1969 Swinger 340 distributor questions

-
George R

George R

Mopar Nutcase
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
2,646
Reaction score
69
Location
Trumbull, CT
Hi Guys--

I'm restoring a 69 Swinger 340 that has been converted to electronic ignition. I want to put the car back to the stock points system. I have a points style distributor with the following numbers on the aluminum tag that is screwed to the side of the housing. First line says 39. Second line of numbers is 2875796.
What is this distributor from, and will it work with my 340/automatic car?

I have seen other distributor's listed for sale on eBay with numbers like 2875794 stating they are correct for 69 Dart with 340. What is the difference? Are either of these numbers correct for my car? Will it run correctly with the advance curve built into either of these distributors?

Also, my car doesn't have an external voltage regulator under the hood. Should there be one mounted to the inner fender or on the firewall?
I cannot simply trace the wires to answer my own question because the harness has been cut up beyond repair. I have a new harness on order from M&H.

If I convert the car back to points, will I need to replace the ballast resistor as well, and if so, what number do I need to buy.
Sorry for asking so many questions. As you can probably tell, I'm lost!

Please, any and all help will be GREATLY appreciated.

George
 
Prestolite dual point with a hex pattern on the vac. canister, is that what you got? You could make a tag. :lol
 
kingcuda said:
Prestolite dual point with a hex pattern on the vac. canister, is that what you got? You could make a tag. :lol
Click to expand...
No. The points style unit I have is a single point dist. The vacuum advance can is hex shaped, however.

George
 
for your #5796, i have that the distributor is for a 318. a 340-man is 2875783/ ibs4015b and ibs4015bs, and 340-auto is 2875780.
 
redfastback said:
for your #5796, i have that the distributor is for a 318. a 340-man is 2875783/ ibs4015b and ibs4015bs, and 340-auto is 2875780.
Click to expand...
Thanks Red. At least I have a dist number to hunt for.
What does ibs4015b and ibs4015bs mean? I don't recognize that at all. Sorry for the newb questions.

George
 
unless your trying to make your 340 origional i would stay with electronic ignition. Stronger and more reliable spark, easier startups, no points to mess with.
 
thanson_mopar said:
unless your trying to make your 340 origional i would stay with electronic ignition. Stronger and more reliable spark, easier startups, no points to mess with.
Click to expand...
I'm trying to put the car back to stock as I'm restoring the car. I want it to look like it did when it was made.

Anyone have any info about the voltage regulator or the ballast resistor I posted about?
This is all new to me because I'm a former Corvette guy. I can tell you what is original and stock on a 69 Corvette down to the last detail, but on a 69 Dodge I'm completely out of my element!
Is there a site I can go to that will help me learn? I have the shop manual, and the wiring diagram, but neither show these parts in detail nor their location on the car.

Thanks again guys.

George
 
pick up issues of mopar collectors guide, and use the image portion of google to search for engine bay shots. there is also alot of books that show correct detailing.
 
voltage regualtor is different on 69 & older cars - it should be mounted to the right & up a little from the master cylinder when looking at car from the front.
 
redfastback said:
pick up issues of mopar collectors guide, and use the image portion of google to search for engine bay shots. there is also alot of books that show correct detailing.
Click to expand...
Thanks fellas.
I'll need to post a picture of my bare firewall and let you see where the holes are drilled. Maybe you can help me locate where some parts should go, and let me know which ones I need to weld closed. I already have the engine compartment in primer too. Guess I'll have to do that over again.

I'll get a picture up later tonight.

Thanks again to all who responded.

George
 
There are correct reproductions for the ballast resistor for 69 & back. It has only 2 prongs. Jack's Auto Parts in Howell NJ or Year One should have it.
They also should have a correct voltage regulator for 69 & back. There is also an electronic regulator that looks like the original if you can't get a mechanical original.
 
I've got a 69 swinger 340 auto that I converted to electronic. The original dist was a single point. When I installed the control box, All the wires were easily hidden, I used an electronic voltage regulator off ebay that looks identical to original mechanical one, and the new resistor that came with the conversion kit is also a 2 prong that looks identical to the original. You could easily run the wires through the fire wall and mount the control box under the dash, giving you the clean unaltered look you want. If you needs pics, I can post some of mine.
 
Thanks Mike & 69swinger340. I'll check Year One online.
Here are a few pix of my firewall. Can someone with a 69 car tell me which holes SHOULDN'T be there? I need to weld them closed.

Hey 69swinger340 -- Do you want to sell the original parts you removed, or trade for a cherry set of Mopar Performance black valve covers?

George

firewall&inner fenders 005 (Small).jpg


firewall&inner fenders 006 (Small).jpg


firewall&inner fenders 007 (Small).jpg


firewall&inner fenders 008 (Small).jpg


firewall&inner fenders 009 (Small).jpg
 
George, a point dist. uses a single resistor, not the dual resistor that the electronic uses. it's likely that your alternator was upgraded as well. was there an electronic voltage regulator on it as well? Doug
 
dc_mopar said:
George, a point dist. uses a single resistor, not the dual resistor that the electronic uses. it's likely that your alternator was upgraded as well. was there an electronic voltage regulator on it as well? Doug
Click to expand...

Well, me not knowing what an electronic voltage regulator looks like, I have to provide a description and hope you can answer that question yourself.

There was a blue, square unit with a single red wire coming out of the back of it, with a stud/nut on the front. The printed number on this box is P-3690732. (It was in a box like the rest of the car when I bought it.) This blue box is about half the size of a pack of cigarettes.
Is that an electronic voltage regulator?

The alternator number is 4111973. I have no idea what it is for, but it's a remanufactured generic parts store unit.

Thanks for the help!!!

George
 
the voltage regulator you have sounds like the blue constant ones from ma mopar.
 
Did Prestolite make any single points distributors? I've got a 273 dual point prestolite. Never thought about it but it might be possible to run with just one set of points in it. Just sort of thinking out loud.
 
Ultimately, my two major stumbling blocks are which holes in my firewall/fenders should NOT be there? Did you see the 3 holes on the cowl just above where the ballast Resistor mounts? All pix I see show only 1 hole up there for a wire clip. Have any idea what the other 2 holes are for, or are they from previous owners? Still trying to figure out if the 2 holes should be on my pass side inner fender in the pic above.

Second question is, will the single point 318 distributor I have work well with my 340? I am concerned about the advance curve. Can I simply buy new internals and rebuild it to 340 specs, and change the tag?
Any other input will be greatly appreciated. All your responses have been printed out and saved for future reference.

Thank You all for the help!

George
 
Thos other two holes may have been put there by the previous owner. My 69 Dart only has the one hole for the wire loom clip.
 
AdamR said:
If Im not mistaken only 4 speed car recieved the dual point dist.
Click to expand...
The dual points were available on automatics. I`ve had 2 and have 1 automatic car that has the Prestolite factory dual point as factory equipment. I thought the dual point was part of the early 340 package?
George R said:
Well, me not knowing what an electronic voltage regulator looks like, I have to provide a description and hope you can answer that question yourself.

There was a blue, square unit with a single red wire coming out of the back of it, with a stud/nut on the front. The printed number on this box is P-3690732. (It was in a box like the rest of the car when I bought it.) This blue box is about half the size of a pack of cigarettes.
Is that an electronic voltage regulator?

The alternator number is 4111973. I have no idea what it is for, but it's a remanufactured generic parts store unit.

Thanks for the help!!!

George
Click to expand...

Part 3690732 is the proper MP electric voltage regulator for `69 and earlier.
'64 Cuda said:
Did Prestolite make any single points distributors? I've got a 273 dual point prestolite. Never thought about it but it might be possible to run with just one set of points in it. Just sort of thinking out loud.
Click to expand...
You can run just one set of points. There may be a wire that ties the two sets of points together that may need to be replaced or insulated. Just adjust the dwell to specs for one set.

I`d like to get my Prestolite dual point rebuilt , does anyone know of a service that can do it? The vacuum advance needs attention too.
 
George R said:
Ultimately, my two major stumbling blocks are which holes in my firewall/fenders should NOT be there? Did you see the 3 holes on the cowl just above where the ballast Resistor mounts? All pix I see show only 1 hole up there for a wire clip. Have any idea what the other 2 holes are for, or are they from previous owners? Still trying to figure out if the 2 holes should be on my pass side inner fender in the pic above.

Second question is, will the single point 318 distributor I have work well with my 340? I am concerned about the advance curve. Can I simply buy new internals and rebuild it to 340 specs, and change the tag?
Any other input will be greatly appreciated. All your responses have been printed out and saved for future reference.

Thank You all for the help!

George
Click to expand...

George ,I have no holes on the upper cowl area of my 68 where you have 3. There`s a wire loom that clips to the lip just below that. The regulator should bolt to the raised areas just below where the speedometer cable goes through the firewall. The holes on the passenger fender look about the correct distance for the old fashion Accel Super coil.??? Just a guess? If you really want to maintain the old look you can get an electronic conversion kit for your points distributor. Your work looks good, keep it up and post some pictures of your progress.
 
Thanks Longone!
The distance between the holes on the pass side inner fender is 5-1/4" exactly. I have no idea what it was for, but I'll have to close them up as well as the 2 extras on the cowl.

Thanks for the kind words. I'll get a few more pix on tonight; I restored the dash and the grill came out gorgeous! I painted it like the GTS so it's not exactly "correct", but it sure adds attitude! LOL

George
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top