[RAM MAN]

What all is involved in getting rid of points in the distributor cap area ?

what specific parts are needed ?

will I no longer need a ballast ?

 

[RAM MAN]

found this:

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10002_34262_-1

anyone installed one ?

I've never installed a complete distributor .... anything I need to know ?

 

[sherdep]

I take it this is for a Big Block?
The instructions should be straight forward to swap
You will need possibly a T fitting and vacuum line if the distributor is a vacuum advanced type which from the picture it looks that way
you will need a timing light as well.
I have never went from points to electronic ignition but I got a conversion kit from my father for a small block and it looks pretty straight forward to me

 

[RAM MAN]

thanks

yes, for my 440 car

 

[threetwos]

Yep, as Sherdep described Dave. A dial back timing light is nice, this way you can actually 'see' what the vacum advance as well as mechanical advance. If you want to keep your stock dizzy and just have the point conversion to hall effect and magnetic pickup you can install a simple Petronix points conversion kit, yes you will need a ballast resistor but a diff ohm resistance than the points type. Tired of using a matchbook to set thos dual points eh? The jegs site has ignitor II kits for 111.00 approx which would be 1/2 the price of the M.P. kit and still have a stock look,(minus one wire additional out of the dizzy). I would also invest in a good coil like the MSD Blaster II in black looks like a MoPar coil but has a faster rise time and makes more " voltage pressure" to the plug wires therby giving a hotter spark and helping to keep the plugs cleaner longer

 

[Dart-Swinger]

I have done a few of them and the vacuum advance had way to much advance in it and had to be secrewed way out.And you don't want the orange ignition box if you plan on revving it over 5500 rpm,the mopar chrome box is the way to go.I burnt up two orange boxes before finding out the rpm limit on them with my 340

 

[sgillett]

Regarding the ballast resistor, it is to reduce voltage to the coil so it doesn't overheat, and is independent of the ignition.
The first generation factory electronic ignition with the dual ballast resistor is the exception, one side feeds the coil and the other feeds voltage to the old style 5 wire ignition box but the (current) 4 wire ignition boxes don't use the dual ballast resistor. The dual ballast resistor was a failure point on those old ignitions. I always carried a spare in my '79 W150.
My $.02
Scott

 

[threetwos]

Yeah good point, I have done many conversions, the M.P. distributor has about 2 degrees initial, 28 mechanical, 24 vacum, all screwed up! They have to be tweaked to run right on a mildly modded engine, 275+ cam, which needs the opposite, lots of lead, quick mechanical to 2400-3000 then vacum if you wish to utilize it. Thats why I brought up the ignitor petroix conversion, that way he could use the stock curve and vacum, the way the plugs are fired changes only, and of course the dwell stays the same so timng doesnt change as in points type ignitions. Ram Man, I would advise buying it from Chuck Millen at Best Machine or Muscle Motors Eric Budden, that way they could dial it in on a distributor machine,(SUN), and get your curve in the "ballpark" with your engine specs, cam carb compression ect..or else you will have to dissassemble the dizzy to alter the mechanical advance,(slots in the timing plate). It wouldnt be that much more and would really make a difference with a more aggressive timing curve that would be very easy to install.

 

[AP]

Do they even make the Mallory Unilite anymore? I never see or hardly see any of them on Mopars anymore. I had one on my Cuda. It was awsome. I liked it very much.

 

[bigmacdak]

Oh god ive got to do this on my duster. Its all hog wired in with scotch tape connections & speaker wire, so its on my "to do for sure list". Yall might as well be speaking greek when it comes to timing & advance & stuff. I never have been good at it.

Like Dart-Swinger said, if you plan on revving the pants off it, go with the chrome box. My 360 in my duster is good for every bit of 6500 & I have the orange box. I have the shift light set at 6200 for the 1st to 2nd shift but after 5500 it starts popping & sputtering like someone is pouring water down its throat... Im not looking forward to doing the electrical on this car but it needs it bad...all of it.

 

[threetwos]

It will make a huge difference Matt!

 

[bigmacdak]

I hope so Eddie, this car is a rats nest when it comes to wiring & ignition :help: . I wasnt kidding about the scotch tape part either! What retard uses scotch tape to do electrical!?!.... All the wiring under the hood is going to be replaced from the firewall to the front bumper, but believe it or not the wiring from the firewall to the dash & rear of the car is in really good shape! thank god...

 

[threetwos]

I hope so Eddie, this car is a rats nest when it comes to wiring & ignition :help: . I wasnt kidding about the scotch tape part either! What retard uses scotch tape to do electrical!?!.... All the wiring under the hood is going to be replaced from the firewall to the front bumper, but believe it or not the wiring from the firewall to the dash & rear of the car is in really good shape! thank god...

Yeah Matt electrical problems are the 'bane' of our hobby. I would get a new re-pop engine/ forward area harness from Mancini or Year One and go from there. Scotch tape? Not very wise huh, LOL, or the poor sap that uses hardware store eletrical wrap black plastic tape with adhesive on it and wraps the whole engine compartment with it, a couple months later it all 'melted' the heat forced the adhesive to seep out and it was a huge mess!

 

[Ram3500Dually]

My new Duster looks like it is running a factory electronic ignition distributor and box with an Accel coil.

 

[bigmacdak]

Ram3500Dually, mine has the exact same setup! Its a Accel supercoil if I remember...

 

[threetwos]

Those coils are huge. They do a good job but take up some serious space, I use MSD exclusively now. At least it's on the right side offsetting the battery weight.(Just kidding)

 

[Ram3500Dually]

Battery? I have no stinking battery.......................

 

[sgillett]

Hi Dave,
The swap to electronic is easy. Set the motor to 5° BTDC, make sure the rotor is pointing at #1 plug wire , pull the distributor. Install the new distributor aligning the rotor with the #1 plug wire. Align the point on the reluctor in the new distributor with the pickup by rotating the distributor housing and double check that the rotor is still pointing at the #1 plug wire. I would not change out the cap yet (if they are the same) so there is only one thing changed at a time. When you mount the electronic control module it is extremely important that the module is well grounded.
Run the wiring and start it up! Set the timing and you are all set. Once it is running swap over to the new cap.
I have swapped all my point distributors to electronic. It is great to be able to check your timing and have it the same as you set it 6 months ago!
I hope this helps!
Scott

 

[threetwos]

Battery? I have no stinking battery.......................

Yeah, but you're gonna need at least two in the butt for any traction! :rck:

 

[threetwos]

Excellent advice Scott. Anymore though, I am gonna send mine to a shop that has a sun, this way I can tailor my curve before I drop it in and only minor adjustment to the base timing is necessary. The mechanical advance curve is a bear to adjust, unless they changed the old remove the advance plate plastic tabs to limit the slot travel ect..It would be really nice to have a MSD type advance setup. If he has a hot cam he will need to do this. If the engine is stock maybe not, but I think Dave is planning some mods in the near future.