Ignition parts and specifications for a Kaiser Supersonic 161 six cylinder in my '48 Jeepster

[sasteel]

No spark on my 48 Jeepster when I went to take it out of mothballs. Somewhere along the line (previous owners) the engine has been swapped for a Kaiser Supersonic 161 cu inch 6 cylinder. I don't know what the donor car was so I am having problems locating parts and engine specifications such as gap, dwell, part numbers. Can anyone point me to a source of information and recommend a parts supplier. I imagine I will just replace the coil, rotor, cap, points, and condenser.

 

[peashooter]

Probably came from a Henry J or an Allstate. Same as the Willys Lightning, maybe a higher compression head? Kaiser Willys and Jeepsterman are both reliable sources. Point gap is .020, plugs .030. Set the timing at 5 before initial. It will probably run well at 8 degrees. Buy a few condensers, you may need extra.

 

[delliott]

No spark on my 48 Jeepster when I went to take it out of mothballs. Somewhere along the line (previous owners) the engine has been swapped for a Kaiser Supersonic 161 cu inch 6 cylinder. I don't know what the donor car was so I am having problems locating parts and engine specifications such as gap, dwell, part numbers. Can anyone point me to a source of information and recommend a parts supplier. I imagine I will just replace the coil, rotor, cap, points, and condenser.

I have not heard of that particular engine or if it is similar to the Hurricane series. I have a '54 Willy's wagon with the first year 6 cyl. Would start with the cap, points, condenser, plugs and coil. Sitting can cause issues with the condenser and coil. If the points are not burnt, would just file them. Depending on the carb, you will want to look for leaks and bad gaskets. Also the accelerator pumps can become an issue if the leather seal is dry and / or bad. If the carb has a brass part number tag you can likely get a rebuild kit for it too. Finally, would get old gas out and fresh gas in ASAP.

 

[sasteel]

Probably came from a Henry J or an Allstate. Same as the Willys Lightning, maybe a higher compression head? Kaiser Willys and Jeepsterman are both reliable sources. Point gap is .020, plugs .030. Set the timing at 5 before initial. It will probably run well at 8 degrees. Buy a few condensers, you may need extra.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Joe B]

Dale,
Welcome to OWF!
Great info above, but one more tip...

Don't toss the stuff you pull out to do your tune up. Often the older parts you remove will have usable life left in them, and are of better quality than the replacement parts currently available.

In the now-to-distant past, even a quality professional tune up often just involved inspecting, cleaning, testing, and reinstalling existing components.

Follow this link for guidance and inspiration:
https://www.oldwillysforum.com/forum/index.php?threads/willys-tune-up-charts.5100/#post-353703