Distributor Advice/Suggestions

[SeaVee]

So, it’s a 77 and I have the original motor and distributor. The new motor is a late 80’s 302. Would my 77 distributor work on that block? Someone else I trust had that same suggestion earlier today. Thanks!

 

[bronco italiano]

Must confirm the cam is a roller or flat tappet as previously stated. Stock 77 dist. gear is for flat tappet for sure. Sometimes you rather cry once that go cheap than tisk ruining your motor.

 

[DirtDonk]

I miss Jacobs...

Me too! I still have a couple of their systems, waiting for a home.
The one I ran on my 71 for 20 years, and I think a new one in the box. Sure hope the new one works as good as the old one did!
Put out some wicked spark and was very convenient to use.

 

[73azbronco]

MSD 6a using duraspark trigger and dizzy on a 347. Recurved by a place in Ontario Ca for the cam/engine, cant remember or find name.

 

[ntsqd]

M= My

S= Spark

D= Disappeared


No offense if you're having good luck (hope you continue to) but the acromyn is accurate.

I know guys that run MSD but they have issues. Others I'm sure have good luck.

CAT calls them "Majorly Sh___y Device".

I ran a D-S II system on the Ranchero back when. Used an OEM Ford E-Core ccoil (laminated ignition coil from a late model). Then I made a conversion wiring harness that allowed me to plug in an MSD 6A in place of the D-S II module. At the time I thought that there was a mild improvement, mostly in cold starts. About a year later I was having some issues that I couldn't quite track down, so I put the D-S II module back on the car. Didn't fix those issues (forget what they ended up being), but I also honestly couldn't tell the difference in how the engine ran. This was a mild 302. The 6A has been on a shelf ever since.

I have run an ignition system using an inductive pick-up coil like a D-S II distributor has, triggering a GM HEI module. Both a 4 pin and an 8 pin GM module. They absolutely, positively MUST have the thermal grease applied correctly. With the exception of some Arctic Silver thermal grease, nothing else will work. Ask me how I know this.
I would say that a good HEI module is a touch better than a good D-S II module, but I wouldn't make the switch without a really good reason.

Since it appears that the OP already has a D-S II system factory wired in his EB I'd use that as-is. With the exception of changing over to an E-Core coil. I think those coils are considerably better than what these trucks were born with. Someone above cautioned about the right type of distributor drive gear for the type of cam (OE roller, aftermarket roller, or flat tappet). There is no forgiveness in this, you must have it correct or the results will not be good.
One of the generic re-curve kits from Summit is probably all that is needed unless you want to send it out to a specialist. IF/When you open up the dist. and remove the pick-up plate take notice of which slot the mechanical limiter is in. There should be a number stamped in that plat next tot he notch. That number is the amount of cam degrees mechanical advance is allowed by that notch. The opposite notch will have a different number.

Jacobs, there's a name that I haven't heard in years. The guy was a con-artist and not much more. Some of his product was good, but that wasn't intentional. As I recall Chris Jacobs went to jail because of some of his misdeeds and that is why Jacobs no longer exsits.

 

[DirtDonk]

Never heard that one! I’ll have to look it up and see if there’s a detailed record of it.
All I know is they had some pretty cool stuff before Mr. Gasket took them over. Then after Mr. gasket, MSD bought it out I believe, but I could be wrong on that.
If course by the time Holley took it all over they had pretty much neutered the whole lineup, and everybody who ever took over the name each time seemed to only want the ceramic spark plug wires.
Apparently, David Freiberger worked there before going on to bigger and better things. Have never heard him speak much about his time there though.

 

[nvrstuk]

Yeah but we're not talking ability to spin and have clean unclipped spark at 8500 rpm..
I think the OP wants dependability and good clean spark right?? Correct if I'm wrong OP.

Yeah, Henry went bankrupt twice, heck Trump has 34 felonies & he's the Republican nominee (will be)- ALL I'm saying (really all Im saying) is like Paul said, that Jacob's did build some good stuff and must have made a bad decision here or there (maybe both)! lol


Anyway, you did make some cool modified setups! Only built one capacitive discharge ignition from scratch. Worked good for years on two of my early Duntov 30-30 solid lifter cam engines but plug & play is nice to have!

 

[nvrstuk]

I just double checked and as of this afternoon when I got home there are 3 different threads going on (not this one) about no SPARK due to MSD failure!

No joke- three threads at the same time, all MSD failures... lol

This is so funny! (well, maybe not for those 3 guys)

M- my
S- spark
D- disappeared

 

[SeaVee]

Yes- drive ability and dependability are main objectives. Fascinating info here, you can tell I am not a Motörhead. Please keep it coming.

 

[ntsqd]

Reliable, consistent spark for a mild engine is exactly where the D-S II really can't be beat*. Choose the right drive gear for the cam used, and run it. The only upgrade worth doing, & I feel strongly about it, is the E-Core coil (& connector) from a late(r) model. I'd shoot for 34° total (mech + initial) with 10°-12° initial timing. Approach the 34° with care, 2° too little timing won't hurt much, 2° too much timing will hurt a lot. A curve kit will likely unlock a few ponies or may just make the engine feel a little more lively, but that can be done with the dist in the vehicle at some later point in time.

*Can likely get a little more out of using an HEI module driven by the D-S II distributor, but due to the electrical connectors you're forced to use in such a system the reliability goes down a little.

 

[bronco italiano]

For the price the DS-II is hard to beat, as others have stated, have a spare OEM module in your rig. My dad always had a spare module in his '79 Bronco.
Performance distributors have since discontinued a product that took the DS-II and updated the module with a Mopar and resistor (?) . Think they Discontinued it because DS-II was getting old and TFI/coil on plug was getting more popular. I will post a pic of my stash, that I am not using since we went Ford SEFI on my buddy's bronco. That setup still runs you almost as much as the DUI- HEI setup though (when matching quality parts to quality parts).

 

[bronco italiano]

Here is a pic.

 

[ntsqd]

My experience with the Mopar electronic ign modules has been far worse than my experience with JY sourced D-S II modules. After my third Mopar module on the Valiant that misbehaved or outright failed I tried the 8 pin HEI module. Several orders of magnitude improvement on all fronts! I'm of the opinion that NEW Mopar modules and NEW D-S II modules are all JUNK, but from experience a used Motorcraft D-S II module from a JY is a solid choice.

I've never felt the need to carry a spare D-S II module. Won't hurt, but if you have an original Motorcraft part I'm not sure that you'll ever need it. I would sooner make up a conversion wiring harness and carry an HEI module already mounted with thermal grease on a heat-sink. Overall it would be a smaller package.

 

[bronco italiano]

I don't have any experience with the Mopar as of yet. It was the module # DUI used with their duaspark conversion years back.
Duraspark had module problems as well as magnetic pickup failures.
I have seen the remote mounted modules and like them, they even make a relocation kit with heat sink and the paste for sure.
Check out Dave's Small-body HEI website. https://www.davessmallbodyheis.com/
The website is very interesting. Dave is quite a colorful guy and just brilliant with distributors.

 

[SteveL]

I don't have any experience with the Mopar as of yet. It was the module # DUI used with their duaspark conversion years back.
Duraspark had module problems as well as magnetic pickup failures.
I have seen the remote mounted modules and like them, they even make a relocation kit with heat sink and the paste for sure.
Check out Dave's Small-body HEI website. https://www.davessmallbodyheis.com/
The website is very interesting. Dave is quite a colorful guy and just brilliant with distributors.

Dave is pretty funny. We used to talk to him at the long Beach swap meet. I haven't been going as often but haven't seen him there in years

 

[ntsqd]

I'd avoid any of the Mopar modules unless you stumble across one known to be an older, original part in good condition. Based on how they run I think the D-S II has more dwell time than any of the various Mopar modules and I know that the HEI has a bit more than that.

I've read of the fabled "whack it with a rubber mallet" diagnosis of D-S II modules. Never experienced one or known anyone that had a module that behaved like that.

Same for the D-S II pick-up & reluctor assemblies. I've used them for years, put them in ~1/2 dozen different distributors (3 of those in Prestolites for IH V8's) and only one of those has ever had a problem. I didn't do a good a good enough job of securing the pick-up wires inside the distributor housing and they got into contact with the reluctor.
To me the telling thing is that all of the premier aftermarket inductive distributors use the D-S II pick-up/reluctor assembly and not the HEI assembly or the Mopar assembly.

 

[bronco italiano]

Great points, and because of all the unknowns of both Mopar and DS-II is what led me to get the DUI brand.
Yeah it is big and GM looking, but it has a proven track record for reliability, one wire hook up, the company will curve it to your specific motor/vehicle specs and easy to change out module/coil. To me it is worth the extra expense.

 

[Ol'Blue]

Im running Pertronix for about 1,000 miles now. So far so good. Whatever you chose and depending on your set up, make sure it will clear your air cleaner and the hood support brace etc. Some of the distributors are much taller and dont fit well. As mentioned, have it curved for your set up. Many of the aftermarket stuff is curved for street racing and not low end torque. Mine was way off for what I needed. Good luck!

 

[ntsqd]

With a pertronix I would definitely carry something to get me home. Be it another one or a set of points and a condenser. When those came out all of the buggy guys (see avatar) jumped on them. Almost all of them had multiple failures. Not immediately and not one right after the other, but over the course of the next ~5 years all were replaced at least once and more than a couple of them were replaced several times. Seems like they suffer from the same failures that the old Unilite's failed from, a voltage surge will pop some part of the sensing array and then it's dead, dead.
Maybe they've improved since then.
I didn't want to risk it and being a poor college student at the time I put an almost free Toyota reluctor and pick-up coil in a spare ACVW 009 distributor and hid the Toyota module in an old Delta V capacitive discharge ign conversion housing (so that it looked period). I ran that fault free for the next decade plus. I don't have the buggy any more, but I do still own the engine and it now has a converted 010 distributor in it.

As I understand it, the one wire, big cap HEI distributors are Buick (?) distributors converted to fit a SBF. Assuming that smallbodyHEI's is still producing he should be able to start with a points version of that distributor to use the smaller GM points cap. It's not terribly difficult to install the GM HEI pick-up and reluctor assembly in a GM points distributor. The signal from the D-S II pick-up is stronger and I prefer to use it, but it doesn't fit real well in a GM points distributor.

To put the D-S II pick-up assembly in a Ford points distributor isn't hard at all. The biggest issue is to cut the hole for the points wire into a u-notch for the pick-up wires to exit the dist. Seems like not all of the points dist's have the hole in the right place for this, so you may need to cut a slot from scratch and plug the hole. I cover the hole with masking tape and then fill the hole with J-B Weld, When that has cured I remove the tape. Why not just use a whole D-S II dist? My local JY's charge next to nothing for the parts, but a whole dist costs darned near what a new one goes for.
If the points dist has been curved that will likely need to be done again unless you can match the points limit slot exactly with the D-S II limit slot.

 

[nvrstuk]

I always love the experience and the Charles and tribulations. That we've all gone through with all this different stuff. Always good to hear.

We ran petronics on boats that did not have alternators or regulators- just stators.
Which have got to be known for the craziest voltage variations possible.

We didn't have to replace any petronics. Maybe different batch? different years?

Good stuff to know for sure. Thanks t t s