Technical any experience with Pertronix Flamethrower distributor

Thanks in advance for your insights.

I've got a 327 SBC running a stock distributor converted by Jim Linder to the Ignitor I Pertronix system. I just converted from a Holley 4-barrel to a tripower setup using Rochester 2G carbs with front and rear as dumpers.

The stock distributor has big wide "hips" that don't allow enough room to adjust the advance properly, i.e., when I rotate the distributor it bumps into the rear carb.

I'm thinking about one of those Pertronix flamethrower distributors that is stock looking. Anyone have any experience with these - good or bad?

Much appreciated.

 

Here's a few pages of links below to Pertronix issues...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...rtronix&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=5

I am running a Petronix unit in a stock GM points distributor and never had any issues over the 4 years of running it...it is combined with their coil and I still retain the Regulator and associated ballast resitor.

I guess the popular caution is don't have key in on position without engine running...

 

I guess you found a limitation. Perhaps you can rework the carb or distributor cap to clear or is there a way of reclocking the distributor to work correctly in another position?

 

You can move the dizzy one tooth and get the clearance you need.

 

I've had the space issue before. My solution has been a Mallory Dual point dist and a Pertronix conversion inside. Plenty of space and works excellent and has for years. Last Sat I bought a Pertronix 3 conversion for my new build, it has a internal programmable Rev Limiter built in.

 

No need to take distributor out, just take one spark plug wire at a time off cap and move over one hole at dizzy, loosen dizzy and retime.
If still interested in a Pertronix make sure you get the matching coil with the rite ohm's. I have several running around with no issues......................

 

Six years in. Plug and play. Zero problems. Snowman

 

I’m running the pertronix 3 in my off topic car works great and the built in rev limit has saved me a few times.


Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I am running a Petronix distributor in my '65 Pontiac since about 4 years now without any problems...

 

They will work fine provided you do 3 things.


1. Make absolutely sure you have a good ground between the unit and the battery negative. Ok needs to be less than 1 ohm. The lower the better. This means no painted surface where the distributor housing and the hold down tab meet the block, plus a good clean connection between the block and battery neg post.

2. Make absolutely sure you have a good alternator that doesn't have leaking diodes or an erratic voltage regulator. It's cheap insurance to put a fresh unit on to start with. One tow bill will eat up the cost of the alternator.

3. No intermittent connections to the ignition. A spade connector that is not firmly on tithe ignition switch and that intermittently loses contact will drive you crazy and eventually kill your Ignitor module. Ask me how I know.

 

Pertronix says maximum 0.2 ohm resistance from breaker plate to battery negative post.

Subtract meter lead resistance for accurate figure.

 

I bought the Flame Thrower and coil or my 250 that had worn shaft bushings, all was well till I inadvertently left the ignition on and it decided to no longer spark (STUPID ME). Pulled that expensive piece out , slid the worn stocker back in and went back about my merry business. I personally will rebush the stock one and keep a set of quality points and a condensor in the glove box . Now I've got a 300 buck paper weight, it ran good while there was spark though....Mitch

 

I have one in my boat (marine version) and it idles smoothly and performs flawlessly. Better than the Unilite it replaced.

 

I've bought and ran two of Pertronix stock look dizzies for my last two builds, no problems.
Rich

 

Most digital multi-meters cannot accurately measure 1 ohm, let alone .2 ohms. To measure such low resistance values requires a special high precision ohm meter that use 4 leads and are typically several thousand dollars a piece.

 

I used one on my old deuce pickup with a 327 and never had a problem, so I decided to use one on the Ranch Wagon, it worked fine until it left me high and dry in the left turn lane at a busy 8 lane intersection in 5 PM traffic and the thermometer was hovering around 100 degrees.

There was no warning, the car just quit running. I replaced the distributor with a stock one with points.

The Pertronix works great - when they work, points will get you home. HRP

 

Every Pertronix failure I've heard of or delt with has been caused by Owner Operator. Not following directions or being STUPID has it's price.

 

Pist-n , I have only been “REAL STUPID” a handful of times in life but every time ,nothing good came from it!! I am getting better at it though. Mitch

 

I'm sure you're correct, but in practice it seems to work as a diagnostic, at least for some values of "close enough". A decent consumer unit should have enough resolution to indicate if there is a defect, if not accurate to several digits. I have a pretty fancy Triplett, that wasn't outrageously expensive and looks to me as performing an effective measurement. A "voltage drop" test might be a better test, maybe.

The analog dwell meters also usually have a "points resistance" scale limit, I couldn't find an actual number for that, it isn't much.

I remember reading once somebody claimed they picked up a few horsepower on the dyno by running a dedicated ground cable to the distributor housing. Hm.

 

I've put Pertronix II with matching coil and 8mm plug wires in my last 3 builds. No problems with any of them. I have been getting the billet housing with male terminals since I like that style plug wire connection at the cap better with them. The Per II isn't killed if you leave the key on with engine off for a while like the Per I does.

SPark

 

The good thing about the Pertronix distributor is that they use the same module. At least that is the case in my situation. I have one in a Ford and one in a Chevy but I only need to buy one extra module to keep in a small tool box that goes with me which ever car I drive. If you use the points conversion in a stock distributor you will need a replacement for each type you own. Points might get you home but so will an extra module.
As far as a good ground, the material and contact area of the dist. hold down becomes very important. I have even seen a guy run an extra wire to the block to get the ground he needed.

edit: Truck64, I now see that you already covered that.

 

This is a misnomer, points don't always get you home. Points can and do leave you stranded. It's happened to me, it's happened to thousands of people. You might be able to clean up and adjust a set of points that failed to fire and left you working on them on the side of the road. In the dark. In the rain. Or you may not, there is no guarantee. In the old days of road repairs, fixing trucks that had died on the road due to failed ignition points was one of the more common service calls. Now most trucks run diesel engines, but before that solid state ignitions pretty much eliminated that type of road call anyway.

 

^Blues4U, You know I was being sarcastic right? Hence the.....so will the module

 

Yep! I was just clarifying it, cause a lot of people say it who aren't being sarcastic.

 

Lm14, I have the Flame Thrower distributor and leaving the key on is definately what killed it. Not saying your wrong but it is what it is. And to the others, about the points, I've never been stranded by a points distributor. A new set of properly gapped points have always given me the spark to get going again ,,,,,but maybe that's just me. Now I'm not implying that points are better at making a hot spark, just a bit easier to fix on the side of the road....Mitch

 

Yes, a new set of points usually will get you going again, if that's what failed to begin with. The important words there being "new set of points". And as Wrayman posted, a new Pertronix module will get you going again too, if that's what failed.

 

Pertronix I is the only one that leaving the switch on kills the module. II and III have circuits that protect you from that.
SPark

 

Well mine quit working and I realized the switch was on, I dont know. And Blues, I hear what you're saying, but points are cheaper( unless you have to hunt down the nos AC DELCO ones I guess) and points are TRADITIONAL Mitch

 

That they are Mitch.

 

Eh, that's one of those tales that gets told and retold so often on the internet forums that it has taken on a life of its own way out of proportion. It won't fry right away, it will kill it eventually but takes some dedication, and as a matter of fact, this exact same issue applies to points ignition. "Don't do that".