Will this distributor fit my slant 6?

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French demon

French demon

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I need your help, guys

I found a Mopar electronic distributor for sale, but I don't know if it will fit my 1971 198ci

According to the saler, this distributor is out of a 1971 Dart.
No significative serial number found.

I just have these pics.
What do you think about?

Attach01(5).jpg
Attach01.jpg
Attach01(4).jpg
Attach01(3).jpg
Attach01(2).jpg
Attach01(1).jpg



Thanks
Francois
 
I believe it will fit, but let's get the expert to confirm that. Paging, @halifaxhops !!

Can you confirm what the numbers are on the little tag showing in the second photo? That will help ID the distributor.
 
Your car came from the factory with a points distributor. The pictures are from an electronic distributor. Probably a 1973 or 1974. It can be used if you change the wiring and add an electronic control unit. The mechanical advance varied a lot in those years.
 
halfafish said:
Can you confirm what the numbers are on the little tag showing in the second photo? That will help ID the distributor.
Click to expand...

I can read 387 X 8
The fourth digit (X) is hidden by the screw, but seems to be 6, 8 or 9.

pt70 said:
Your car came from the factory with a points distributor. The pictures are from an electronic distributor. Probably a 1973 or 1974. It can be used if you change the wiring and add an electronic control unit. The mechanical advance varied a lot in those years.
Click to expand...

I suppose that you speak about the electronic control unit that is located on the firewall?
Like this one :
Mopar Replacement Or Conversion Black 5-Pin Ignition Module Dodge Chrysler Plym | eBay
 
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It will fit and work if you're converting to electronic ignition. As mentioned, the advance curves varied over the years. They can be changed too if you have the parts and know-how to do it.
 
French demon said:
I can read 387 X 8
The fourth digit (X) is hidden by the screw, but seems to be 6, 8 or 9.



I suppose that you speak about the electronic control unit that is located on the firewall?
Like this one :
Mopar Replacement Or Conversion Black 5-Pin Ignition Module Dodge Chrysler Plym | eBay
Click to expand...
That's the module (although I think I'd use a 4 pin one), but, you will need the wiring and ballast resistor for electronic too. There are kits available if you search around a bit.
 
That likely needs a fair amount of rebuild and recurve. But you can also use it to drive a 4 pin GM HEI module conversion. They are not difficult to wire up
 
:thankyou: guys for your relevant answers.

I'm going to give up with an original distributor installation. Too many parts to add (E-module, wiring harness, E-ballast resistor, E-spark plug wires and preferably an E-coil)

I finally prefer this Pertronix conversion :
Pertronix 1361A Ignitor Ignition 60-72 Dodge Mopar 6Cyl Slant Six 170 198 225 | eBay
Simple installation, invisible and less expensive :)

In the past, I did install a similar module in my '69 Mustang 302, and it worked very well. :thumbsup:

Francois
 
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pt70 said:
Your car came from the factory with a points distributor. The pictures are from an electronic distributor. Probably a 1973 or 1974. It can be used if you change the wiring and add an electronic control unit. The
Click to expand...

You nailed it Nothing wrong with a points system if you use good points and a condenser. Petronix are great also stay with the original one.
 
Yeah it's a slant 6 distributor, but it's a nasty piece of ****. I suggest completely disassembling it, cleaning and inspecting it, do any necessary repairs and reassemble. I wouldn't put that junk in my engine. I hope you didn't pay much for it.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Yeah it's a slant 6 distributor, but it's a nasty piece of ****. I suggest completely disassembling it, cleaning and inspecting it, do any necessary repairs and reassemble. I wouldn't put that junk in my engine. I hope you didn't pay much for it.
Click to expand...

You're right, this distributor needs a total rebuilt.
I didn't buy it, but is for sale for 50€.
I will go for the Pertronix conversion. Easier and cheaper job.
:thankyou:

Francois
 
That distributor just looks oily/greasy. Check for bushing wear and if the vacuum advance diaphram is still good. An ohm meter on the pickup coil will verify if it's still good.
 
French demon said:
:thankyou: guys for your relevant answers.
I'm going to give up with an original distributor installation. Too many parts to add (E-module, wiring harness, E-ballast resistor, E-spark plug wires and preferably an E-coil) ...
Click to expand...

For sure if you use the Mopar ECU w/ ballast. I put a later Mopar e-distributor in my 1964 Slant, driving a GM 8-pin HEI module. No ballast needed and I used the GM e-coil which simply plugs to their module with their cable. I found the distributor new on ebay for $55, so w/ JY GM parts total was less than converting my points distributor w/ Pertronix. Forget about the original Pertronix Ignitor since it is old and requires a ballast. Buy at least Ignitor II to get HEI. Ignitor III adds MSD and rev-limiting, but gets pricey. One advantage of the GM 8-pin is that some EFI controllers can command spark timing via it, like the Holley Commander 950 I use on one Mopar.
 
French demon said:
You're right, this distributor needs a total rebuilt.
I didn't buy it, but is for sale for 50€.
I will go for the Pertronix conversion. Easier and cheaper job.
:thankyou:

Francois
Click to expand...
I think you'll be happier in the long run. The drawback to Pertronix is, not everyone has parts for it in case of failure, especially in another country, so it might be a good idea to buy some replacement parts for it up front.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I think you'll be happier in the long run. The drawback to Pertronix is, not everyone has parts for it in case of failure, especially in another country, so it might be a good idea to buy some replacement parts for it up front.
Click to expand...
I also like the oe parts, the 4 pin module is cheap and small enough to keep a spare around.
was not a fan of the petronix i installed for dad, changed the timing a ton over the points.
so keeping the points in the glove box for emergencies wasn't a quick swap.
 
vitamindart said:
... was not a fan of the petronix i installed for dad, changed the timing a ton over the points. so keeping the points in the glove box for emergencies wasn't a quick swap.
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Preparing for roadside fixes is always smart. Most owners today can't even change a tire, which is why they stopped including even a mini-spare. I use the GM 8-pin HEI module in 2 of my 3 Mopars and keep a spare in the glovebox. The GM coil and cable plug to it, and you could find those in any junkyard (85-95 pickups or V-8 cars to 93) and perhaps an auto parts. In my 65 Dart small-block, I'm trying the Ningbo HEI distributor but it adds roadside repair risks. They use a special HEI module (might be a Japanese PN) so I'm thinking of swapping in the 8-pin GM. Perhaps harder is if I carry a spare points distributor, I must also carry the plug wires since different cap terminals and changing 8 plug wires on the roadside would be tedious. I might instead carry a spare Ningbo distributor since only $45, but I'll probably try to find what HEI module they use and carry that.
 
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