help 1964 Slant 6 tune ups specs

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slantsixdan said:
Sounds like what you've got is a conventional (points type) distributor into which has been installed a Pertronix electronic conversion. The plastic wheel contains six magnets; if you lift it out of the distributor you'll find it's sitting atop a hexagonal metal cam which used to bump breaker points open before the points were replaced with the magnetic switch and the cam was covered with the magnet wheel.
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Thanks Dan, is this method used often to covert these over in modern times?
 
I have everything in place to do my valve adjustment in the morning. Now, this engine is pretty tight with only 1000 miles. I have looked over the procedure several times, and I am very confident that it will go well. If I have time, I will adjust the air fuel mixture, curb idle, high idle, and maybe the timing. I am seeing 2.5 degrees after top dead center on one site I visited. And, I have heard I can go maybe 3 degrees beyond that? I am a rusty old mechanic since I do not do this for a living, but I am seeing the gauge with zero in the center and plus or minus five. I am guessing to the right would be advancing the timing and to the left would be retarding the timing, just like a number line?
 
2.5° ATDC is wrong. That's 5° retarded from the correct factory spec of 2.5° BTDC, and it's 7.5°*retarded from the 5° BTDC setting that works well in most cases. The '64 timing indicator setup has the timing indicator on the manifold side of the engine. If that's the setup you have, then while you're standing on the driver's side of the engine bay looking at the timing marks you need to move the mark upward to advance, downward to retard. If you have the later setup with timing indicator on the distributor side of the engine, you need to move the mark downward to advance, upward to retard.

Do get the three books described in this thread as quickly as you can.
 
Thanks for the info, saves a lot of time instead of guessing. I did my valve adjust today, worked perfectly, and easier than I thought.
 
Re your question on your electronic ignition. It sounds like you have the original Pertronix Ignitor, because you still have the ballast resistor. I think it might have also been sold under other brands (Accel?). There are better versions like Ignitor II (~$100), which is similar to the GM HEI and lets you get rid of the ballast and maybe run a better coil (E-core), and Ignitor III (~$150) which gives multi-spark. As Dan suggests, rigging up a GM HEI is cheap and easy (see FABO posts), but you will need to get a later slant electronic distributor, unless there is a way to adapt the Pertronix signal.
 
BillGrissom said:
Re your question on your electronic ignition. It sounds like you have the original Pertronix Ignitor, because you still have the ballast resistor. I think it might have also been sold under other brands (Accel?). There are better versions like Ignitor II (~$100), which is similar to the GM HEI and lets you get rid of the ballast and maybe run a better coil (E-core), and Ignitor III (~$150) which gives multi-spark. As Dan suggests, rigging up a GM HEI is cheap and easy (see FABO posts), but you will need to get a later slant electronic distributor, unless there is a way to adapt the Pertronix signal.
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I appreciate the info, I was thinking I could use the same distributor if I removed the magnet, I am happy you responded. Like I said before, my car has the blaster coil from the previous owner, I am thinking that should be enough spark for now. If i convert, I will have to do some shopping. The car runs so much different just by changing the cap rotor and using the NGK plugs. It is a huge difference, amazing.
 
cchrishefish said:
The car runs so much different just by changing the cap rotor and using the NGK plugs. It is a huge difference, amazing.
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Check out www.slantsix.org. There is a long post about problems with poorly made distributor caps and rotors with a too short tip that can cause misfiring. I recall that SlantSixDan did most of that research. He is here too (posted above).
 
I have been thinking more about doing this HEI conversion, and I do realize that I need a newer electronic distributor. I looked up a 1979 Dodge Aspen on Napa and Rockauto, of course, with a slant 6. These are re-manufactured with several different part numbers to choose from. These are in the 50-65 dollar range. Are these an ok choice, and what is the difference among the different part numbers, the only thing I can see is some come with a vac advance and some do not? And, some come with electronic chip and others do not?
 
Thanks Dan, I did finish all of the adjustments yesterday, air/fuel, timing, idle. It is amazing how it runs and starts up. I did have a minor leak in the thermostat housing after replacing with the recommended thermostat. I took my time and put it back together and is now leak free. I am confident the car is ready for anything this Summer.
 
Shop around for a distributor. For my 64 slant, I got a new one for ~$40 on ebay. I did have to add a $7 pickup plate. If you wait a bit, there may be a "ready-to-run distributor" for the slant that gives you HEI in one small package for ~$50. Search for that on ebay. Currently only for Mopar SB and RB engines.
 
BillGrissom said:
there may be a "ready-to-run distributor" for the slant that gives you HEI in one small package for ~$50. Search for that on ebay. Currently only for Mopar SB and RB engines.
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Nope. Not only is it not actually HEI (which refers specifically to the GM ignition system by that name) but it is in fact no-name Chinese garbage. None for me thanks; I'm driving. At least for me, the idea is to improve reliability, not worsen it or take a gamble on parts failing that you can't get at any wrecking yard or parts store because you bought a whitebox Chinese distributor instead of using real parts designed by real automakers for use on real cars.
 
It really gets my gizzard when I pick up a part for my car and it has Made in China on it. And, I have even seen this on some Napa parts which have been high quality in the past. You have to watch what you are installing. I had some chrome lug nuts arrive from Jegs, a year ago and they had made in china engraved on all of them. I believe you can cheap out certain things, but other items are not worth the trouble. Go buy a cheap gallon of interior latex paint for a room in your house, after 3 coats of paint, was it really saving you any money?
 
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