Convert Proform ignition to Pertronix?

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That magnet is the pick up coil same as mopar. Mopar boxes are all suspect if they are what I call not "real" Here is a link we beat them up a bit.
1974 Brain Box saves the day. | For A Bodies Only Mopar Forum

There are threads here n the GM 4 pin also and yes externak mounted there is a plate available to mount it on the distributor also, forgot who makes it. If needed I have good NOS or NORS ECU's tested but shipping would be a killer to you.
 
I woud use a e coil from GM it is matched. Any one have a 4 pin conversion link for the man?
 
Another style bracket
Mopar HEI Conversion (designed2drive.com)

No spark after ingition module replacement | For A Bodies Only Mopar Forum

4pin-jpg-jpg.jpg
 
Giles,
For your application, you do not need the expensive Pert module. Just get a replacement & buy a spare if you want to & keep in the glove box. Only 2 screws to mount, 4 spade lugs. I can buy a no-frills replacement here for about $50 & that is all you need. I detailed how to wire it up/install it in post #10. No matter what brand GM 4 pin module, they 4 pins all have the same markings: g, w, b, c. [ There are also 5 & 8 pin GM modules, more expensive & NOT the one you need ].
Errr, maybe the missus needs a bigger umbrella?
 
Thanks Bewy. Progress - I have ordered a GM HEI module!
I am now reading conflicting stuff about what coil to use. I have a couple of 1.5 ohm cannister coils that are fine. But I am hearing that I would still need a ballast resistor or they would overheat during running. Is this true? What coil (and resistance) would be best?

@halifaxhops: the car is negative earth, and Lucas based. (Lucas - inventor of the first intermittent wiper.)
PRO66944C-500x500.jpg
 
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I ran a GM 4 pin on my Dart with the factory coil as an experiment. Worked find and stronger spark than the ECU that was on
 
My opinion!

Take the loss on the ProForm garbage and get the Pertronix III. You will need to source a Points type dizzy!

Make sure to use Resistor type wires, I would Suggest Taylors!

Make sure to use the Flamethower III coil as well.

If your Jenson has the Chrysler Ballast, then pull it and bypass it from behind with a piece of 12AWG solid and leave the harness alone!

Lastly you may need to dial in the dizzy or likely will. If you are lucky and get an early pre 70 type then an FBO plate will do the job and help in dial in!

If not, then it is not to bad to weld up slots and get the curve that engine needs!
 
Giles,
Good choice. I can buy Chinese HEI dist here [ complete, polished billet alum body with Rynite cap & rotor ] for a SB Chev for $60, Ford, Chrys etc are $80. I have used HEAPS of them, never had a problem. They are well made, & when I strip them to put in the centri curve I want, I find they are lubricated where they need to be & the centri mechanism is either chromed or plated to prevent corrosion. I just did another one this week.......Wouldn't surprise me if MSD & other brand name dist are made in the same Chinese factory, & the rice tripled....

Coils. The coil doesn't know or care what switches it on or off: points or a transistor inside a 4 pin module working as a switch. Therefore if the coil is designed to use a bal res, it should use the bal res with HEI module as well. The coil is designed to pass a working current & have the correct working voltage, which is controlled by the bal resistor [ ohms ].
Using a canister coil is bad for two reasons: they have high electrical leakage, so that not all the energy makes it to the spark plugs. Production coils like the 1.5 ohm you mentioned will reduce spark energy. The MSD #8207 E core coil has under 0.4 ohm pri resistance. More current. It is the heat in the current that ignites the mixture, voltage is merely the enabler that causes the current flow. So a bit silly to buy a high current/high output module & then compromise it with a crappy coil.
I did mention a Bosch E core coil in an earlier post. I think I got the designation wrong. It is a GT coil [ not the GT R which requires a res & is for points ], E core. This would also work well like the 8207. Any E core coil that is compatible with HEI, no res, will do the job.
More info here: www.worldphaco.net
 
I have the obligatory chinkesium HEI big cap distributor on the 351M in my 75 Ford F250. Been there for about 6 or so years now and not blinked. Pretty good stuff. Only if you have room for the big cap, of course.
 
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RRR,
Good to hear. I think sometimes we ignore history. Or probably more correctly, history repeating itself......
Electronics, cars etc out of Japan in the 50s & 60s was junk. Now if you want quality equipment, like a CT scanner, Lexus, you get it from Japan.
I see the same thing with a lot, not all, of the Chinese stuff. It is getting better all the time....
 
Bewy said:
RRR,
Good to hear. I think sometimes we ignore history. Or probably more correctly, history repeating itself......
Electronics, cars etc out of Japan in the 50s & 60s was junk. Now if you want quality equipment, like a CT scanner, Lexus, you get it from Japan.
I see the same thing with a lot, not all, of the Chinese stuff. It is getting better all the time....
Click to expand...
And the Korean stuff......I've seen you make reference to it elsewhere and you're right. It's a damn site better than chinkesium.
 
Giles said:
Thanks 67Dart for the clarification on resistance increasing, and Bewey for the advice. On the CV8 the ballast is shorted by a relay that comes off the ignition switch, and this works fine. With the old distributor in, all the voltages are correct. There's a small drop (just a volt or so) on cranking over the battery itself, and 11-12v at the coil primary. Really good spark.
With the proform in, there's only 8v coming out of the unit, and no spark. It had previously run OK (in fact perfectly through the whole rev range) for a couple of hours with the proform. I know this sounds like a bad earth, or a dry joint, but I have tried direct-wiring it from the battery, the same.
I saw a web page on how to test the ECU out of the car, I think I will try that. Disappointed to hear the pertronix has problems, I thought they were the bees knees.

Re the CV8, the Mk1 had a burr walnut dash, and a 361 engine (5.9 litre). For the Mk2, they put in a Formica (!) dash - at the time this was the latest hi-tech material (and a 383). They soon realised the Formica looked awful, and reverted to walnut for the Mk3.

The CV8 (mine anyway) has serious heat soak problems, causing poor/no hot starting from no spark and/or fuel percolation, and sorting the ignition has been just one step in overcoming this. Incremental improvements have been a new edelbrock carb, a 3/8 heat gasket under it, Carter electric fuel pump, new coil & ballast, moving the coil to a cool place, replacing the high current earth strap, each of which made it a little better. It's frustrating that the problem is now cold starting (with the ecu)!
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For info, problem finally solved - a duh moment. There was never a problem with the electronics. The engine was not cranking fast enough to induce a voltage in the new distributor. Moved the magnet and the sensor closer together and all now works. It was factory set at the furthest possible distance (!)
 
Well it happens. That is why some of us old guys "seem" to know so much. In our lifetimes, we have seen lots of mistakes!!
 
Giles said:
A breakdown guy strongly suggested it. He seemed very knowledgeable and had tried to fix it on the kerb (usa curb?) and failed. "One less thing to worry about." I now suspect the lack of spark was general heat soak related, not (just) points. But it ran so beautifully during the short time my new EI worked compared to the mechanical now, I would love to get that back again.

Also my wife (left of pic and very fed up after 7 hours waiting in the rain) says she wont go in it again unless "everything's fully sorted".

View attachment 1715814705
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No way on earth would my wife have waited that long in the rain for me like that. She would have called an Uber, swung by the hardware store, bought new locks and changed them out before I got home.

I‘d be sleeping in the garage.
 
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