Looking into upgrading the ignition on my 401 nailhead. Especially after the headache at the HAMB drags with the points. That sucked. I've octuple checked them, filed em down just a scosch, and adjusted them till I'm blue in the face, the ol' girl still ain't runnin quite right. Plugs, carb, timing all good and correct. Wires good, dizzy good, it's them $@#$(&ing points, and I'm tired of em. I know pertronix's are a mixed bag, read the horror stories. Are there other brand out there that are worth looking into? Anything from MSD or Crane or ??? Would appreciate your input on this subject. Thanks ya'll.
Electronic ignition good! Few things to try, Davis Unified Ignition makes an HEI conversion that is about as fool proof as anything available. Pluss you can buy parts for it in Afton Oklahoma! I have used Pertronix I and II systems without fail on my old VW's, Y blocks and Chevies. Used them in customers Buicks, Oldsmobiles and such without a hitch. Folow the instructions to a T and they will last a good long time. MSD is some killer stuff. It was not the cause of my HAMB drags, DNS (did not show) Plenty of options avialable for you there. Crane, Mallory, Jacobs, Holley etcetera are pretty good stuff too.
I have the pertronix II on my 324. Works great. A buddy of mine is dropping a crane into his Galaxy 500 on Wednesday. I can let you know how that goes a little later.
Is the breaker-plate ground strap in place and ok? Distributor shaft bushings not worn? Centrigugal advance weights not frozen and rusty? Vacuum advance diaphram not ruptured? Even if you installed a petronix kit, all this stuff will have to be addressed before the engine will run right.. .......and that pesky wire from the coil to the points needs to be made of that pliable woven wire made just for this....not the 14 gage auto parts store wire because everytime the breaker plate moves, that wire will move with it. That;s about 568,219 times an hour [approx] and the el-cheapo wire will eventually break inside causing you problems like you describe... just tryin to help, my brothah.
Never seen a ground strap for the points, don't think it's ever had one. Engine ran great till HAMB drags pass #2 then quit. Bushings fine. Weights loose and free. Vacuum advance fine and working. Wire was replaced with some good stuff but will doublecheck it and make sure it's OK. OK, I'm making it sound worse than it is. Car will run fine, just under a good load (like pulling its 4700lb. self up hill) and at a constant throttle you can hear the engine miss and stutter. Accelerates OK, idles OK, light throttle OK. Maybe I'm being too picky.
Fraz...if the manufacturer relies on the breaker plate being grounded through it's mounting points, it can cause problems because the breaker plate is always moving on it's mountings when the vacuum advance pulls it forward and back. Most manufacturers used a pliable ground strap between the breaker plate and the inside of the distributor body to insure a good ground to complete the circuit for the points. I dunno if your car ever had one but ya might look in the manual or do a google search to find if buick used one.
[ QUOTE ] Electronic ignition good! MSD is some killer stuff. It was not the cause of my HAMB drags, DNS (did not show) Plenty of options avialable for you there. [/ QUOTE ] MSD makes a drop in distributor for the Nailhead. I've got one for my 425, it's the same for all of them. I'll be using a MSD 6AL box with it, well unless I put it in my truck first, then I'll get a Digital ^ box. Either way it'll be electronic ignition in the Buick...
My experience with points sez always replace 'em after you've had to file 'em...If they got hot, turned blue or were otherwise abused (ign. left on), they just don't work right. And don't buy the AutoZone, Pep Boys, etc. junk...Go with a name brand,,,Standard, Echlin, etc. It's worth the price difference. I do like electronic but I have points in my 322 Nailhead and 351-C engines and they are used everyday....just my two cents.
the little ground strap is real inportant, also check the the band that holds the condenser in I had a lose one & it ran for shit. Another thing people don't realize is that you can use any set of points in any car( Within reason) just by lining up the points so they make contact with the ca lopes & drilling & taping some holes.So if your running hard to get points that have been sitting in a parts store for 25 yrs get some newer type GM points with he allen adjustment & drill away.That way when your in the middle of east bum fuck eygpt you can find points if you need them!!lol JimV
Thanks for the advice guys. Rocky, I replaced the points on the 59 364 that's in my back yard, no groundy strap either. Haven't found anything that said Buicks used em, so I dunno. The wierd part on the points is that they're the same as early SBC but they want 10x more for them because they're for a Buick. I spent $39 on the points for da Byooik's 401, and $6 for the points for the '59's 364. I'm gonna try the conversion, see how it runs. Bought a Crane XR-I conversion module. Supposed to be simple to install and has less shit to install with it than the ones that use the shutters. Has a built in rev limiter too.
dave's small body hei conversion is what i'm goin with when we get this current boat anchor out and go through it. you send him dist. he rebuilds and converts it to full hei and send it back to you i think the price runs around 175. i believe the website is www.davessmallbodyhei.com or something like that. his name is all over alot of the nailhead boards. i've got the ignitor 2 in it right now and have never had a problem but have known of a problem or two. i'm just gonna be safe and convert it and be done...ken....
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