Dating Delco Tune Up Boxes

[John Brown]

Jason, the D309 came out in 1958 as a black cap with copper contacts in a predominantly orange and black box that changed in the 60's to the predominantly white red and blue box shown in your pictures. D309 was replaced/superceded by D309R 10/69. Sometime in the 60's (in the white box) the cap construction of the D309 changed to the brown material. The D309R continued with the brown material when it superceded D309. Approximately 5/74, D309R was changed from the 60's style brown cap with copper contacts back to being black with copper contacts. The D426R rotor you show is the white rotor that replaces earlier black D409 and D409R. The lids on the boxes you show appear to be silver. Earliest boxes have black painted tops with later boxes (don't know what dates) having blue painted lids. I don't recall seeing any boxes with silver or unpainted lids. In such cases as with your boxes, I have punched small holes in the sides of boxes so that I could see what's inside. Don't know any other way.