Electrical, resetting tach for the Buick distributor.

The fans did not go on. Some rust prevented the relay to operate.


Going through the electrical system and getting the car roadworthy. The high beam just needed some soldering.


For some reason I could not get the ground at the upper right screw, but the ground was OK on the other one. I just had to make a little connection.


Here is the reason why the right side parking light was not working. The assembly is pretty much in new condition. It would be tough to find and costly to replace. Also, the metal doesn't take the solder. I just put a steel wire through to secure it.





A nice way to clean a spark plug...


... using a spot blaster.



Since the engine is working on one coil instead of two, the tachometer is getting 6 pulses instead of 3. That can be corrected by turning the potentiometer clockwise using the access hole under the label.

Buick distributor.

Well, I won't be using the condensers because I have purchased a Buick distributor modified and sold by John Titus. Finally, a good, maintenance free and reliable ignition for the SM!
John's directions are very detailed and easy to understand. The installation of the distributor was a breeze and I got it right the first time. Now the engine runs like a charm.

The Buick distributor on the left. I just had to remove the pin and the gear from the original distributor and installed it on the Buick one. I had to add a shim (washer) to be within the shaft play specs that John specifies.


TDC1 at compression, align the index of the rotor to the white paint mark on the border of the distributor; slightly to the right side of the car.


Aligning the reluctor according to a schematic provided by John.


I used the leftover tab from the SEV condensers I bought to connect to the coil. I will use the other one to add a condenser on the + side for noise reduction.


Done! The engine runs great now!


John Titus provides a lot of "SM solutions". If you have an SM and don't want to spend a lot of money fixing it, go to John's web site:
http://www.citroen-sm.org/wiki/index.php/Marketplace:John_Titus

Point condensers...

I bought some condensers from Dave Burnham (Marchal for Renault R5, 8, 10, 12, 16 and 18; ref S9 430 60803).

I've disordered the top tabs on the original condensers, cut most of the threaded pole on the new one and soldered the tabs on the top.

Buick distributor, master cylinder...

Yesterday, I rebuilt the clutch master cylinder.

I used an extractor to remove the pin; worked like a charm.

I have honed the cylinder with an 18mm 320 grid honer.

Nice cross-hatch pattern.


The new cups came from Jerry Hathaway (SM World).



In place...




Works great. I tuned the pedal and placed the fender back on :o)