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Bill,
That is GREAT news and you have a GREAT website. Bravo!
Handsome Motor Car!
Check out Bill’s website.
He even has a link to the Society on the website.
Recently I performed the “hidden coil swap” on my Series 80. This technique was brought to the level of an art form by Mike Bortoli.
It involves mounting a modern coil and condenser to the interior side of the firewall. It is out of sight and out of the way.
I then ran the new wires into the wiring loom in a clandestine fashion and left the original coil wire in place but going essentially nowhere (cut it short, but it continues into its old position and ends out of sight) and ran the new condenser wire to buddy up with the old condenser (running the electrical impulse from the new through the old).
The car gets great spark and runs like a charm. It also appears original, as I kept the old Delco-Remy coil in place. The condenser on the Series 80 resides inside the distributor but gets a juice boost from the new condenser.
This may be a useful approach to your problem, or it may be useless information, depending on the arrangement of the coil on your 1930, Model B.
I believe that I used a 6-V coil from a 6-V VW and a condenser from a small V-8 Ford (352 / 289? Contact Paul Johnson for this info). Both were bought at NAPA.
Happy Wiring!
Just FYI, the cap is worth about $50, the points sets sell all day long on EBAY for $35 and ditto the rotor ($35). The marketplace will determine the price. The cap is somewhat rare, but the points sets and rotor come up all of the time. Most of the Series 80 guys that I know have three lifetime’s stash of each. It is hard to wear them out when you only run your cars 500 miles per year.
Hey Don, I believe that you are good to go!
The cap looks like an aftermarket cap and the major issues are as follows. Does it take a flat, spring loaded / sweep-type rotor (the inside of the cap should be smooth)? Second, does it have a notch on the underside to lock it in place on the distributor cap? Additional pics should allow people to judge. The parts, if correct, are interchangeable with a Series 80.
Note that the original caps had a number on each of the spark wire connection to show which wire went to which spark plug. Also, the center wire connection, for the coil wire, is not as tall on the original as on the cap you show.
I hope that this is helpful.
That is certainly true of Arnold!
Al,
To piggyback on Bob’s comments, contact Rhode Island Wiring (RIWire.com) and see what they have for you. They make cloth covered plastic covered wire that is very original looking. THey also make wiring harnesses for most classic cars.
Good luck on the project and I reiterate Bob’s position of keeping it original. You are trusting a good number of essential 80+ year-old systems, so don’t ditch the wiring system, which was probably one of the best made at the time. Remember, it is a Pierce-Arrow. You don’t run that much power through the lines, so don’t get too fancy.
Peter
Ed,
You are a star!
Peter
Tony,
You are a funny guy!
I hope that she likes it.
Peter
Hello Karl,
The Warwick, Rhode Island Meet runs 8 to 12 July 2014.
See you there with Ms. Mary.
Peter
Oh yeah, the Meet would have been perfect if only Tony didn’t bring his junky old car!
The Meet was GREAT, the participants were BETTER and the scenery was not bad either.
Peter
David,
Good Choice!
Now let’s see how it runs with those plugs.
Peter
Yeah Jak,
It is about time you got it right! 
I guess that they do things differently Down Under in OZ!
Peter
As Calvin pointed out,the cars that MAY have problems with low ZDDP are not our Pierce-Arrow cars, but 60s cars with high pressure valve springs and flat tappets. We have lovely, well engineered roller lifters, not push rods, etc. Also, as Calvin pointed out, the jury is out on how much damage the new oils will do to the 60s cars.
You should be fine with whatever top quality oil you put in your top quality car (Pierce-Arrow), and if you are at all concerned, go with the Shell Rotella Diesel, as the specs for diesel engines (oil burners) is much more stringent than for gas burners. There is no need for additives and the big advantage of using Shell Rotella is that you don’t have to worry about whether you using the correct oil.
Shell Rotella oil is a very good oil for our Pierce-Arrow cars, as is Castrol GTX.
In addition, so is any good grade diesel engine oil.
I am sure that other members will also chime in on this matter.
Bravo, Chris! Bravo George!
Best to two Superb Pierce-Arrow Gentlemen.
Peter
WOW!
A lovely style, but it is kind of YELLOW, do you think!
Need sunglasses to look at that puppy.
Hello David,
I ran this ad in the Emporium a few weeks / months ago.
I bought one of the heads for my Series 80 as a spare and it looks good. Note that the head for the Series 80 is essentially the same as for the Series 81. The material cast iron (80), vs. aluminum (late 80, 81) is different and the Series 81 may have had a slightly shaved head for more compression.
However, Call Randy and see what he can do for you.
Best regards,
Peter
A long lost friend is producing aluminum cylinder heads for Series 80 / 81 cars. The price is $2,100.00. He also has heads for 8 & 12 cylinder Pierce-Arrow engines. I assume the quality is excellent and I bought one as a spare. If you have interest, contact him at: [email protected] or @ 585-943-6596.
Hello Neil,
There is such a bolt being offered on EBAY as I write this message.
The item number is: 281075998091.
It states that it is for a 29 – 30, but it sure looks like what you are looking for and it is now at $10.00 plus $6.95 S&H, with NO BIDDERS.
It is slightly different, but not very much.
I would say it is a deal, considering a machine shop would hit you up for at least $100.
You might want to contact the seller and see if he will end the auction early for a price.
I hope that it will work for you.
Good hunting,
Peter
