electronic ignition in an early A

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ike61

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curious if you guys could post pics of where you put your ballast and electronic ignition boxes on your early A. thanks
 
Here you go.
No GM junk.
All Ma Mopar !!!!

Car pics 004.jpg
 
Pertronix is the shizzle. I put one in my 340 powered 65 Barracuda and it works perfectly. Looks good too.
 
2nd for GM HEI upgrade. Do the whole thing for less than 80 bucks and getter performance than anything Ma Mopar ever put out. Many burned up Mopar parts later, I've made my peace with the fact that GM makes better ignition systems and Ford makes a better voltage regulator.
 
If a V-8 (please always tell us when asking an engine question), the "Ready-to-Run" Chinese distributor ($45) plus e-core coil ($25) (both ebay) is easy and inexpensive. Many posts. For a slant, Pertronix installs inside your points distributor - get II or III since better. Can also get a later Mopar e-distributor to drive an 8-pin GM HEI module & coil (85-95 V-8's, any junkyard). Many posts on all w/ photos. One guy makes an alum plate that bolts under a slant distributor to mount a GM 4-pin module. The Megasquirt site describes many options.

All above eliminate your ballast. Some early systems (original Ignitor, Crane Cams XR700) require the ballast, as does the 70's Mopar ECU.
 
"Ready-to-Run" Chinese distributor ($45)
Click to expand...

…is also "Ready-to-fail". Without warning. At random. And then won't you feel just ever so smart for having bought a cheap Chinese trinket instead of a real car part.

One guy makes an alum plate that bolts under a slant distributor to mount a GM 4-pin module.
Click to expand...

…which is about the worst possible place to put an ignition module on a Slant-6.
 
Same place they go on the later cars. Pretty simple, really.
 
Many here use the ready-to-run distributor (Ningbo) and I recall only one reported failure. That was a shop who has installed several and said the shaft bushing quickly wore. Perhaps they didn't pre-lube the bushing. Eventually oil-splash will lube it. If worried about the module failing, my plan is to replace it w/ a GM 8-pin one since that allows computer spark control, and one can probably fit a 4-pin under the cover. Main downside is they don't make a RTR for the slant. I bought one for my 65 small-block years ago, since I couldn't believe the low price, but not driving that car yet.

GM mounted their 8-pin module inside their "small cap" distributor. The aluminum base of the distributor acts as the heat sink, so that is similar to the cooling a GM 4-pin would get under a slant distributor. Downside is that mounting plate isn't cheap. Search for the link. By putting the module inside the distributor, GM also kept the coil pickup wire short and protected, which is also true of Pertronix. I do agree that the slant distributor is down in the grub zone, especially grubby when the spark plug tube seals or valve cover leaks.
 
I still don't see the point of buying Chinese junk when American-made, genuine Chrysler new distributors are readily available as per the HEI upgrade article, which also goes over the various module mounting options (which cost from zero dollars on up).
 
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Does a broken clip count? Dartish had a shaft go wobbly. Mine feels like a tank build?
 
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