Grab some G54 merch here - www.en.garage54.ru/ Promo code 'garage2023' Continuing with the transparent theme for this weeks Tuesday episode. For business inquiries: promotion@garage54.ru
Years ago my friends dad bought a clear distributor cap, he installed it on his Chevy 350 engine and we were excited to see results. It was exactly what we see here. Me being a kid at the time, I thought it was gonna light up the inside and make it glow bright. It is what it is. Still tho, I got to witness and see what many people have not and that's pretty cool, I guess!!
I havent seen the clear caps in forever. I wonder if they still make them. It was great for checking if the springs worked right and if you didnt forget the rotor lol. I cant say how many times I would forget the rotor and then wonder why it wasnt starting anymore. Derp moment 100...
Yep clear caps for old V8s are still available. I'm glad other people know this has been a thing for years. I saw the video title and was like "why didn't you just buy one?" Then I realized the engines they fit on are probably super rare there.
In 80s and 90s clear Bosch rotor caps for VW beetle was very common. I think you can still get hold of those last time I've checked. Yup checked, you can still get clear, red clear, yellow clear and blue clear rotor caps from VW spcialist shop.
Clear transparent distributor caps have been around for a long time I had one on an old ford I owned back around 1985. The distributor was in the front of the engine and was fun to watch.
I think I remember seeing this kind of thing on the shelf at Winchester Auto, Speed Merchant, and some other speed shops, back the 80's... and I always wondered what it looked like installed and running. Thank you for doing this.
One day, in the not so distant future, G54 will release the video simply titled "Guess What? We made a transparent Lada!" An entire car... if it can be made of lexan and be 'safe' 😉 it's lexan.
@Gábor Érdi they've done the transparent head and other parts since then, and it needs revisiting to see exactly how far they can go. I mean like full lexan block, with only metal sleeves for the friction wear areas, rings, pistons, and bearings or something -stupid- scientific like that.
I want to say...probably most people doing a video like this would 3D-print a distributor cap. I love all that stuff, but I don't have a 3D printer, and don't know how to use one, etc. What I love about your videos is that you do things in a way that I would do them, that I understand, such as vacuum-molding, machining, and so on. It makes me feel encouraged to keep doing the things I do, the way that I do them. Thank you from Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA.
Or just order a clear one. They are available for some of the common US engines but probably not for Russian engines. However, like you said it is always interesting to see them figure out how to make stuff with the tools they have.
Most DIY 3d printers are only able to use low temp plastics, if tou would install a 3d printed cap and leave it there it would melt. I once left a piece of 3d printed plastic inside the car on summer and it warped badly.
It never fails to amaze me the fabulous experiments that garage 54 comes up with 🤗 it just goes to show no mater whare you r in the world a car guy is a car guy and we love to mess around 😊
this channel definetely deserves moore like subs and etc. i am an automotive engineer student and i learn so many principle abouth the cars, motors or etc. i love you thanks for all
Yes: I remember in the '80s there was a line of clear and colored transparent distributor caps for VW air- and water-cooled engines along with Chrysler's 2.2 and a couple other 4-bangers with smaller diameter caps.
You guys should build a car where you use zip ties in place of bolts. I used to have a transparent cap on my 92 Integra. I liked it because it let me see all 4 cylinders firing. You can find that stuff on ebay lol
I had one of these on my 71 vw beetle and on my 79 porsche. I bought them both at the same time... Thought it would be much cooler than it was even at night it wasn't cool 🤣. Know what is cool that I never got a chance to try was putting a neon tube in line for the spark plugs so the neon would flash every time current went through.
Hey, guys, maybe something you can do with this distributor cap - put a barbed hose fitting on the side, through which you can feed a stream of neon gas (and maybe make the cap semi-gas-tight if needed). The sparks in the cap should glow bright orange/red, it should work like a neon lamp. If it does, I'll bet it would look awesome. Matter of fact, you could put all kinds of different gases in the cap that would yield different colors.
Wow, I just suggested this yesterday. Awesome job. Is there any way to make a window in the side of an automatic or manual transmission to show how gear changes work? I know it wouldn't be easy and it would take some time. But it would definitely be great to see
Manual would be dead easy - plexi sheet on the gear cover and some kind of light oil. Or actually, the way these guys treat it, no oil at all with an open box.
These were available and popular years ago. With 3d printing and other technologies available today we should still be able to aquire such parts but in much better quality.
I remember transparent distributor caps. Very cheaply made novelty that's fun for a short time. I remember opening up a box to look at one and the shavings were still in the cap! It didn't fit perfectly like an OEM cap but it fit well enough to work.
I had one on my Honda, it said it was for a 95 prelude I think but it fit my 92 Integra with no issues. Was even made by the same plastic company as oem, had the same stamps on it. Only problem was over time they would crack, I assume from the heat of all the sparks, right where the pins go through the cap.
How about a group of ALL your best built in ONE car Beautiful body work with detailing, carbon fiber, nice paint, cool gauges, in this eternal brick body And cool wheels, welded large on rear, carbon or steel plate on front Ceramic brake, turbo based compressor, inline 6 or v4 motor built from you, transparent oil man, transparent cover, and now distributor ! That's could be THE 54 awesome car !
I can appreciate CDI ignition and the much hotter spark of newer vehicles but I can promise if complete reliability is needed I'm still liking points and condenser. If it isn't firing then get the sandpaper and fix it. True they don't like much spark plug gap but it will get the job done.
These days it seems almost ridiculous that so many mechanical components were in excellent alignment to produce a spark for the mixture. I just replaced a coil on my dad's 2011 Civic and we had a conversation about it - he remembers setting points and adjusting the dwell angle, etc. I still have several cars that use this system, a couple under MSD - THAT would be a treat to see, an MSD 6AL giving 40,000v to a spark plug ;)
I had a bunch of the clear distributor caps for my small block Chevys and learned to keep a good performance cap and rotor with me to get me home or till my dumb self gets another clear cap.
Por lo que veo allí cuanto mejor chispa mas se adelanta y cuando menos mas se atrasa. Entre una buena chispa y una mala hay mucha diferencia en grados de avance
Enjoy you videos, and I'm sure you made this because you guys love seeing if you can make stuff. For those at home that want to experience this in person, if you have a car with a distributor, clear distributor caps have been around for decades.
These things were available 50 years ago, along with flashing plug leads. It's s been many, many years since distributors went the way of the dinosaurs.
I love your channel, could you make a video of a VW 1.6 motor and crank using 1.8 pistons which are shorter just to see what would happen with power figures? If possible thanks
I did the same to my 87 Pony - Used the guts from an Excel distributor, but truth be told, I didn't notice a difference in reliability. I never had problems with the points.
I was thinking that a see-through cap had surly already been made on a professional-level, but this was the first time I've actually seen one,😁👍, great job guys, and thanks for sharing,
dont think you see any of them because now days they have electronic ignition. uses a bulb that you can't see if it lights or not. I hate electronic any thing. guess i was raised by coyotes in new mexico and that shaped my world outlook.
