Replacement pickup coil question

[TylerW]

I recently bought an all-original '74 Valiant with a 318 that hasn't ran in several years.

I was told the ignition system failed, so I started troubleshooting. When I pulled the cap off the distributor, the pickup coil was loose, and nowhere near where it should have been in order to trigger.

I pulled off the reluctor and simply lifted the pickup coil out. This was a replacement, and I know the original was riveted to the plate inside the dist.

How are the replacement pickup coils retained onto the plate so that they don't move around and screw with the phasing? I did find a small triangular piece of spring steel laying in the distributor that was mashed up...looked like a clip of some kind.

Any info appreciated, thanks.

 

[67Dart273]

Not all were riveted. I have one that installs just like a set of points. It's now in my distributor machine. That clip sounds like the little clip which retains the advance plate pivot:

Check this out:

In the photo, working your way counterclockwise from the thumb, you have the screw which tightens the adjustment, and near the bottom, a little stud head riveted into the advance plate. This protrudes down through the bottom plate, and has that little triangular clip on the bottom

http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/...opar_electronic_ignition_system/photo_03.html

Bottom photo is my distributor machine conversion, and this distributor was originally not riveted.

 

[TylerW]

Thanks for the help. I ended up digging out a spare distributor which had a bent shaft and dissecting it so I could see what was what.

The mangled piece of spring steel was indeed the clip which goes on the underside of the plate and retains the pickup coil.


Now I know!