Replacing my points distributor

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Yes on the typical chinese junk, but the good ones are out there.
Kind of like MSD now, because you can get red boxes that say MSD on them anywhere but are you actually getting that or "chineseium"

Points have thier place, and a lot people I see or read from couldn't find the points, let alone replace and adjust them.
I think 50% of the "present generation" (all ages of car people taken into account) doesn't know anything different than electronic.
It's some of us old farts that even know what they look like outside of pictures.
There are a lot of advantages to electronic for reliability and longevity, but points are classic.

Chev parts are only cool to me if they function better at thier intended job, but some won't do it for any reason.
Me, I'll use what works best as I don't have any real brand hate.
If it out performs a Mopar part without being obviously non Mopar I'll use it.
It's function, and not brand that matters most to me.

If you are talking motors, I'd say it's because of availability and cost mostly.

All of this my own oppinion of course. :)



barbee6043 said:
back in the 80's and 90's, I built a loyt of mopars, some kept the points, many I changed to the mopar ecu s etup. then I got down to just an occasional car build.

I read in mopar action a while back, the mopar dist was subed ( I forget the dat. 2000?) out to someone and then had a lot of spark shatter and problems. I never had a problem with the ECU if mounted away from engine heat. my question is are the ECU you buy now typical chinees junk??? are the present generation convinced point systems are junk???? o do mopar people now think chevy parts on their cars is cool??? not trying to insult anyone, but just wondering.....
my old cars are slants and 273 drivers, no racers. I judt want to build them trouble free and affordable.
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I agree with you.
The bad thing is nobody makes points any more that work.
I have been filing points for about 10 years in my 48 willys because the parts store ones are junk
 
Trouble free and affordable is what I was looking for in 99. Got it in spades. Orange box kit straight from the Chrysler dealer. That Ecu has never let me down. Unlike the Jacobs stuff I tried.Revs to 7200+ all day long. Idles in parades.Never fails to start.Runs 12 hours on the highway. And the very best part is; the timing is always right where I set it; months , or years, ago. With a stand alone rev-limiter, and a shift-lite tach; I dont want for more. I used to carry spare parts in the gb. Never needed them. Accel Supercoil.
 
I agree with trailbeast, points have there place. Electronic is the way to go if you want on average good reliable performance. I think a good set of points are a thing of the past, as the Chinese have gotten there hands on them to. If you want to go racing, a complete aftermarket system like MSD is the way to go. The mopar electronic distributors are good but don't have the adjustability advantages. Points probably perform well for a small window of time.
 
I guess my question is: can I buy a mopar performance orange box, their electronic dist. that doesn't have these 'problems" MA talked of??? or do I need to find the mopar elect. dist built before 2000????
I have no hate for GM stuff, not do I have some kind of blind loyalty to Ma Mopar!!!! LOL but I guess i'm not ready for the GM HEI system. I still run points and my cars start and run fine. ( when I finally get rid of all the electrical gremlins!) LOL but if all the points/condensors ya buy now come out of China!??? I can see doing something different.......
I just hope one day I don't star reading in FABO how Joe Smoe installed a SB chevy in his Dart because he was more familiar with it and cheaper!!!????? LOL
 
Just buy the Mopar conversion kit from Summit it comes complete with everything needed..used it on a couple of cars of coarse if you want to spend some money on a real good system go msd...
 
if i have said this be for forgive me. DO get two extra ballasts and put them in your glove box. at the next no start just swap the one under the hood. heat and cold are the hardest on them.
 
65-440 said:
HAHA ! Does anyone ?
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Yep, ME! To get my car HOME after the MSD (May Suddenly Die) failed. It took me 10 minutes to drop the points dizzy in and make a few wiring 'mods' to get it back to point spec, started right up and got me home..and around town for abut 3 weeks before I bought a Mallory. Been working since then prior to it being garaged for some bigger mods.
 
gtxdude said:
What's a good ballast resistor? Is there a better one to run with electronic distributor?
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Good question, or better yet, what about the restoration ballast resistors?
The factory service manual calls for a 0.5-0.6 ohm, and after looking around at the restoration resisters and the limited information I could find was 1.2ohm (mine tested .8-1.0 if I did it correctly). Is that correct for the restoration style resistors?? And my next question is, how does a ballast resistor relate to the coil. The factory calls for a 1.4-1.5 ohm primary resistance coil. aftermarket accel canister style coils are in the .7 primary electronic style or 1.4 point style. How does coil primary relate to ballast resistor primary?
 
Vitamin c said:
Good question, or better yet, what about the restoration ballast resistors?
The factory service manual calls for a 0.5-0.6 ohm, and after looking around at the restoration resisters and the limited information I could find was 1.2ohm (mine tested .8-1.0 if I did it correctly). Is that correct for the restoration style resistors?? And my next question is, how does a ballast resistor relate to the coil. The factory calls for a 1.4-1.5 ohm primary resistance coil. aftermarket accel canister style coils are in the .7 primary electronic style or 1.4 point style. How does coil primary relate to ballast resistor primary?
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inquiring minds want to know!?????
 
The ballast-coil match is confusing. I have a Mopar coil marked "for electronic ignition only". I probably took it from an 80's car or truck in the junkyard (lean burn days?). There are also "ballasted coils" that you feed 12 V ignition directly, but I don't know if that coil is such. Some after-market coils are "ballasted", and I think spec >2 ohm. The Crane XR700 after-market box I have on one car, requires a ballast, as does the original Pertronix Ignitor. With an HEI module, no more ballast concerns. The ballast was only to protect points and the early transistors from damage.
 
having been only in the hobby in a limited basis from around 2000 to about 2010, and now back in pretty well, I have to admit to being taken back some with all this HEI stuff.
I realize all the problems with sorry Chinese junk. maybe you can not buy decent points. maybe all mopar ECU's you buy are crap? maybe the Mopar distributors are now inferior? maybe all the GM modules are U S made and wonderful?
I understand some people not wanting to have to occasionally deal with a ballast resistor. BUT is the supposed extra spark of this HEI needed for the average Mopar guys car? I guess i'm just old fashioned and not with it!!??? LOL
 
barbee6043 said:
having been only in the hobby in a limited basis from around 2000 to about 2010, and now back in pretty well, I have to admit to being taken back some with all this HEI stuff.
I realize all the problems with sorry Chinese junk. maybe you can not buy decent points. maybe all mopar ECU's you buy are crap? maybe the Mopar distributors are now inferior? maybe all the GM modules are U S made and wonderful?
I understand some people not wanting to have to occasionally deal with a ballast resistor. BUT is the supposed extra spark of this HEI needed for the average Mopar guys car? I guess i'm just old fashioned and not with it!!??? LOL
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I can answer that one.
There is chinese junk in the non OEM GM ignitions also, and I would even venture a guess that some or all of the Pertronics, Accel and other larger and older brands also are/have some.
Hell it wouldn't surprise me a bit to find out GM itself uses Chinese parts in thier OEM manufacturing, but if they do they must require better quality control.

The main thing with HEI isn't getting rid of the ballast resistor (althought that's nice) but to give a good strong reliable spark.
A strong enough spark so the engine starts easier, idles and runs better, and gets a little better fuel economy due to a more complete fuel burn.
That HEI spark is not supposed, but almost double the intensity of an OEM 70's Mopar.
(Double intensity, double plug gap, double the flame exposed to the fuel air mixture.)
Parts for HEI are everywhere (in stock) even on weekends, and HEI is generally quite a bit cheaper than big box names. (Especially if one builds it)

That's all :D

Try it, and you will never ask that question again.
 
-If I ever buy another dizzy, its gonna have; Top mounted fly-weights with adjustable stops, adjustable spring anchors,and an adjustable vacuum advance.
And there will be a tuning kit available for it,including optional springs.
On the list as options would be; bearings up top,and a larger diameter cap.
-And Im not very concerned about how much it costs, because its gonna save me hours of work on the first install. And if I change the cam, it will save me more hours. Or the heads. Or the C/R. Or carb. Etcetera. And if I swap gears from 3.23s to 4.30s, it will save me more time. And if they reformulate the fuel, I will again save time.
-The point is; changing almost any part in your combo may or will require or allow/ disallow timing changes, for optimization.
-I think $200 would be cheap. $300 is still doable. $400, not so much.
-Ok, enough day-dreaming.
 
Some people have commented on the SkipWhite distributor installs that the shaft is to long and unless cut down the distributor won't seat on block. Has any one installed one that has had that problem? Other then that most seem to like it. I'm leaning toward the TB system, some-how my rotor got destroyed last fall like it floated up and hit the cap, all chewed to **** ! Anyway distributor is 50 years old figure time for a whole new system.
 
Thought I would drag this post out again. On the SkipWhite distributors do you have to do any thing with vac advance of just drop it in and go?
 
even thou the chrysler electronic ignition is very good. it only makes 35 degree dwell angle. years ago i got the 65 300 L iron duel point dist to get the factory spec dwell of 42 degrees.
 
I noticed recommendations to increase the spark plug gap when converting from points to HEI..some plugs better than others for/when increasing the gap??

What are y'alls plug recommendations in this case for a mild street 318?
 
I think most of the platinum plugs say to not adjust the gap. Not sure why, maybe afraid you will mess up the center electrode. Copper plugs are fine to adjust. Info here and on slantsix.org about the best alternate spark plugs (hotter or colder). Be careful deviating on PN's or your plug could bump into the piston. Some tuners even clock the spark plugs to get the electrode at the optimum angle, but don't know if that is even proven to help.
 
gtxdude said:
Thought I would drag this post out again. On the SkipWhite distributors do you have to do any thing with vac advance of just drop it in and go?
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to answer your question, (both of them) first, i did not have a problem w/the shaft being to long. 2nd, thats pretty much what i did, dropped it, in set it, and have not touched it since. (about 3-4 years ago) the vacuum advance is adjustable (most are) but i have not needed to play with it, the car launches hard, cruises and idles great, and starts right up. I run ngk iridium spark plugs (oh no!! more jap crap!!) which came with a .035 plug gap, i opened them up to .045 even though the manufacturer advised against it. this can be done, just be careful not to damage the electrode.

the only big mod was i had to convert my spark plug wires to a female end at the cap, they come with a male (cap).

you can order it with a female cap though........i tried to do this but they screwed up my order, so i just kept the male one.

let the bitching begin!!!! lol.........
higgs
 
There are some that say that running an original distributor nowadays is pointless.
 
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