Distributor Advice please

[sward989]

I have a 73 and I’m running a rat transmission and 3 on the tree. The duraspark I’m running isn’t working out.
What should I use instead? What fits?

 

[73azbronco]

a working duraspark, seriously.

 

[DC_Gearhead]

I went HEI. One of those Chinese Amazon ones but upgraded a couple of components. Pertronix cap/rotor and a Crane adjustable vacuum advance. No regrets


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[DirtDonk]

I have a 73 and I’m running a rat transmission and 3 on the tree.

Do you have the “ambient switch” installed and working? That’s the sensor in the door A-pillar and an attachment on the transmission.
I believe it does something to the ignition timing when you’re in certain gears.
It was a 73-ish only item.

The duraspark I’m running isn’t working out.

Why not? What is it doing?
Since you have a ‘73, any Dura Spark distributor was swapped in. Maybe the PO installed one with a less than optimal timing curve?
It might not be considered the ultimate distributor by some, but many of us think they are very good.
Certainly plenty of options out there though. Anything for a 302 that has the correct gear for your camshaft will work.
Do you have the stock original type (flat tappet) cam, or has the engine been updated to have a roller cam?

What should I use instead? What fits?

Up to you really. Lots of options.
Already had one recommendation here for HEI but many of us avoid those, not so much for the quality because that can be gotten around, but for the sheer bulk of the distributor cap.

 

[ntsqd]

Short of going DIS I consider the D-S II to be the best possible option. Far, far batter than any of the aftermarket options - even the big names. Consider that the biggest name in aftermarket ignitions uses the D-S II's reluctor and pick-up coil design in almost all of their distributors.

If the conversion was a hack job you may need to redo the wiring. There are also several different colors of plastic strain relief at the module, which color is yours?

 

[DirtDonk]

Actually, more than just the one big name use the Ford trigger system in at least some of their distributor models.

 

[serial car restorer]

Already had one recommendation here for HEI but many of us avoid those, not so much for the quality because that can be gotten around, but for the sheer bulk of the distributor cap.

I had one of those Chinese HEI that came with a box of stuff for my project. @DirtDonk is correct about the size of the thing, I figured I'd need at least 2" body lift to clear the hood. Sold it, still running on points (for now).

 

[ntsqd]

There are lots of options out there that could be used, but I get the impression that the OP just wants it to work without getting into something exotic.

Sward989, if you can post a picture or pictures of the distributor and the module we can make much better suggestions. What it is, or isn't specifically doing would also help us help you.

 

[Speedrdr]

ISold it, still running on points (for now).

If my engine wasn’t running as well as it is on the factory Dura Spark type system, I’d be tempted to go back to a points system. Always able to work with it better…but that’s just me.

Randy

 

[DirtDonk]

I still love points and condensers. Cut my young teeth on them back in the 60s.
But I won’t go back, because not only is electronic potentially always going to provide a better spark, but the quality of the replacement parts has gotten so bad that you end up throwing part after part at them to get good results.
And besides, I’ve never, ever had a problem with an electronic distributor of any type that I’ve used. And I’m also one of the lucky ones, I suppose, who’s never had a Dura Spark reluctor or stator go bad.
Same for modules, oddly enough. Well, once I stopped buying cheap ones that is.

 

[ntsqd]

The long term fundamental problem with a points ignition system is that the breaker point cams are wearing out. I used to see this on my high school's distributor machine. Cylinder to cylinder dwell inconsistencies as well as cylinder to cylinder timing differences, all due to the breaker point cam being worn. That was way too many years ago for me to put a number on, and those cams still in service have only worn more since then. Mopar dwell angle tolerances were the widest of the Big Three, and therefor their timing varied the most too. As I recall GM had the tightest specs, but Ford was very close to the same as GM.

There's NOTHING like yelling "Catch!" and tossing your buddy a fully charged condenser......

 

[DirtDonk]

Wearing out is why I finally got rid of them.
When I was 15, I was tinkering on the points and carburetor adjustments literally every weekend. Or a few days…
So wear was never much of a detriment to the way the engine ran. But as I got older, I had less time to tinker, and that’s why I changed to disc brakes instead of drums, and all the points went the way of the Gooney-bird in favor of electronic triggers.
One of my coolest early setups in the old days was a set of points triggering a Jacobs Compu-Spark ignition box!
Loads of fun. Good memories.

I miss having the time to tinker, but I don’t miss the constant need to tinker!

 

[Speedrdr]

Well, y’all have me there! Wasn’t planning to go back to the “dinosaur” system since, “it ain’t broke, so don’t fix it”, applies here. I guess the points and condensers I got in the late 70s and early 80s were better…or I was lucky. A Holley 600 carb. was the big time suck for my 72.

R

 

[DirtDonk]

Here too. Had an 1850 for a couple of years, but never could get it tuned properly, but that was most likely my lack of expertise on the care and feeding of a Holley.
Got worse mileage than my 2100 or either of my Carter AFB's. Eventually just went back to a hybridized Carter, and ran that for many years.

Paul

 

[Broncobowsher]

If a Duraspark isn't working, you are going to have issues with anything else you put in there.

 

[DirtDonk]

I’m a big fan of Dura Spark. But you can’t say that most other types aren’t easier to wire up.
Or at least that most people don’t find them seemingly harder to wire up than most other ignitions.
Making them less desirable to some, than those with fewer wires to connect.

Wiring intimidates many, and Ford put lots of wires in theirs.
And then changed them practically ever season!

GM had different models of the HEI as well, but that was almost always done with the internal module. Most of them looked the same from the outside, and wired the same for the most part.

 

[nvrstuk]

SWARD where are you?????

 

[ntsqd]

Were I going to build a stand-alone ignition system now I would be strongly tempted to use a D-S II distributor driving a 7 or 8 pin HEI module that was very carefully mounted on a heat-sink of some sort using the appropriate thermal paste. I used one of the 8 pin modules on the Valiant and was very impressed with it.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Were I going to build a stand-alone ignition system now I would be strongly tempted to use a D-S II distributor driving a 7 or 8 pin HEI module that was very carefully mounted on a heat-sink of some sort using the appropriate thermal paste. I used one of the 8 pin modules on the Valiant and was very impressed with it.

OK, I got to ask, why the 7-8 pin HEI? I recall those are for computer controlled timing.
The basic HEI module is the 4-pin. Need a heat sink that is grounded. 2 wires go to the Duraspark pickup coil. 2 wires go to the coil, one of which also gets switched power.
So simple that some aftermarket Duraspark boxes have been known to have the GM HEI module inside of them.

 

[ntsqd]

The 7 or 8 pin because if you wire it like it is a 4 pin then it behaves like it is a 4 pin, BUT all except the pick-up coil connections are a weather/metri/Deutcsh type sealed connection where none of the 4 pin's connections are sealed. The other reason is that they are still easy to find in the junk-yards, so OEM quality is still reasonably easy to get. I can't quantify it, but it also seems like they have better dwell angle settings and control than the 4 pin modules.

In the case of the Valiant the long term plan was a TBI on it, so the ECU controlled timing feature played right into those goals. I got as far as modifying the GM 2.8 V6 dist. to fit the 170 Slant 6 before I sold the car.