19-06-2018, 10:41 AM
Ian, please do not keep your trap shut.
I'm not one of the originality brigade, my cars have re manufactured Bosch dizzys on them. I like them as they are relativity cheap, at present good quality parts are widely available (unlike the generally poor quality parts available for the Lucas units, only availible from specialists), and above all carrying some points, a condensor and a cap in a box about 3 inches square I can repair most likely ailments on the side of the road with little delay.
I had a look at a new electronic lucas clone. Quality is no better or worse than my Bosch units. But my view is a unit that either works, or is fubar and requires specialist supplied parts to repair is nothing but a retrograde step. Hence Ive not bought one.
The dynamotor is a different proposition, I'm terrible for looking after my batteries. What doesn't help is the period charging systems that boils the battery and I never top up. The old fashined dynamo certainly works perfectly well, I've never melted an armature yet (despite some strong outputs), but I have buggered a few cut outs, which are not cheap in themselves to replace and overhaul, and they are never the same as a new Lucas unit. Replacing a dynamo with a dynamotor does offer benefits to me. I'm probably going to start throwing my chummy together soon. I do not have a known 'good' dynamo to put on it (though I have about two dozen unknown units), I do not have the correct cut out, and not many incorrect ones. A dynamotor solves both problems for less cost, and the benefit is that it will look after my battery better, and only a geek would notice. In time I have been planning to buy 3, possibly 4. As I have been in no rush, I have been happy to let others find the problems.
The problems with the gears is clearly an Austin 7 related issue, the dynamotor 'model' has been about a number of years for vehicles with belt drive so the electrical side of things should be well tested by now. No doubt being of Chinese origin I have no illusions that they are a 'quality' item, but nevertheless the price is realistic. The problems however have been unfortunate, and I hope do not mean that the product will be removed from the market.
The manufacturer would do well simply to go and see someone like Tony, buy his entire stock of old dynamos, pay an eastern european minimum wage to take all the gears off and send them to the dynamotor manufacturers to fit them to the newly manufactured units. Problem solved. They'd probably do ok weighing in all the old armatures too.
I'm not one of the originality brigade, my cars have re manufactured Bosch dizzys on them. I like them as they are relativity cheap, at present good quality parts are widely available (unlike the generally poor quality parts available for the Lucas units, only availible from specialists), and above all carrying some points, a condensor and a cap in a box about 3 inches square I can repair most likely ailments on the side of the road with little delay.
I had a look at a new electronic lucas clone. Quality is no better or worse than my Bosch units. But my view is a unit that either works, or is fubar and requires specialist supplied parts to repair is nothing but a retrograde step. Hence Ive not bought one.
The dynamotor is a different proposition, I'm terrible for looking after my batteries. What doesn't help is the period charging systems that boils the battery and I never top up. The old fashined dynamo certainly works perfectly well, I've never melted an armature yet (despite some strong outputs), but I have buggered a few cut outs, which are not cheap in themselves to replace and overhaul, and they are never the same as a new Lucas unit. Replacing a dynamo with a dynamotor does offer benefits to me. I'm probably going to start throwing my chummy together soon. I do not have a known 'good' dynamo to put on it (though I have about two dozen unknown units), I do not have the correct cut out, and not many incorrect ones. A dynamotor solves both problems for less cost, and the benefit is that it will look after my battery better, and only a geek would notice. In time I have been planning to buy 3, possibly 4. As I have been in no rush, I have been happy to let others find the problems.
The problems with the gears is clearly an Austin 7 related issue, the dynamotor 'model' has been about a number of years for vehicles with belt drive so the electrical side of things should be well tested by now. No doubt being of Chinese origin I have no illusions that they are a 'quality' item, but nevertheless the price is realistic. The problems however have been unfortunate, and I hope do not mean that the product will be removed from the market.
The manufacturer would do well simply to go and see someone like Tony, buy his entire stock of old dynamos, pay an eastern european minimum wage to take all the gears off and send them to the dynamotor manufacturers to fit them to the newly manufactured units. Problem solved. They'd probably do ok weighing in all the old armatures too.