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advice on a good dizzy

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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 05:49 PM
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Default advice on a good dizzy

hi everyone looking for info on choosing a good dizzy for my stock 77 l48 4sp vette i seen a nice mallory with adjustable vac advance will this dizzy give me good performance and drivability?
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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 06:06 PM
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There is nothing wrong with the stock Dist if it is in good cont. just add a adjustable vac can and spring kit to it that is what I did. Put your money somewhere else.
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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 07:48 PM
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Do not know about the Mallory, but I have used the Proform and the Accel HEI distributors. Both are quality units and they both come with adjustable vacuum advance, a cap and rotor with brass contacts, and a decent spark curve of about 20 to 24 degrees mechanical all in by 2,200 RPM or so. I have run them both in daily drivers and they work great. No trouble with either.
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Old Mar 17, 2009 | 07:57 PM
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I have an MSD in my 78'. Very happy with it. I had a Summit HEI before that and had problems with the mechanical advance.
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 11:59 AM
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Just like Duke, I bought a Summit HEI and the mechanical advance came apart after a few hundred miles. One of the mounting pins for the weights sheared off.
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 12:29 PM
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A stock,recurved HEI in with the correct tolerances is more distributor than any L48 would ever need.
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 03:22 PM
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Sure is - but why fool around with a 30 year old distributor? You can get a brand new one that is better than the GM unit for about 180 bucks and it comes with a warranty.
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 06:05 PM
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Except the buck eighty piece is no better than the one he has. Just by copying a GM HEI dosn`t make it better. just costs more...Oh, you also get those important bragging rights at the local hood pop up events......
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 06:35 PM
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Who does rebuilds and curving of dists? My original needs to be reshimmed and curved. When it went bad, I replaced with a Summit unit that is ok, but the weights are not as good as the original.
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 09:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Ironcross
Except the buck eighty piece is no better than the one he has. Just by copying a GM HEI dosn`t make it better. just costs more...Oh, you also get those important bragging rights at the local hood pop up events......


Iron is on the money here!
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 09:51 PM
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Put an MSD in my '79 L48. Real happy with it. If somewhere down the road there is a possibility you'll be swapping heads and cam, don't waste your time on the origional. If you're staying origional - rebuild.

Me- I got tired of cowering from ricers.
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 10:06 PM
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Iron doesn't get it. What makes you think the center bushing isn't egg shaped or the shaft isn't galled up, or the advance weight pins are not cut half way through or the advance slot isn't slopped out? These are all real common conditions for used HEIs. Not to mention a 30+ year old pick up assembly. Smart money buys the new dist. No worries and you spend your time doing something else.
Never thought about bragging or showing it off. As a matter of fact they look just like the factory unit - no one would even know it's there! The weights in the Proform and Accel are superior to the stamped steel factory stuff and the pins are heavier (the Accel actualy has replaceable bronze bushings on the weights). Plus all the regular HEI parts fit - coil, cap, rotor, module, vac advance, pick up, etc. So, there's a real good chance it is better than the one he has. I was wrong about one thing - the Accel dist is only $146.99 at Jegs.
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 10:54 PM
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What about a good one with a tach drive? I'm not to trusting of my old points set-up and having some issues that might be related, it idles great but when I try to accel the engine it backfires out the exhaust, just one big loud POW when the speed gets up maybe 1,000 rpm's higher.
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Old Mar 18, 2009 | 11:57 PM
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Originally Posted by 69427


Iron is on the money here!
You can buy a brand new GM HEI unit for about $180.00. Anything else is a cheap copy.

For a tach drive, The DUI is a good unit.
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Old Mar 19, 2009 | 12:26 PM
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You can buy a brand new GM HEI unit for about $180.00. Anything else is a cheap copy.
Why is anything else a cheap copy? Please explain.
Specifically elaborate on what is "cheap" about the Proform and the Accel.
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Old Mar 19, 2009 | 06:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop
Iron doesn't get it. What makes you think the center bushing isn't egg shaped or the shaft isn't galled up, or the advance weight pins are not cut half way through or the advance slot isn't slopped out? These are all real common conditions for used HEIs. Not to mention a 30+ year old pick up assembly. Smart money buys the new dist. No worries and you spend your time doing something else.
Never thought about bragging or showing it off. As a matter of fact they look just like the factory unit - no one would even know it's there! The weights in the Proform and Accel are superior to the stamped steel factory stuff and the pins are heavier (the Accel actualy has replaceable bronze bushings on the weights). Plus all the regular HEI parts fit - coil, cap, rotor, module, vac advance, pick up, etc. So, there's a real good chance it is better than the one he has. I was wrong about one thing - the Accel dist is only $146.99 at Jegs.
What makes you think he should use a worn out distributor. I dont use a worn out anything nor would I suggest that to anyone else any more than using a worn camshaft. All I said or suggested is that both pieces produce the same result but not for the same price. In other words the more expensive unit does not give you any more bang for the buck so why use it. All your paying for is a fancy box , information in several languages and a decal....
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Old Mar 19, 2009 | 06:28 PM
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Originally Posted by VictoriaVette
There is nothing wrong with the stock Dist if it is in good cont. just add a adjustable vac can and spring kit to it that is what I did. Put your money somewhere else.
I pretty much did the same with my stock setup. Bought a Pertronix HEI Upgrade kit that has higher output coil and new weights, springs, bushings, etc. I purchased the shim kit from AutoZone (I think) to get the end play out. I followed BarryK's sticky note at the top of this forum and Lars papers. Replaced the plug wires with some nice MSD wires. Once I got it dialed in, I was very impressed with the seat-of-the-pants difference.
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To advice on a good dizzy

Old Mar 19, 2009 | 07:38 PM
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Except the buck eighty piece is no better than the one he has. Just by copying a GM HEI dosn`t make it better. just costs more...Oh, you also get those important bragging rights at the local hood pop up events....
.

Again - how do you know the buck eighty piece is no better than the one he has? You're getting miffed about something you said that you say you never said! And again you try to sluff it off by making fun of the box, the instructions, and a decal that may or may not be included.
Here's the point: If your distributor is worn, and most are after 30+ years. Why mess around with it when you can have a new one for $150? Completely new! Everything. Housing, shaft, advance plate, weights, springs, cap, rotor, coil, pick up assembly, vac advance unit, module, all of it. And it's better than the GM unit! No crappy little stamped steel weights, flimsy pivot pins and so on. Oh - and for whatever it's worth - the only performance gain you'll get with any of these is if you replace one that was not performing properly to begin with.
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Old Mar 20, 2009 | 12:22 AM
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Well I presume that he has the same GM HEI that I use unless Ford has started making GM distributors. I also dont think for one moment that the users of this forum would use anything in or on their pieces that was not a good product. A suggestion that his distributor is full of worn out parts, how would you know? In fact many use this forum as a answer or problem solver tapping more experienced replys to their advantage. Here in lies a GM HEI. I repeat, the fancy high dollar distributor is no better than a stock HEI. Your money would be better spent elsewhere...

Maybe if you can get it running some speed rated front runners would be a wiser choice for you. That what I would do and did, as I have been told I`m crazy not stupid..

Check the avitar,,
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Old Mar 20, 2009 | 01:01 PM
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Well I presume that he has the same GM HEI that I use unless Ford has started making GM distributors. I also dont think for one moment that the users of this forum would use anything in or on their pieces that was not a good product. A suggestion that his distributor is full of worn out parts, how would you know? In fact many use this forum as a answer or problem solver tapping more experienced replys to their advantage. Here in lies a GM HEI. I repeat, the fancy high dollar distributor is no better than a stock HEI. Your money would be better spent elsewhere...

Maybe if you can get it running some speed rated front runners would be a wiser choice for you. That what I would do and did, as I have been told I`m crazy not stupid..

Check the avitar,,
BFD.
You have posted no useful info during this whole exchange. I have posted answers to the OP's questions based on experience. You post contradictions with no facts to back any of it up. You read things into my posts that are not there and then tell me to "check the avitar". What next "neener, neener, neener"? You've had your say and I've had mine. Enough already.
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