Technical Pertronix Flame Thrower Distributor in 8AB

Most posts on this subject are nearly 10 years old. I've heard there are some awful quality distributors on the market today, I guess you get what you pay for. It seems to me the Pertronix Flame thrower is a good choice for my traditional hotrod running a 1953 8AB with dual Strombergs. I do like the simplicity of points but a converted Chevy points distributer is about the same price as a Petronix Flame Thrower. Can I get some reviews of the Petronix verses points distributer and other options. I am not building a racer, I just want reliability, simplicity and good performance. Thanks.

 

You want points then. Get vintage USA made points on e-Bay

 

Some guys love pertronix but I'm not one of them.

Put one in a 65 389 4speed GTO and hated it. It ran stronger with the reworked stock distributor. I had a Mr. Gasket dual point conversion plate installed and reworked curve. The pertronix wouldn't pull as hard.

Put a pertronix distributor in the gf's vw and hated it. I reworked the stock distributor and the almost new (50 miles) is sitting on the shelf in the closet.

Put a kit in another pontiac 400 and again after a while I pulled it and went with a mallory dual point distributor, pulled hard again like the GTO.

Just my experience.

 

What Elcohaulic said.

 

I put a kit in my 65 El Camino (283/4 Speed) and could actually hear the improvement when I fired it up for the first time. That was 15 years ago. Still have the car with the same kit and it's still running strong.

 

Had a Pertronix in the 8ba in my '39 p/u. Ran OK. Installed a Buba manual advance Chevy conversion with points and it ran better than the Pertronix or the stock distributor. Engine is a stock single carb with EAB heads and alledgedly a Merc cam. Just my experience. Others may have different experiences.

 

8ba

I had pertronix in a stock dist and it ran great

 

I agree the pertronix is one I would pass on. I run a XR-700 and love it. Works great on a turbo Corvair.

 

Pertronix has worked perfect for me. 7 years no plug change. Timing is always the same. With 12 volts I kept the ballast resistor and bought their coil. Since all the Fords up to 57 were Loadmatic does the Pertronixs they sell for yours have a vacuum advance and centrifugal advance?