Hi wanting an easy cheap swap for my points ignition on my 327 what distributor would you guys recommend don't want the $50 made in China ones off the net, but even some of the name brands come from Asia. Is it best to get a genuine GM HEI but then good chance it could be worn maybe a refurbished one? thanks in advance
GM HEI would be the easiest. You can convert your points dist. several ways. Pertronix is one way. You can also use the Module from various electronic ignitions wired to your points dist. for hotter spark. ( Ford or Mopar seem to be preferred by the budget race car crowd) This changes the points to a trigger The points last much longer that way, because they operate on low voltage.
Well, since the title says "budget," i think AC delco offers a reman and thus you can be assured that the quality is still decent. (i hope?)
If your cap, rotor and wires are OK the cheapest way out would be a Pertronix kit. I check out any old distributor or HEI at swap meets and they can usually be bought for $25 or less. Pick -a-Part is a good source for genuine GM HEI units and there is very little to rebuilding one. If you decide to go with HEI pick up a spare module and test it then carry it with you for roadside emergencies.
If you can find one one at a Swap meet a Factory GM Dual Point Tack drive Needle bearing Dist. will last for a Long long Time I have one in my car Now which I had in my Race car from 1969-75 and than put in my Merc. 327\300 hp in 1979 and I am still Running it Today NO Problem I checked the Points & No Wear at all Just my 3.5 cents or when the Cows come Home!
Any used distributor needs to be tested to make sure that it is not worn out. Personally I had great luck with one of the aftermarket Hei distributors from Skip White on Ebay. That one fixed my hard start problem and gave me 2 mpg which was a huge increase on a truck only getting 12 to start with. I see that they have the MSD 8362 for 139.50 plus 10.00 shipping. others have it for less with stiffer shipping prices.
buy a spare set of points and two spare condensers, and find an old dwell/tach meter at a swap meet or yard sale, and drive it. Should be able to get 10k-20k miles out of a set of points. Set the dwell for 30 degrees, using a 1/8" allen wrench through the little window. There's nothing wrong with points.
i would just stay with points too a little over your $50 budget , you can buy an all new one for $99 from O'Reillys. includes new brass contact cap , rotor , new points etc. add up the cost of fixing up an old one and you will see it's a deal. i have one in my `30 coupe and so far has been fine http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...Search_02780_5148989_2126&pt=02780&ppt=C0334#
X2 !!!!! Your old unit is much better than the new off shore stuff..........buy a LS1181 from summit and drive it ......
I've had a Pertronix in the 40 for over 10 years,no problems at all. It's a Ford motor, same difference. Good product in my opinion.
Run away from those Chinese HEI junk from online. Bought mine off amazon. What a load of crap that thing is. Mechanically it was fine and dandy. The module, not so much. Couldn't rev above 3200 or the spark would go absolutely nuts. Swapped in a genuine GM module and it runs ok now. Not great, just kinda ok. The curve is wonky and all the connectors broke off when I put it together.
I have an eBay small-body HEI on my 355, $125 with wires, cap and coil. So far so good with it, timed it easily and a ton of power with it. I put right angle Accel boots on it at the cap. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SBC-CHEVY-R...ers-/190895097429?vxp=mtr&hash=item2c723c0655 If I had to do it all over again, I'd go with the small-bodied Pertronix, which I believe is around $175 alone for the distributor and cap.
one of mine has points triggering an MSD, done by the previous owner. It's been running kind of rough. I wonder what's wrong with it? I guess I should look at it one day...
What does a 091 Delco dual point sell for now ? When I had to work on V8 Chevrolets, I was always pleased to see one of them because they always work.
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