Technical Buick Nailhead - HEI vs MSD?

Are there clockwise and counter clockwise distributors that fit nailheads?

 

No clue buddy. Holley owns them now. I can say the Holley tech has been great while I built the truck recently. I even had one tech that called me after he got home to make sure I got my install issue sorted out. 3 of the MSD units I am running are "plug n play" meaning they have no ignition box. I would definitely buy from them again.

 

No idea, but all Nailhead distributors, to my knowledge, are the same. So 264, 322, 364, 401 and 425 all interchange.

 

I'm going to throw this out, how many miles do you drive it a year? Points are good for 10 K miles and often go more than that. Plus you can usually clean them up and set them on the side of the road and continue on to where you are headed. Pertronix in the UK if it craps out you are waiting for the UK version of the UPS truck bring a red lable package so you can fix it and go again. Hei is Ugly I agree but pretty reliable as long as the rest of the igniton system is in top shape. MSD distributors run around 455.99 US dollars for just the distributor. They are cute to look at though.
On a 350 sbc powered 3/4 ton 71 pickup with an automatic that I swapped an Hei into I got easier starting and gained 2 mpg over the point type distributor that was in it. That was my daily driver drive it 60 miles a day minimum rig.

Jim Linder aka GMCBubba used to convert GM point style distributors to electronic with oem parts when he was the go to ignition guy before he passed away. He did a show and tell in this thread on one of the Chevy distributors that he had reworked to fit a flathead. Thinking about it, I have a Mopar distributor with the parts that he used for the conversion. The thread is a bit hard to follow because the Photo bucket photos have the Photo bucket logo watermark on them now. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/bubbas-electronic-flathead-dist.426619/

 

And again- all the Nailhead distributors do interchange somewhat, but the 264-322 used a steel camshaft and a matching distributor gear. They also had the advance springs under the breaker plate. I believe the first thing I would verify is that the timing marks on the front damper are correct. The outer damper ring could have slipped on the inner hub and the timing marks are off.
I do agree with @distributorguy, the lobe sensing Pertronix unit depends on a good cam lobe but does allow you to go back to points very easily. Buick used two different set-ups in the 57-66 units. One had a separate points set and condenser, the other a points/condenser combo. If your advance mechanism will not advance, most likely it is frozen to the distributor shaft. Will the larger HEI cap clear the firewall?

 

I dont think there's a problem with the timing marks, it starts up really easy, even when the battery hardly has any life left. and will sit there ticking over ok, its just when i try to drive it, it will bog and sometimes stall..i have tried advancing the timing, but it makes little difference.

 

I will have to measure the space, this was what I have been looking at on ebay.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32151746...OrtaZteQmC&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

If advancing the timing makes little difference, why do you think you have a problem with the centrifugal advance?

 

I think the car should be a bit higher in the back.

 

Said no one ever

 

I do not know about this vendor, good, bad, or otherwise.

https://www.nailheadbuick.com/product-page/57-66-distributor-converted-to-electronic

 

Because I did a test, according my timing light manufacturers instructions, to check the mechanical advance, to remove and plug the vaccuum hose, start the car, and slowly open the throttle to bring it up to 2000 rpms, when doing so, the timing mark should slowly move, if it stays static, then that indicates an issue with the mech advance. It stayed static.

 

Well known and well respected in the Buick world

Ben

 

I have 3 nailheads. One has points, one has SS conversion (not pertronix) and one has a Pertronix ready to run distributor. All work well. The only drawback for the HEI is physical size. You may not have room for it. Personally, I like the Pertronix distributor best because it's not worn out and comes with all the springs and advance limiters you need to tune your ignition curve.

 

I bought a ‘70 Chevy 350 years ago that came with a Delco distributor with the following information stamped on the advance assembly-

On Delco advance assemblies the 534 means 34* mechanical advance and that cam is for a distributor that rotates CCW. Chevy distributors turn CW using a CCW advance.
The engine came out of a car that ran at Raceway Park, a 1/4 mile bullring south of Chicago in Calumet Park, IL. Was that advance assembly changed to “lock” the advance where the mechanic wanted it? It’s a long shot but in 66 years of existence could your advance assembly have been switched?

 

^^^^^ Better way of explaining what post #31 was getting at.

 

There is always two different sides in the electronic vs points discussion. Millions of OEM cars are running just fine for extended periods of time and they all use electronic ignitions of some type, and not one uses points. Sparkplugs routinely don't get replaced for more than a 100,000 miles and the accuracy is dead on due to crank mounted trigger wheels that eliminate mechanical slop. A distributor will have less accurate results no matter whether its electronic or points because it must still deal with the mechanical slop.

Does that mean points are junk...........Nope. They do a good basic job of providing accuracy and reliability but not so much on longivity.

There are thousands of cars running Hei and Pertronix and some other brands, and the vast majority of them are happy with the results. I wouldn't let anyone talk you into an electronic ignition.....and I wouldn't let anyone talk you out of one either. Just weigh the facts rather than the opinions because there a lot of people that are happy with both types. Get what YOU want ....it will work.








Maybe this will help if you decide on the Pertronix.

 

This post needs more like buttons to push.

 

The first GM PerTronix I had installed the reluctor over the eight lobe points actuator. My Y-Block is also that style. I changed my Y block 11 yrs ago due to condenser failures.

 

You have my attention. Could you explain these issues and what it takes to correct them?

 

For your application I'd probably stick with the points but depending on what you want to do, and how handy, machining equipped and prepared you are you could build your own electronic distributor by modifying the OEM Buick distributor using the technology that the late Jim Linder generously forwarded onto us in the past.
I'm going to do something similar to Delco distributors for both a SBC and a Flathead application.
I'm proposing to use either a Mopar or Ford Duraspark magnetic pickup/reluctor in the distributors, and have remote mounted (under dash) GM HEI ignition modules. HEI modules suffer from heat issues so they need to be in a cool place and mounted to a good heatsink, GM has their own #10474610.
ACCEL, and others, used the Mopar magnetic pickup and MSD use the Duraspark units, all of which are available from ROCKAUTO ...... unfortunately they all comes from offshore suppliers these days. There's lots of tech info here about these conversions ...... do a search.
FORD
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=49686&cc=1105603&pt=7176&jsn=1032
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=385912&cc=1105603&pt=7184&jsn=1038
MOPAR
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=49656&cc=1067475&pt=7176&jsn=1197
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=944691&cc=1067475&pt=7184&jsn=1201
GM HEI - Lots to choose from ..... a crap shoot at best.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=97460&cc=1041107&pt=7172&jsn=1408
I'm going to play safe and make a tandem HEI module heatsink with both modules wired to a (hidden) 12 pole switch which can switch to either module or to a neutral OFF position for anti-theft security. Only one module operates at a time so there's no extra heat issues and if one fails it's easy to switch over.
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/switch...pole-toggle-switch-non-momentary-sbrt-020-4p/
Bubba usually recommends a <= 0.5 ohms primary coil too, here's one that is 0.45 - 0.57.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=47841&cc=0&pt=7060&jsn=783

I hope that this info helps.
Good luck.

 

The Signal from the pickup coil will retard the signal a bit at low rpm - above idle, and then the same at higher rpms. I'm no electronics guy, but it appears whatever the guys at Davis Unified are doing, it works better. I suspect its a modification in their module. Personally, I still use points since they'll never have issues with RFI or EMI.

 

Right there may be your biggest problem , if diagnosing & repairing a simple points distributor is considered "wasting your time" ,I'm not sure what to think ?