say, my electrical knowledge doesnt stretch that far. It looks a great buy at £99 - the Thorspark version is £115 for just the innards. http://www.sussexmotorcycles.com/thorsp ... trics.html
There is also a Bosch version on ebay for £70 which only requires drive gear....
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Austin-7-Sev ... ect=mobile
All look good to me but I cant find technical data to discern between the specs of the various dx variants.
Im sure some of the great brains on here will have more input.
Thanks for the pm, Roger.
Cheers
Stewart

[roger.fellows]

The BOSCH one seems not to have enough of the spindle exposed.

[StewartPorter]

I think that the Bosch needs drive gear attached to it. As I say, I can't see why these wouldn't work but it surely couldn't be that simple.
Could it?

[roger.fellows]

But there isn't enough spindle to support the gear?? The spindle protrudes through the pinion on the Ariel.

[StewartPorter]

Ah....
This is the problem with not having an example to hand to study......