Electronic Distributor

[Chief Master Sergeant]

How hard is it to convert from and old points distributor to an electronic? What do I need to do it? What are the steps?

 

[Yellow75]

The pertronix ignitor kits for 60-65 bucks are the cheapest/easiest way to go. Other than that you'll need a new dist.

 

[broncnaz]

Its really easy the dura spark swap can be done cheaply also I paid $20 for a complete setup at the junk yard. Just find a 75-up car or truck with a 302 grab the dist. module, coil, and all the wiring that connects them all together include some of the wiring that connects the module to the ignition. If you dist is in good condition then use it if not you can use it for a core on a rebuilt one they usually run about $50 with lifetime warrentee, also buy a new module $12 just incase your junkyard one is bad if not you'll have a spare. about the only other thing you'll need is new plug wires(I like the ford motorsports wires $40 from summit racing) as the terminals are different although you could use your old dist cap and wires if you wanted to. Once installed you also need to open your plug gaps up to .045 and say goodbye to your points.

 

[SC74]

I would stay away from Pertronix. I had the Pertronix distributor conversion and the Flame Thrower coil. I liked it for about 3 months until it left me stranded. I'm running points now and am going to put a DUI in soon.

 

[ElJefe]

I second the duraspark option. You can get a reman dist. for about $35, use your current dist as a core. The counter monkeys wont know the diff. The module will run you about $15. I'd get 2 of them and carry a spare. The module is the weak link but still not as bad as the petronix. Hell, at $15 get 3 of them. The last thing you will need is a coil. I recommend the ford TFI coil. The little square looking thing. Works great with the duraspark and puts out over 50K volts. Look towards early 80's cars for the wiring. Most of the big Ford/Lincolns had the ignition stuff as a separate harnesses. There is a harness that connects the Distributor to the Module and coil. If you use a TFI coil get the plug and splice it in place of the old style coil horseshoe plug. You will need to splice 2 wires to the module. Hot in run, and Hot in Cranking. You can get away without the Hot on Crank wire. All it does is retard the timing 6 degrees or so for easier starting. All you really need from the boneyard are the plugs. The wiring is simple. The pic looks a little funky on the dark background but you get the idea.

 

[ElJefe]

Actually the pic looked a little funky on the gray preview screen... it looks like crappola on the actual post. Check here for full info...

Duraspark Upgrade

 

[awol_today]

Actually the pic looked a little funky on the gray preview screen... it looks like crappola on the actual post. Check here for full info...

Duraspark Upgrade

It looks really cool on my LCD monitor. I was trying to figure out how you did it

 

[SteveL]

i also had bad luck with the pertronix. If the motor got warm at all in traffic it would crossfire. Now both broncos run a DUI. My friends have had good luck with the cheaper HEI swap such as pro comp. I think one of my friends paid like $110 for it

 

[Skuzzlebutt]

I'm planning on doing the Pertronix II in the next week or so. I don't expect it to be noticably better than a Duraspark II performance wise, but my current points dizzy was new about 10k miles ago so I feel I would be coming out ahead converting a known good points dizzy than scrounging up a used 'lectronic one and hoping it's good. I will keep the old points in the G-box for easy re-replacement in the unlikely event of the Pertronixs failing.

 

[ken75ranger]

Here's another option. Duraspark dizzy using a GM HEI module.
HEI

 

[DixieBronco]

Here's another option. Duraspark dizzy using a GM HEI module.
HEI

Has anybody tried this. Is it comparable to buying the HEI dizzy off of ebay?

 

[ntsqd]

The GM module tends to be a power hog. I'd use a relay switched by the IGN wire and pull it's power straight from the battery with minimum a 10 gauge wire. It also needs a strong trigger pulse. The DS-II pick-up and reluctor should be able to do this.

My Q is why? The whole DS-II system works very well. It is possible to convert your existing dist to the DS-II parts. You need the upper dist. shaft, the reluctor, the reluctor's roll pin, and the pick-up coil/vacuum advance assembly. I've pulled just those parts from the JY many times. With the exception of the points FE & Y block dists, all of the V8 dists are the same in the upper part. And other than the reluctor the 6 cyl's are the same too. Only thing you need to be careful of is the rotation direction of the vacuum advance plate when mixing parts.

You don't really need the ballast resistor for the coil power. The DS-II module controls current thru the coil. I've run them both ways with no problems.

 

[ElJefe]

Has anybody tried this. Is it comparable to buying the HEI dizzy off of ebay?

No... the HEI dizzy off of ebay is a custom unit. It is a custom base designed to take a GM HEI cap. It has the module and coil right on the cap. I'm assuming that the rotor is GM. No idea about the internals.

The conversion on the carbdford website is basically a Duraspark II conversion using the GM HEI module instead of the Ford module. If you run high RPM's this would be a better way to go than the Ford module. The Ford module starts to float and gets erratic timing at about 4500-5K. My bronco sees 5k once a year so it makes no difference to me. If your's is built to spin 6500-7k then I would highly recommend the GM module, it should have no problem keeping up. The tradeoff to the GM module is the high power/cooling requirements. Either module will fire the Ford TFI coil which I think is a much better coil than the HEI unit. I have run .065 gaps with the stock TFI coil.

I have been bitten in the past and have become weary of anything that is a one off custom single source part. I value being able to get all my replacement parts from Napa. Do your research if you decide to go ahead with one of the custom HEI dizzy's.

 

[DixieBronco]

All i'm looking to do is upgrade my points distributor. Mine had the duraspark but the PO disconnected it and put a points distributor back in it.

 

[ElJefe]

I didn't realize that your truck was originally duraspark. If all the wiring is still there, you should just have to get the duraspark distributor and the module and plug them in. Check and see if you have a single 3 pin plug near the distributor and 2 plugs on the drivers side inner fender for the module. If all the plugs are there you should be good to go. If you want you can verify the wiring against the Duraspark Upgrade site I posted earlier.

If the PO butchered the wiring at the dizzy, get the harness at the junkyard. That's why the module has 2 plugs. One plug connects the module to the dizzy and the coil using a separate harness. The other connects the module to the ignition. You can replace just the harness between the coil/dizzy/module with one from just about ANY early 80's car without cutting a single wire.

 

[DixieBronco]

I'll have to check and see. I know there is a bundle of wires by the dizzy. Should I go ahead and replace the coil too?

thanks for the help

 

[ElJefe]

If you want to do an upgrade from the original type coil, I would get a TFI coil and plug from an early 90's fuel injected car. They are the little square ones. They are MUCH better than the stock type coil, about 2.5x the output of the original coils. I grabbed mine at the junkyard along with the plug and spliced the plug onto the original wiring. You can also get both the plug and coil new for a reasonable price. Other than having to put the correct plug on the harness, it is a direct replacement for the original and works as good if not better than any of the "high performance" stock type coils out there.

 

[DixieBronco]

what year car/truck should i ask for when i go to the auto store to get the dizzy and module? and what year for he coil?

Thanks

 

[ElJefe]

If you have a stock 302 with a flat tappet cam ask for a dizzy for an 84 Mustang GT. If you have a roller cam, ask for an 85 mustang GT 5 spd. The stock cam (84 mustang) uses a cast iron gear. The roller cams in the later blocks (85 Mustang) used a machined steel gear. The advance curves are nicer on the mustang dizzy's.

For the coil you can ask for a 90 f150 with a 5.0.

check here which goes into several other things that you can do at the same time:

http://users3.ev1.net/~bmarr/duraspark_ignition_upgrade.htm

 

[Chief Master Sergeant]

Okay, so someone stole my post, but it looks like I wasn't the only one with the question. Mine has never been converted, so I will look for the entire thing at the JY this weekend. I'll yell if I get lost and can't figure this out. Thanks!