Best electronic distributor.??
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 331
Likes: 1
Best electronic distributor.??
Opinions? Looking for a ready to run or plug & play aftermarket distributor. Not planning on using a CD box at this point but having one that is compatible for future would be nice. Dont have room for the big HEI style cap. Opinions? breakerless magnetic? Unilite mallory? Pertronix pug & play? Etc. I also prefer the old points style cap so I can reuse my existing wires as they are almost new. Going in a high rpm street strip car with old dual points dist. Opinions? pros & cons? thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 9,429
Likes: 44
From: Macon, GA
I think the coolest thing on the market now is MSD's Pro Billet E-curve distributor. You can dial in your mechanical and vacuum advance curve with just a turn of two dials on a micro-processor under the cap. No need to guess at it by changing springs and weights. It also has a built in rev limiter. It comes with a chart showing exactly where to set the dials for different timing curves. It also has a timing retard feature for easier starting if your running high compression. It will crank retard the timing from 5 to 20 degrees. It can't get any easier than that. I'd be running that distributor for sure if I didn't have to have a tach drive unit. 
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5,403
Likes: 95
Mallory has a lot of distributors with female style caps and the newer
male type. What do you want in a dist, most will require a
cd box and almost 100 percent of MSDs use male plug conection.
Do you want mechanical advance or vacumm. Mallory has some nice
new dists. out and there price tag for both dist. and CD boxes are more
reasonable. The male conections are better if you can afford new wires.
If you buy the nice MSD E-curve you will have around $440.00 in dist
and wires then there is the cost for a cd box you will want and they use
different coils with cds, you could end up with $650.00 or more in parts.
male type. What do you want in a dist, most will require a
cd box and almost 100 percent of MSDs use male plug conection.
Do you want mechanical advance or vacumm. Mallory has some nice
new dists. out and there price tag for both dist. and CD boxes are more
reasonable. The male conections are better if you can afford new wires.
If you buy the nice MSD E-curve you will have around $440.00 in dist
and wires then there is the cost for a cd box you will want and they use
different coils with cds, you could end up with $650.00 or more in parts.
Last edited by Little Mouse; May 9, 2007 at 04:14 AM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 331
Likes: 1
Yeah I was planning on just using the distributor without the CD box initially, but wanted one that could be upgraded with a CD box later if the need was there. Im not sure of the value of the CD box other than rev. control which this dist. has. Pros & cons on CD boxes? I have seen a few guys broke down because of a bad CD box.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5,403
Likes: 95
Gull now has the high tech MSD E-curve, but I believe he put
100,000 miles on a mallory unilite. Pretty sure the unilite is a
stand alone dist can be used with or without a cd, it uses an
optical trigger.
MMA-3748201 is mehanical advance uses female plug wire cap
$229.95, MMA-4748201 is the same dist. but with vacuum adv.
$235.95.
100,000 miles on a mallory unilite. Pretty sure the unilite is a
stand alone dist can be used with or without a cd, it uses an
optical trigger.
MMA-3748201 is mehanical advance uses female plug wire cap
$229.95, MMA-4748201 is the same dist. but with vacuum adv.
$235.95.
Last edited by Little Mouse; May 9, 2007 at 07:56 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 331
Likes: 1
Yeah I have a unilite on my Vette. I works fine I think. Easy to hook up & is stand alone. Not sure if its as good as meg. pickup dist.? I also put a unilite in a 71 GMC 2wd pickup I used to have. Man that was a cool truck! C20 custom with towing package. factory 396 (402) TH400 trans, 4:30 gears, power stearing & power front disc breaks. It survived on a steady diet of mustang GT's
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,752
Likes: 4
From: Austin Texas
Fully self contained, fits (with a little persuasion) under the shielding. Tach. drive, mech. and vacuum advance. Uses your existing ignition wires.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
Last edited by big_G; May 9, 2007 at 09:36 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 7,353
Likes: 72
From: Graceland in a Not Correctly Restored Stingray
Call Performance Distributors and have them custom curve a DUI for your specific application for just $279. It'll plug right in and be right on the money, no guess work. If it's external gadgets you want, move up to their 18volt system.
http://www.performancedistributors.com/
http://www.performancedistributors.com/
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 88,393
Likes: 2
From: eville in
I think the coolest thing on the market now is MSD's Pro Billet E-curve distributor. You can dial in your mechanical and vacuum advance curve with just a turn of two dials on a micro-processor under the cap. No need to guess at it by changing springs and weights. It also has a built in rev limiter. It comes with a chart showing exactly where to set the dials for different timing curves. It also has a timing retard feature for easier starting if your running high compression. It will crank retard the timing from 5 to 20 degrees. It can't get any easier than that. I'd be running that distributor for sure if I didn't have to have a tach drive unit.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,028
Likes: 2
From: North NJ
Fully self contained, fits (with a little persuasion) under the shielding. Tach. drive, mech. and vacuum advance. Uses your existing ignition wires.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
This is a direct plug in for the vette mech tach? no adapters needed?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,028
Likes: 2
From: North NJ
The big question...is it worth it to convert from mech tach to electronic tach?
I've got my stock mech tach gauge but will need a new cable. Don't have a distributor yet so can buy either.
Have read a few threads on the mech tach's wearing themselves down around the cross shaft gears.
But then you have the cool factor of the mech function.
Is it worth to convert the tach gauge to electric and go with an electric distributor??? Performance and longevity in mind.
My research...
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ight=mech+tach
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ight=mech+tach
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ight=mech+tach
I've got my stock mech tach gauge but will need a new cable. Don't have a distributor yet so can buy either.
Have read a few threads on the mech tach's wearing themselves down around the cross shaft gears.
But then you have the cool factor of the mech function.
Is it worth to convert the tach gauge to electric and go with an electric distributor??? Performance and longevity in mind.
My research...
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ight=mech+tach
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ight=mech+tach
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ight=mech+tach
Last edited by 68 NJConv 454; May 15, 2007 at 02:25 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
-edit-if you so choose to later ... you can easily bypass the module & run a CD box ... and you can relocate the coil ... works on above mallory, asian or any large cap HEI.
Last edited by jackson; May 15, 2007 at 03:28 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 21,953
Likes: 1,445
From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
I think the coolest thing on the market now is MSD's Pro Billet E-curve distributor. You can dial in your mechanical and vacuum advance curve with just a turn of two dials on a micro-processor under the cap. No need to guess at it by changing springs and weights. It also has a built in rev limiter. It comes with a chart showing exactly where to set the dials for different timing curves. It also has a timing retard feature for easier starting if your running high compression. It will crank retard the timing from 5 to 20 degrees. It can't get any easier than that. I'd be running that distributor for sure if I didn't have to have a tach drive unit.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
http://www.cranecams.com/?show=brows...27&showAll=yes
I used Mallory Unilite Vac advance dist. for many years. The problem with them is you really need to send it in to them to have it recurved for your needs. It was not a problem for me since they were only 30 minutes away
Last edited by gkull; May 15, 2007 at 06:36 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 5,403
Likes: 95
comp engine a dist with a cd box would be good. if you have
a pump gas friendly hydraulic cam mid range rpm engine a new
HEI dist can do that job.