points ignition swap....

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mightyss

mightyss

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ive got a 69 valiant with swappped in warm 318(cam,headers 600 eddy). it has points dizy and leaking oil coil. question is go with pertronix $99 at summit and new coil, or just get the mopar kit with new dist and orange elec box $134 and new coil..? just a street car, maybe 1/4 for s and giggles...
 
Electronic dizzy and this HEI setup
59E5EE2C-1BF7-48CA-B8FA-B0380B8F44F5.png
 
The pertronics set up works damn good. You can install it in your points distributor and go.
 
I install the HEI conversion, like the one in the link that Hellrats has provided, easy, well thought out..
I only thing I did different was to keep my ballast resistor on the firewall for old time sake. But I soldered a wire behind the resistor for full 12 volts to the coil. Getting ahold of a HEI module is very easy to acquire why I went this direction.....

IMG_3338.JPG
 
If doing the conversion to your old d ist. WHAT is its condition??? Things wear over time.

Times change, I recorded some of BJ in Vegas, and amazed at the many resto rods-mods.. !!! But I am not into the auctions, especially B-J, nor rich people spending their $$.

Many of s old timers prefer to keep our old cars as Mopar as possible. I never have problems with the Mopar ECU, BUT, I do carry extra parts... I see many people love the HEI and Pertronix deal also. If you are a motorhead, you will over time use them all!
 
mightyss said:
ive got a 69 valiant with swappped in warm 318(cam,headers 600 eddy). it has points dizy and leaking oil coil. question is go with pertronix $99 at summit and new coil, or just get the mopar kit with new dist and orange elec box $134 and new coil..? just a street car, maybe 1/4 for s and giggles...
Click to expand...

Rhetorical question here, but which system can you get parts for immediately if needed?
This is how I base some of my decisions, and why Pertronics isn't one of my choices even though they are very tempting. (especially the Ignitor III with the rev limiter):D
I run HEI with a combination of parts I can get at any parts supplier even on a weekend and in stock.
 
barbee6043 said:
If doing the conversion to your old d ist. WHAT is its condition??? Things wear over time.

Times change, I recorded some of BJ in Vegas, and amazed at the many resto rods-mods.. !!! But I am not into the auctions, especially B-J, nor rich people spending their $$.

Many of s old timers prefer to keep our old cars as Mopar as possible. I never have problems with the Mopar ECU, BUT, I do carry extra parts... I see many people love the HEI and Pertronix deal also. If you are a motorhead, you will over time use them all!
Click to expand...

I used the Pertonix for bunch of yrs with success... but as noted above, I didnt realize my distributor was on its last leg. And when it finally went- dumped the Pertronix for new Mopar package. Wish I did this from the start.
 
HEI or MSD (or similar) Rid your self of points and that damned ballast resistor.
 
Just put a new coil on it and make sure you have a ballast resistor in the system. A lot of times coils do that on a points system because people leave the ballast out. It overheats the coil because they are not made for a full 12 volts.

A points ignition system will perform every bit as good as electronic as long as it is in good shape.
 
I agree RRR points work just as well. Back in "the day" points went thousands of miles without attention. Totally reliable. Yes they will need adjusting/replacing after how many thousands of miles??? Biggest thing some people dislike is simply pulling the dist. to deal with them.
Sorta like carb vs FI, some don'tu understand the carb, don't want to learn, or deal with it. I admit FI has many advantages over the carb BUT..................
 
No way points are every bit as good as an electronic ignition system. You guys are living in the stone age to say something like that. Sure if you want a 100 point correct from the factory as it was built car. But really? I think he wants to drive his car not tinker with the timing and dwell all the time.
 
RustyRatRod said:
A points ignition system will perform every bit as good as electronic as long as it is in good shape.
Click to expand...

That is nearly entirely not true. In a BONE STOCK vehicle, maybe..

Hotter park, no points float and in some cases multiple sparks for 30 degrees of crank rotation, more mileage per maintenance intervals AND getting rid of that damned ballast resistor.

If they were so great, they would still be using them.

Now what I have done on one of my race cars to save some bucks was bought a used MSD box at a swap meet and used the points to trigger it.
 
This topic always brings out spirited discussion, AND the OP stated he has a warmed over 318, BUT no doubt a high hp engine would perhaps run some better with hotter spark. Dual points came along. Then electronic, more probably for less maintanance and another reason a car co. to sell a new model!?? Todays cars are a prime example of that!?
I admit to never being a drag racer, back roads I don't count because I could not afford to build a good car and maybe break something. They all had to be sold. Poor boy.
I can not complain how my points cars ran, hemi, 440, 383 , 340....Might have run faster with electronic dist. I did change some over back then in the 80-90-20000, still ran bout same on the street to me.
Racer will want anything to make him go faster. Period. But I get tickled seeing all the people that have to have the best of everything, because they can afford it all, and their "baby" gets the best!.. and for many it will never be really utilized.
I admit I will add the mopar ECU setup, sometimes because I need a good working unit that is not woreout and I have a good used Elect. dist setup on the shelf.
 
barbee6043 said:
This topic always brings out spirited discussion, AND the OP stated he has a warmed over 318, BUT no doubt a high hp engine would perhaps run some better with hotter spark. Dual points came along. Then electronic, more probably for less maintanance and another reason a car co. to sell a new model!?? Todays cars are a prime example of that!?
I admit to never being a drag racer, back roads I don't count because I could not afford to build a good car and maybe break something. They all had to be sold. Poor boy.
I can not complain how my points cars ran, hemi, 440, 383 , 340....Might have run faster with electronic dist. I did change some over back then in the 80-90-20000, still ran bout same on the street to me.
Racer will want anything to make him go faster. Period. But I get tickled seeing all the people that have to have the best of everything, because they can afford it all, and their "baby" gets the best!.. and for many it will never be really utilized.
I admit I will add the mopar ECU setup, sometimes because I need a good working unit that is not woreout and I have a good used Elect. dist setup on the shelf.
Click to expand...

Those that can do, do.
Those that can't do, buy. :D
 
ok gentalmen, thnx for all the opinions. i realize i could prolly get by with just a new coil, however, was asking specifically if a recomendation of the pertronix conversion, or the mopar ecu conversion would be better.....i think i know the answer, just spit balling here. the pertronix would prolly be fine , IF , the dizzy is ok. however the mopar ecu conversion gets a new dizzy and components to match, and i still have to buy new coil n wires.......
 
Points-type distributors always have experienced a load from the points pushing against the shaft. So they tend to have noticable wear to the shaft and bearing inside the housing.
 
Well... I have had the Pertronix 1 system and it sucked. Two of them burnt up and had to be towed. I put in the Pertronix II and so far it has not giving me any problems. Been two summers on it now. If you go that route make sure you get the correct coil that the module calls for as they are different. I think there is a Pertronix 3 now. The Mopar ones are OK but you'll still have a ballast that can be a problem at times but easy to change. Also some of the modules can be iffy as well. But you do get get a new distributor. Neither of these are HEI, they are electronic ignition system but are still better than points. The GM conversion is cheap if you can find a good Mopar factory distributor, should not be hard. Plus the factory distributor will have the correct advance already in it. You don't have to get the bracket I linked you to but it does make for a clean install and it is hard to see when done. But you would have to make a heatsink for the module anyway so I just get his bracket. I have been running these for years with no problem at all. You could get one of the big HEI distributors with the coil in them but they are huge! So in the end I guess everyone has had good time and bads times with all of them.
 
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No particular order, my opinion:

1....Breaker points.........I've replaced and set hundreds in a previous life. No more. Also they are NOT as good as electronic, especially with the poor quality of today's parts

2....Pertronix.........lots of guys run them, I don't. I have NOTHING against them except that "if they quit" you better have A SPARE in the glove box because local stores don't stock them

3....Mopar breakerless........May have "been" fine, but seem to suffer modern parts quality problems if you buy a new kit

4....HEI conversion.........this is what I run. Mopar stock breakerless distributor which you can recurve with an FBO plate kit, or buy an aftermarket that has adjustable advance. Buy a quality brand name HEI module. Even with a stock coil, gives you a bit more spark than the Mopar set up, AND you can run hot E -core coils and get more, and no ballast needed
 
@67Dart273 nicely written, I believe this whole heartedly also.....I have uploaded two diagrams for those that would like to experiment with the points/HEI. Running points with HEI system, your points rubbing block would wear out before the contacts would.....you can leave your dizzy completely stock.

hei.jpg


HEImodForPoints.gif
 
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