Small Block Distributor Recommendation

[JoesEdge]

Hey all!

I've been slowly been improving the streetability of my small block 360 in my '74 Duster, and needed some advice on distributors. There seems to be many on the market, which leads to a bit of confusion on which would be the most trouble free with the ability to easily tune for advance curve and advance limits in both the mechanical and vacuum advance.

Since I bought the car, the engine has been rebuilt by IMM Engines with EQ Magnum heads, XE268H cam (noisy!), Edelbrock Air Gap, 9.6:1 compression, Edelbrock 650 AVS, Doug's Headers and 2.5 in. exhaust. Makes pretty decent power and excellent torque.

When I bought the car, it came with and MSD billet distributor with an MSD 6A box and that's what I've been running until the present.

From the research I've done on here, it seems that most recommend to use a distributor with a vacuum advance. It's been said this helps with efficiency and not only that but will help me get rid of that big red box on my inner fender.

One thing to note is that the previous owner ripped out the factory electronic ignition wire harness, so it seems that going back to factory will require sourcing out those bits of the factory wire harness.

Now that you know what I'm working with, maybe you can help me out with the following questions:

Option 1:
Should I go back to the factory distributor, ballast and ECU? Where could I get a factory distributor with the proper advance curve for my engine? Where could I get the wire harness? I believe my model year had the dual ballast resistor.

Option 2:
Should I consider the factory distributor with and HEI module as an option? That would mean I don't have to source out the factory distributor/ignition wire harness and I can get rid of the MSD box too.

Option 3:
Anyone have good experience with the Firecore distributors (Jegs/Summit branded)? They seem to be quite tune-able and use factory parts like cap, rotor, ballast and ECU. That makes it easier to find parts later on.

Option 4:
Any opinions on the TSP Ready-to-Run distributors that seem to be a clone of the MSD ready to run distributors with the vacuum advance can?



I'm also heavily considering running the Sniper EFI in the future, so I'm thinking that may play in choosing a distributor since the Sniper can control the timing.

Any advice?

Thanks!

 

[RustyRatRod]

I'm a sucker for the factory unit. Let @TrailBeast hook you up with a factory recurved unit. He's a good guy. I like supporting stand up forum members ad he is one.

 

[yellow rose]

Run what you have and work on your tune up.

Once you go past a very mild stocker the vacuum advance becomes more of a pain in the *** than anything else.

Most likely, when you get enough total on it, then add vacuum advance, even if it's hooked to manifold vacuum it's likely you will have ping on tip in and never get rid of it. The vacuum advance comes off too slow.

So, you pull total out and you end up with about the same total or just a bit more than if you skipped the vacuum advance all together.

I'm working on a dead stock Pontiac 400 with Vacuum advance. Hooked to manifold vacuum, when the total gets up where it needs to be, guess what? Tip in rattle.

When I find him the distributor I want hi to use, it won't have the vacuum advance and I'll only lose about 8 degrees of advance without the vacuum.

 

[MrJLR]

I personally went with an el-cheapo ready to run unit....because of cost and simplicity. ....and it works perfectly.

Jeff

 

[H22A4]

As RRR said, reach out to Trailbeast on here. I bought one of his distributors (stock looking unit that he fixed the curve on) when I upgraded to a 4bbl and ditched all the emissions stuff, installed it and have been happy with it!! Definitely consider it.

Here’s his site:
Classic HEI Systems Distributors

 

[jdsduster]

i have a fire core,and am happy with it.after 2 failures with my mp one,its very tunable,nice looking and priced ok.although the mp one lasted 20 years i went with the firecore instead.

 

[plumkrazee70]

If you are set on the sniper in the future, do yourself a favor and keep what you have. To have the sniper control timing you will have to lock out an msd style distributor, with an adjustable rotor.

I went through the same questions with my setup. I went with the Fitech unit over the sniper. Still need to get all together, though.

 

[Jax340Dart]

I have a TSP small cap Pro in my 340 and it is a clone of the MSD. The cap and rotor are MSD. Very easy to change spprings and bushings and you dont need the ECU and ballast. George from Top Street Performance is a great guy to deal with

 

[JoesEdge]

Two votes for Trailbeast. I don't mind the idea of using a factory distributor. Makes it look more original. HEI means I can find parts anywhere in case of emergency.

I read Trailbeast's website. Interesting!

If you are set on the sniper in the future, do yourself a favor and keep what you have. To have the sniper control timing you will have to lock out an msd style distributor, with an adjustable rotor.

I went through the same questions with my setup. I went with the Fitech unit over the sniper. Still need to get all together, though.

Yes, I thought about that too, but I'd really like to get rid of the MSD box. I think I read that that can be removed and the Sniper can control the ignition. I need to read the instructions one day so I can see what I'm potentially getting myself into.

The thing about the TSP unit is that it's "upgradeable". It can be locked out and the vacuum can could be removed and plugged. This way the Sniper can control it.

I have a TSP small cap Pro in my 340 and it is a clone of the MSD. The cap and rotor are MSD. Very easy to change spprings and bushings and you dont need the ECU and ballast. George from Top Street Performance is a great guy to deal with

Cool. Good to know. They are also local to me too! Is the vacuum advance adjustable too?

 

[Mattax]

From the research I've done on here, it seems that most recommend to use a distributor with a vacuum advance. It's been said this helps with efficiency

It will improve efficiency at part and light throttle by better matching the leaner fuel mixes. Less dense mixtures take longer to burn, therefore longer lead helps maximum pressure to arrive at the right time for overall max leverage on the crank.

and not only that but will help me get rid of that big red box on my inner fender.

One thing to note is that the previous owner ripped out the factory electronic ignition wire harness, so it seems that going back to factory will require sourcing out those bits of the factory wire harness.

Based on these goals, and the engine situation, my suggestion is option 2.
Factory distributor with a remote HEI module is a reasonable option. The Chrysler distributor can handle a two stage curve which would be good with an engine like yours. Assuming emissions are not major concern, you can use a shorter but relatively quick first stage and a long slow second stage. (The factory would have been a long but quick primary stage). The HEI module is relatively small (compared to the MSD) and has built in current limiter so ballast resistor is not needed. Of course you could use the 6A, they work fine with any distributor, but that doesn't clean up your fender.

 

[Mattax]

You can lock out your MSD dist too, and you already own it.

 

[KJoeZ61]

I'm going through the same problem, I have a Proform distributor and orange box, not happy how it runs. I just ordered a distributor from Trailbeast and the box and coil from FBO. Ill let you know the outcome.

 

[Johnny Mac]

You are kind of asking 2-3 questions in 1 in the original post.

Are you replacing you ignition because your current setup is giving you issues? or are we fixing something that isn't broke?
if your box is toast, or you're replacing a dead ignition? There are many distributors that will run just fine, in ready to run fashion for well under $100.

or is the question, "what distributor do you need to #1:run a sniper #2 control timing with said sniper???

my 2 cents, as we just started offering an ignition line...and i'm very familiar with the sniper, and pro-billet ignitions.

your best bet on controlling timing, with a sniper, is to keep the distributor you have. Not only is it endorsed by holley and MSD to work with a sniper, but not a single option you listed #1-4 is compatible with timing control on a sniper. (your #4 is not timing control compatible w/o taking it apart and swapping in a completely different ignition module)

so #5. Buy a sniper, and an msd#84211 rotor...read up on rotor phasing, and read the sniper 550-510 instructions online. Your msd you already have is easily your best option.
the sniper can be used to drive a coil, so your 6AL box can go if you want to use the sniper to control timing.

please call holleys tech line if you'd like to confirm the above. your # 1-3 are not sniper compatible on a consistent basis at all, and your #4 will only control timing with taking the distributor back apart and installing a 2 wire module.

i would observe from your question you were just ready to spend a few hundred bucks on a distributor that would actually place you further away from an EFI conversion than you are now....so take that few hundred, throw it down on a sniper, and you're in a better place.

hopefully that helps your decision!

 

[AJ/FormS]

It will improve efficiency at part and light throttle by better matching the leaner fuel mixes. Less dense mixtures take longer to burn, therefore longer lead helps maximum pressure to arrive at the right time for overall max leverage on the crank.



Based on these goals, and the engine situation, my suggestion is option 2.
Factory distributor with a remote HEI module is a reasonable option. The Chrysler distributor can handle a two stage curve which would be good with an engine like yours. Assuming emissions are not major concern, you can use a shorter but relatively quick first stage and a long slow second stage. (The factory would have been a long but quick primary stage). The HEI module is relatively small (compared to the MSD) and has built in current limiter so ballast resistor is not needed. Of course you could use the 6A, they work fine with any distributor, but that doesn't clean up your fender.

Yes to a 2-stage!
This is what I did; 367,10.9Scr, .034Q, and a Hughes-cam 270/276/110+4 (a [email protected])and aluminum heads.
That allowed me to run it on 87E10 since 1999 . She runs 14 Initial,20 in the D, plus 22 more in the can. The curve starts at about 1000 and hits 28*Total at 2800, then stage-2 brings in the rest by 3400. I cruised that combo at 85=2100rpm, with all of the Vcan in for a total of about 45*.
I used a dash-mounted, dial-back, timing device to arrive at those numbers. It has a range of 15*. I set it in the middle so it has a range of about +8/-7. Sometimes on long cruises I play with it. The engine has responded well to all 8 being added, for a total of 53*@2100@85mph. That would be 14+9+22+8. After 53* it's hard to tell if she's liking it or not.
With all that advance,and around 185psi cylinder pressure, I leaned the Chit out of the cruise circuit, in the 1850 I was using.
And I won't tell you how Grrrreat the mileage results were.
YR is right about the can being slow to decay. With iron heads it could be a problem.In my case, it wasn't the can that was slow, but rather; I traced the slowness to a soft vacuum line and the tiny hole at the spark-port.I drilled that orifice out a little bigger, and swapped in a new thick-wall vacuum line, problem solved.
But I don't run that cam anymore,It dropped a couple of lobes. So now one size bigger; 276/286/110. This is now a [email protected]
And I no longer use that double OD trans. I now run 54*@2250@65mph with same D and same curve. And This POS cam drinks gas like you wouldn't believe, and I can't get that 750DP to love me no how,lol.
Happy HotRodding

 

[autoxcuda]

Did IMM dyno your motor with your current distributor? Did he curve it to your motor?

If so, I would leave be. You seem very happy with the motor. Why mess with it? You can hide your msd under your dash.

 

[kiss]

The smartest idea, by far, is going HEI with a factory distributor

Contact @TrailBeast on here for a good quality distributor and if needed, HEI module & coil. HEI is just by far the simplest electronic ignition system available and the cheapest.

 

[67 gt]

Sorry for jumping in as this is a question for Johnny Mac I run a billet Pertronix Ignitor 3 distributor and I have the Holley sniper but haven't installed it yet , is this distributor compatible to use with the Sniper FI for timing control ?

 

[69_340_GTS]

I too have the MSD billet dist. with the 6AL box and it's the best system I've found. Keep what you have. No way in hell would I ever put the stock garbage back on it!

 

[Johnny Mac]

Sorry for jumping in as this is a question for Johnny Mac I run a billet Pertronix Ignitor 3 distributor and I have the Holley sniper but haven't installed it yet , is this distributor compatible to use with the Sniper FI for timing control ?

I'll PM you as to not derale the thread. But in my experience its hit or miss, and it will NOT do timing control regardless.

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

Get option 3, Jegs brand adjustable distributor with wire harness, ignition box and coil. Hard to beat the bang for your buck aspect.

After re reading your post ...geez , you wanna rid a part because it doesn't look factory...lol
How about you keep the better msd box and stick it up under the dash onto the inner firewall then mount a dummy stock box with foe wiring to it. As for vac advance....sacrificing a great ignition system for a possible mile or 3 gain in mileage is a bad idea. Go buy a msd ready to run distributor of you wanna do that.
Otherwise I'll trade you an entire factory setup for your msd.... if that doenst sound like a fair trade, then the entire idea of the swap you're considering should sound just as poor a decision.

 

[rumblefish360]

Hey all!

I've been slowly been improving the streetability of my small block 360 in my '74 Duster, and needed some advice on distributors. There seems to be many on the market, which leads to a bit of confusion on which would be the most trouble free with the ability to easily tune for advance curve and advance limits in both the mechanical and vacuum advance.

Since I bought the car, the engine has been rebuilt by IMM Engines with EQ Magnum heads, XE268H cam (noisy!), Edelbrock Air Gap, 9.6:1 compression, Edelbrock 650 AVS, Doug's Headers and 2.5 in. exhaust. Makes pretty decent power and excellent torque.

When I bought the car, it came with and MSD billet distributor with an MSD 6A box and that's what I've been running until the present.

From the research I've done on here, it seems that most recommend to use a distributor with a vacuum advance. It's been said this helps with efficiency and not only that but will help me get rid of that big red box on my inner fender.

One thing to note is that the previous owner ripped out the factory electronic ignition wire harness, so it seems that going back to factory will require sourcing out those bits of the factory wire harness.

Now that you know what I'm working with, maybe you can help me out with the following questions:

Option 1:
Should I go back to the factory distributor, ballast and ECU? Where could I get a factory distributor with the proper advance curve for my engine? Where could I get the wire harness? I believe my model year had the dual ballast resistor.

Option 2:
Should I consider the factory distributor with and HEI module as an option? That would mean I don't have to source out the factory distributor/ignition wire harness and I can get rid of the MSD box too.

Option 3:
Anyone have good experience with the Firecore distributors (Jegs/Summit branded)? They seem to be quite tune-able and use factory parts like cap, rotor, ballast and ECU. That makes it easier to find parts later on.

Option 4:
Any opinions on the TSP Ready-to-Run distributors that seem to be a clone of the MSD ready to run distributors with the vacuum advance can?



I'm also heavily considering running the Sniper EFI in the future, so I'm thinking that may play in choosing a distributor since the Sniper can control the timing.

Any advice?

Thanks!

I also run and like the TSP
Chrysler Small Block 318/360 V8 Pro Series Ready to Run Ignition Kit

 

[JoesEdge]

Get option 3, Jegs brand adjustable distributor with wire harness, ignition box and coil. Hard to beat the bang for your buck aspect.

After re reading your post ...geez , you wanna rid a part because it doesn't look factory...lol
How about you keep the better msd box and stick it up under the dash onto the inner firewall then mount a dummy stock box with foe wiring to it. As for vac advance....sacrificing a great ignition system for a possible mile or 3 gain in mileage is a bad idea. Go buy a msd ready to run distributor of you wanna do that.
Otherwise I'll trade you an entire factory setup for your msd.... if that doenst sound like a fair trade, then the entire idea of the swap you're considering should sound just as poor a decision.

Well, it's not entirely poor of a decision. I could use the 10+ year old MSD setup on my engine run stand. None of it will go to waste really. A mile or 3 gain is pretty good for a daily driver. That right there sounds promising.

@Johnny Mac You do bring up a good point there. Keep what I have for now and just save up for the Sniper. I wanted to do it right and get the gas tank and all that, but a $2,000 budget is hard to swallow. The reasons I have for a Sniper would be for better cold starts, hopefully better economy (every mile counts), and not having to worry about elevation changes when I go up to the mountains (on the rare occasions). Also good to know to steer clear from Pertronix stuff.

@autoxcuda I think he did, I can't remember if he used mine or or his own. I know he didn't use my MSD box. Also, he dyno'd it with another carb (a Holley) but that one started leaking so I slapped an Edelbrock on. I need to fix the leak and slap the Holley back on. It's only been sitting on my shelf for a year. LOL

@Mattax and @AJ/FormS How's this 2 stage work? Is it in the springs?

Thanks all, this is all good info.

 

[j par]

Went from bone stock ignition to a full-blown MSD everything and did not gain 1/10 in the quarter mile. In my opinion it was a very expensive rev limiter. My old ignition was the one that came with the Slant six and a brand new $79 parts store distributor. And some Summit brand spark plug wires.
Whoever said that the stock ignition is junk on a Mopar doesn't know what the hell they're talking about...

 

[Mattax]

@Mattax and @AJ/FormS How's this 2 stage work? Is it in the springs?

It's in the springs and the design.
The primary spring is shorter and weaker. The secondary spring has loop to delay engagement.
The design geometry applies the spring force with increasing effect as rpm goes up and the weights go out. It also can tolerate two different springs and not have balance or wear issues.
You can see the two stage effect in the factory timing specs.

 

[Mattax]

Here you can see the long loop of a secondary spring.

A typical v-8 spring set will not be quite as heavy as the ones above. For example here's a pair from a mid 70s v-8 distributor