bopat9870

hi everybody i'm new owner of a 80 corvette and would like to know if its better to go to a Chevy dealer for part or any brands do the job ....its for a distributor cap and rotor ... which brand is the equal as the original ... thank you

MelWff

find a auto parts store that carries AC/Delco parts if you want original. There is nothing specific for a Corvette when it comes to a cap and rotor.

leadfoot4

I don't know about today (2017), but back in the day, when I had cars with points type distributors, I used Accel parts, as they were considered "premium". Back then, Echlin parts (NAPA), were also good too.

7T1vette

I concur with the Echlin brand from NAPA. I would NEVER buy a functional part or highly stressed part from The 'Zone'. I've seen the quality (or, rather, lack thereof) of Dura-junk parts that others have purchased, and I am appalled that they can actually sell that stuff.

DUB

I get AC DELCO parts and then sometimes my customer will bring me a distributor cap that has the brass contacts in them.

Not knowing if you know this...so if you do...Sorry for telling you something you already know about.

Regardless of which type of distributor cap you choose to use...one thing you need to watch out for is the condition of the underside of your ignition coil. When oyu remove teh ignition coil and go to put it inte new cap. There is a metal starp thatMUST be swapped over. You wanb tot make sure teh bend thta is UNDER oyur igntion coil is CLEAn and goingot make good contact withehteh ignition coil housign when installed., ADN...aslo verify that teh housing of teh igntion coil is also good to make good contact...so,,,NO PAINT NAD RUST on that corner of teh ignition coil.

THEN...when you go and install the round plunger contact with the spring made onto it in the center of the distributor cap...there is a large black rubber washer that goes on top of it. MAKE SURE you lightly apply a thin coat of the dielectric grease on this washer as required. This is where some manufactures give you a small amount of this dielectric grease WITH the distributor cap...while others do not.

THEN..take a close look at the underside of the coil WHERE this center plunger will make contact with the small spring and make sure that round metal contact surface area is CLEAN and NOT rusted up....which it can do.

DUB

leadfoot4

Boy, did I screw up!!!

I read 1980 Corvette, but forgot that the HEI distributors came into use in the mid-1970s. So, let me edit this and say that on any HEI equipped car I had, back in the day, I used Accel caps and rotors, because they had brass contacts, which tended to last longer than the "metal" contacts the other brands (including AC Delco) used.

If you insist on originality, and want to used AC Delco parts, that's fine, but price wise, a GM dealer will rape you. Independent parts stores will carry AC Delco parts.

REELAV8R

Very true. Dura-junk....love it.

ronarndt

DUB's comments about inspecting the "new" parts are right on. I watched an episode on TV where Wayne Carini located a rare distributor cap for an early Volvo, installed it and it self-destructed itself when he first turned the key to start it. The manufacturer of the cap installed the round brass contacts, but forgot to machine off half of the contact so the rotor would have clearance.

Rescue Rogers

If you buy Accel check fit. I just bought a new cap and with it seated properly I can rotate it about 1/8 to 3/16. I couldnt see a change in the timing but I junked it anyway.

gguillot

You can still get good quality ignition parts from NAPA. I believe it is the Echlin brand. They always have two or three levels of quality (and price.) Go for the best one if possible. Have them bring out the different options - my recently purchased cap and rotor were still US made.

Z06LMB

Coil? Are you talking about an ignition "capacitor?"
Sorry, your posting is hard to read.

leadfoot4

NO, he's talking about the "coil" that sits on top of an HEI distributor cap..............

Khibbs

This is great advice and I recently did a dist cap replacement and missed this piece. Luckily I was about to throw the old cap out (I'd driven the car a few times) and noticed this piece and moved it over.

Question - What does this piece tie into when it connected into the plug that's on the dist?

Khibbs