I'm considering using a Pertronix ignition module in my 1949 303 Olds motor. I have a later model distributor (#1110824 3L4) from a 1954 324 Olds to use with it. I found a Pertronix ignition module at Speedway Motors that is listed to work on 1940-55 Oldsmobile all models V8 (With mechanical advance under breaker plate. Excluding distributor number 1110824) https://www.speedwaymotors.com/PerT...ts-Eliminator-Kit-1931-58-GM-8-Cyl-,35203.htm My distributor has 1110824 3L4 on the metal tag. The mechanical advance is under the breaker plate. See photos below. I'm wondering why Speedway has this listed as excluding this model distributor. I'd like to hear from anyone who has experience using a Pertronix ignition in their 303 or 324 Olds. Is there a Pertronix module that will work in my distributor, or do I have to find one from another year or model number. I checked the Pertronix website and it just says that the module fits most Delco 8 cylinder distributors from 37 to 56.
They ar in San Dimas Ca.and have been extremely helpful including testing what may have been a problem with one of their units..
As an option, consider running a MSD6AL and use the points in the distributor as a trigger for the ignition. Easy retro and it works. Instructions are on line if you want to look it up.
I did some research on this and what I found was that other venders that sell the Pertronix models 1187,1187LS and 91183 ignition modules all list them as working with 1951 to 1955 Olds V8 distributors. No mention of not working with the #1110824 distributor like mine. I'll call Pertronix before I buy anything to make sure. I'd still like to hear from someone who has used a Pertronix setup in there Olds.
It is difficult to list every part number and variation. Often I have to call the vendor, tell them what I need and get their part number, than call Summit and have them add the number to their system and drop ship it to me.
I run a Pertronix in my Olds distributor, but I'm running a '61 394 distributor in a '55 324. I swapped the gear from the hex drive to the single D style oil pump drive. I apologize for not having the part number that I used. I've said this before on here, that the Pertronix was one of the best performance upgrades I've made. It made an immediate and noticeable difference in cold starting especially, and the car has been very drivable and thankfully reliable thus far.
That's interesting, I didn't know you could use a dizzy from the later motors in a 303-324. How did you get the gear off. My drive gear is held in by a pin that has the ends peened over. Did you grind the pin end off and drive it out. What kind of pin did you use to install the new gear. I agree with you, I'm using a Pertronix in my 55 Chevy and it works great. That one has a rev limiter built in. So far I haven't found any Pertronix ignition for my Olds that has that feature.
I've been disassembling my distributor to inspect and rebuild it. I wanted to take off the gear to get the shaft out and check the shaft bushing. If a roll pin is good enough to replace the original pin I'll use that. Thanks.
The Olds distributor has a solid pin that's peened over. I just sanded off the mushroomed end and drove it out with a small punch and hammer. Simple operation. The gears from the early distributors are the same as the later with the exception of the shape of the oil pump drive. Then I just took a roll pin (I had one of those Harbor Freight roll pin kits) and used the appropriate sized pin and tapped it in place. For extra security, and to make up for the fact I was using some cheapo stuff, I put another smaller roll pin inside the other one, and just put a TIG tack weld on it to secure it in place. I put about 10,000 miles on it last year like that so I think it's fine. The Pertronix calls for like a .060" air gap in between the plate and the sensor, so they give you a shim if necessary. I had the distributor already running in a 61 Super 88 I have that I yanked the motor from, so it was just dumping it in the 324 in have in my 56 Holiday 98 and I was off and running. Mine is the standard Ignitor without all the fancy rev limiter, etc., the biggest thing to remember with these is not to leave the ignition on without the car running. That's the easiest way to burn one up.
Here is an update on putting a Pertronix ignition in my 54 Olds distributor. I called Pertronix and the person said their ignition module #1183 would fit with a small modification to the arm on the vacuum advance. I ordered the part and while waiting for it to arrive, I decided to disassemble the distributor for inspection and rebuild. Here it is all taken apart. The only problems I found was the shaft had some buildup on it that made it hard to remove, I cleaned it with Scotchbrite pad and now it goes in and out easily. I also measured the shaft od and the bearing sleeve id and the clearance was good. The vacuum canister was bad but I was able to find an NOS one on ebay. Fusick offers a rebuild service on these if you have a good core to send them. Here is the Pertronix kit I ordered. I installed it according to the directions and everything fit well. I didn't see any need to modify the vacuum canister arm to make it work. I applied a vacuum to the canister and the arm moves smoothly. If you go to install this in a Oldsmobile distributor like mine, be aware that you need to follow the install instructions for a reverse or counterclockwise distributor rotation. I ordered a new cap, rotor and distributor tags from Fusick and stamped the id numbers on the new tags. While everything was disassembled I bead blasted the housing and gave it a fresh paint job.
Pertronix (of course) recommends using their coils, but from what I understand their units are sensitive to internal resistance of the coils, so the coils are matched to the ignitor. The regular Flame-Thrower I coil is the recommended coil for the Ignitor I module, though I have run an Ignitor with an MSD coil for years without issue. Here's the chart from Pertronix. You can also bypass the resistor with the Pertronix, and put a full 12v to it. I've said it before, it's a huge improvement in spark quality over points. I'd like to thank the OP for the step by step breakdown on converting the distributor over. Great job and the factory unit looks great all cleaned and painted up. I think there was also a thread either here on on ClassicOldsmobile about modifying a chevy adjustable vacuum advance to work with the Olds Delco Remy distributor. This is obviously the preferred method, and this refurbished unit will look right at home on any early Olds. But the ability to use a cheap and common advance unit can help negate the time and expense of tracking down hard-to-find NOS advance units or having them rebuilt.
They recommended their FlameThrower coil. The instruction say to not use a ballast resistor and allow the coil to receive full running voltage. For 8 cylinder motors they recommend a coil with minimum 1.5 Ohms and max 3.5 Ohms resistance.
Adjustable vacuum canisters are available for the later Olds distributors, not sure about the earlier ones.
I'm almost positive I've seen a thread where a generic adjustable vacuum advance unit was retrofit into the early Olds Delco Remy body. Even just looking at the two side by side, they look pretty close. I think part of the new unit needs to be trimmed off and a new hole drilled. Ill try to track it down later. But guys listing NOS units on eBay for $100+ bucks and Fusick wants a $95 core charge for a rebuild. A new adjustable unit is like $16 on Amazon from Accel.
I'd like to see that thread on using an adjustable unit, just in case I need to replace the one I have in the future. I know what you mean about the high price of a rebuild or NOS parts. When I searched for a replacement, I saw listings on ebay for over $100. I kept looking and was able to find one for $70. That's what you have to deal with for parts that are uncommon and not reproduced.
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