I'm thinking about going to an electronic ignition system for my 73.

The choices seem to be:

1. Early OEM - very expensive parts and used to die too often
2. HEI tach drive distributor - need to change to HEI plug wires and won't fit under shielding
3. MSD or Accel electronic tach drive distributor but needs ignition box
4. Pertronix systems fit inside stock distributor and can use stock coil (II & II require some rewiring) 2 wires come out from distributor
5. Breakerless-SE-Ignition-Kit also fits inside stock distributor and can use stock coil but I doubt the two-piece stamped tin rotor would produce equal timing for all cylinders

If anybody has had problems with these, or can add pros or cons to one of these systems it would be appreciated.

Thanks,

John

(And, yes, I believe it will make no noticeable difference in everyday driving)

 

I have the Mallory Unilite conversion in two cars for decades. Mallory is out of business but Accel is selling the same unit and uses a plastic two piece shutter wheel under the rotor.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/a...0acc/overview/

 

Been running the Petronix electric conversion in the rebuilt stock distributor in my 73 for 4 years. No issues also using the pertronics coil. Looks stock and runs great.
http://www.jegs.com/i/Pertronix/751/1181LS/10002/-1

 

a spark is a spark. points are cheap and easy. and work just fine for a fun driver. why fix whats not broken

 

Iused the Pertronix 1 for years,ran great no problems. I run an MSD pro billet ready to run(no box)no problems and you can use the old dizzy cap with the small ignition wires

 

I also run the petronix system in my '73 no problems in four years.

 

Another for the Pertronix unit, have not had an issue, runs good and very reliable. Also they advise not to leave the key in the run position with the car off as it can damage the unit. Was cheap at Summit- $80 bucks
You will need to check your distributer to make sure the unit is lined up and may need to install shims if necessary, his will require distributer removal.

 

I have the Breakerless SE. No need to run a dedicated 12v from your fuse box with this unit. Uses the factory distributor connections. Easy to install, and it does keep good timing. The two pieces go together very well.

 

I have the Pertronix Ignitor II with the Flame-Thrower coil. Installed about a year ago. No problems! And it looks stock!

 

Mine is a probably a little more involved than you want to go, but I converted to a Mallory MaxFire electronic distributor on my '71. It has all the timing control and rev limiter built into it so no need for an external box. I removed the resistance wire and ran a new 12ga pink wire from the bulkhead connector to the distributor. This is exactly how the '75+ HEI cars came from the factory. I did also have to convert to an electronic tach, as there is no tach drive on it. I have the factory one rebuilt with electronic guts by Roger at Corvette Instrument Service in Florida. He did a great job.

 

i have an aftermarket HEi tachdrive and it works fine. I want to convert over to a small cap HEI system to be able to go back to the ignition shielding stock look. HEI is simpler to maintain, no gaps, dwell, condenser to worry about. spark is not just a spark. Stronger spark can jump a bigger gap giving a bigger spark and a more complete burn. If it wasn't better no one would be using it. I guess carbuerators would be better than injection then too.

 

If you have a stock engine and use the car for normal driving, you will put more money and work into swapping over to an electronic ignition that it would take for dealing with points over the next 2-3 years.

If you still have the resistance wire powering your ignition, just use good quality points and condenser and you should use a stock coil. (Sticking an aftermarket 'power' coil in your system will accomplish nothing good.) When you run the radio with engine OFF, turn key to the Accessory position so power does not flow thru the ignition system.

Once a year, check the points for condition. If worn at all, use a points file or 200 grit w/d sandpaper to clean them up. Also check dwell and reset to 28-32 degrees on the meter.

If engine begins to 'miss' occasionally, check points & clean/replace if necessary, and replace the condenser. Whenever you work on the ignition system, recheck and reset dwell.

If that is just too difficult for you, buy the Pertronix system (module and matching coil) and swap over to electronic ignition. But, you should also purchase a spare module and keep it in the car. When it fails, you will get no warning and there is no 'limp home' mode. You will need to replace the failed module to get the car going again. So, factor in the cost of TWO modules when you make your purchase, because you WILL need them.

 

I understand and appreciate each post. In case of interest to others:

1. Pertronix has an Ignitor 'lobe sensor' model that doesn't use the magnetic ring employed in the earlier models, and therefore the distributor doesn't need to be removed.

2. Warning: Without exaggeration, I have installed hundreds of Delco points in cars over the years and never had a single failure -- until recently. I've had 2 sets of Delco-boxed points bought at swap meets (or on-line, I forget) fail. The spring broke on one and on the other the spring became too weak (point bounce at 4,500 rpm) . My guess is that many of the 'NOS' Delco parts are Chinese knock-offs so beware.

I’m currently running Mallory points with a spring rate measured at 56 oz. The Blue Streak points I tried measured only 22 oz and bounced at 5,000 rpm

 

Do you know who supplies a small cap HEI system that fits under the ignition shielding and uses stock wires?

Thanks,

John

 

Was running a Mallory but it started acting up. Picked up a tach drive hei at a swap meet and it's been doing fine. Probably crap out on me now.....

 

HEI w/tach drive on my '73 L48... it works great.

mardyn

 

you can look at ebay to find a bunch of manufacturers. Then go to one of the forum vendors and see if they carry that manufacturer. pertronix is popular,msd has some. theres only a few with the tachdrive. theres a bunch out there that are noo name manufacturer but the price savings may not relate to dependability.

heres one from jegs
http://www.jegs.com/i/MSD-Ignition/121/8572/10002/-1

corvette central
http://www.parts123.com/corvettecent...50g&ukey=52767


ebay list
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...drive&_sacat=0

 

I installed the Pertronix Igniter III in my stock 1974 distributor last year.
Never took the distributor out and works perfectly.
I also changed the coil to match it (Flame thrower) since mine was old and rusty looking.
I don't do POINTS. My car still looks stock, but has the benefit of electronic ignition now.

For next year, FiTech Fuel Injection.

Ken

 

I'm running the Breakerless SE and couldn't be happier. It took less then 20 minutes to install and was super easy. I can switch back to points in under 20 minutes if I ever had the desire. I also like the fact that it looks totally stock and it's impossible to tell you are not running points without popping the distributor cap. I switched to electronic for the simple fact it's more dependable.

 

Personally I've never heard of a Breakerless SE module failing. But if it did you just need to carry a spare set of points, which is the same thing you would need to do if you were running points, so I fail to see your selling point.... just sayin'

YMMV