Electronic Ignition: Pertronix Conversion or OEM?

Okay, okay. I'm wanting to ditch the points and run the Craigslist "New, in-box" MSD box I got the other day. Not that there's anything wrong with points - that's just not where I'm going with this one.

Which is better - a Pertronix Ignitor points-to-electronic conversion:
http://www.pertronix.com/prod/ig/ignitor/default.aspx




Or should I just pop in a junkyard Mopar distributor (this is on a small block Mopar)?

This bracket that lets you add a GM HEI unit to your Small Block Mopar distributor is also fun:
http://www.designed2drive.com/



Which way to go?

~Jason

 

The PerTronix work awesome, are idiot proof and seem to last forever. Better technology than the GM HEI, especially in the Igniter II

 

I have that HEI module adapter on a small block mopar distributor. Car's still in fabrication so I can't comment on how it works, but it does eliminate those ugly mopar boxes. In fact don't you wire around the module with an MSD? Making that a redundant part for your application.

Forget the 150,000 mile junkyard distributor. Think I paid $26 for an electronic SB mopar distributor last year. Advance auto, new, no core charge. Had to look up a couple of different apps to find the correct version, the lean burn cars had a f-ed up distributor you don't want any part of.

good luck

 

I may end up pricing a small block Mopar distributor at Advance then - I do have a new points distributor though, which makes the Pertronix conversion so appealing: I know where all the parts have been then... you know?

But hell, who can argue with a new $25 distributor?

~Jason

~Jason

 

Recall that Chrysler developed the electronic back in 1969 and has been extremely reliable / durable over billions of miles. How much do you need to spend just to keep up with the crowd ? If you don't like the looks of the Mope control box, hide it ! The systems are cheap, and parts are not only cheap but they are everywhere you want to be...

 

I've done a bunch of Petronix conversions and never had a problem. That's one of the things I like to do on older engines.......you can't see them so you don't ruin the "classic looks" of an old inefficient points distributor, but they start and run much, much better.

 

I have looked at those cheapy parts store distributors in the past. Quality control was horrible and the shaft tolerances were out of wack. The advance curve jumped all over the place making the car run like crap. If your original dist is in good shape, put in the PerTronix, set the timing and forget about it!

 

Scenario

You're a 50 miles from home in a normal city with everyday parts stores and the car shuts off on it's own. What do you want in the distributor? A pertronix or the OEM component everyone in town stocks cause it fits 15 years of trucks and a bunch of ag equipment?

Leave pertronix to the engines that ceased production in the points era, for them it's a great solution.

 

I had a Pertronix unit in my Karma Ghia and loved it. No troubles and ran great. I looked on the internet last week and found the Autozone is a distributor so I headed on down there to order one (ugh) and asked the 19-20 yr old at the counter if there sold them and was told no. I state that I just look it up on the internet and they were a dealer so he turned around and ask an old guy and he said they would have to order them. There prices are sky high and you can order them over the net a lot cheaper.

 

I've been reading a lot of Pertronix conversations recently and I cant find one person who doesn't love it.

 

i wouldnt put a pertronix module on a fuckin lawn mower. less than 200 miles on the pertronix i had in the willys and the towing bill was almost twice what i paid for the conversion. unless you keep a spare module in the car, stick with points or an HEI

 

Exactly!

This it the reason I'm hesitating on the Pertronix (although I too, have heard about a LOT of people who LOVE them)...

~Jason

 

Shifty, I get your drift, but following that logic we'd better ditch all the flat motors and run small block Chevy's since there ain't no parts for flattys at the Podunk auto parts store. Throw away the bias plies cuz if you get a flat you'll only be able to buy a radial replacement locally and well you get it
If we live our lives too worried about the parts that might fail on our hot rods then we might as well just drive Honda's.
Actually I think Abomination is using a points dist and my 35+ years experience at doing this tells me that there are less failures with the PerTronix unit that the GM HEI's, especially the Taiwanese parts store replacements. The fact that every parts store stocks them tells you that they are a good seller, which means they are failing since they are a replacement type part, not a performance upgrade. Just my 2 cents

 

Respectfully, a pickup coil lives life at 200 degrees passing very small amounts of current at the bottom of an ionized can of lightning, a few millimeters from a barbed shaft spinning at a few thousand RPM, with hot pressurized oil only one bushing or seal from disaster. Even the best electronic components fail in that environment. There's many arguments to be made about price and quality, but at the end of the day, I want my ignition components on the parts store shelf if possible. In this case, it's entirely possible.

 

Valid points all. In my experience the only PerTronix that I have seen fail, and the tech guys over there kind of confirm that is when then wrong resistance coil is used, although I'm sure there are other instances, like you say, even the parts best fail.
In Abomination's case he has a good points dist so he would have to buy another dist to use the HEI conversion so there's that to consider. I'm not really knocking any of the other suggestions, I just think the PerTronix are a great way to go. My wife's 56 T Bird has one, my 63 Falcon 289 does too. My 32 coupe has their Plug and Play dist in the 302 and both the Ranchero and Comet 6 cylinders had them for over 100,000 combined miles. I guess I'm just a happy customer, a real believer ....

 

Just throw the original set of points in a little bag and keep them in the glove compartment. If you break down on the Pertronix unit, it's all of two screws to whip the points back in on the side of the road.

 

um, two screws, and the coil wire, plus a ground, plus either keep the original rotor screws to replace the ones that come with the pertronix shit under the rotor or a spare rotor as well... fuck pertronix, i'd rather carry a spare set of points than damn near rebuild the dist. on the side of the road.

 

If you use the Mopar dizzy, controller and ballast resistor then it is easy to simply install a second control box and a second resistor right next to the one that is in service. Control boxes do fail on occasion and ballast resistors do fail on occasion so move the harness from one to the other. I did this on my (then new) 79 Dodge W-150 when I bought it because I had heard some stories...I still have the truck and the spares are still waiting patiently.

 

in 5 years the pertronix unit, and coil have never failed.

its a love hate relationship here

 

Very, very few people have had to start walking because of a Chrysler or HEI electronic failure, and none of them had to walk far to replace the dead part. My practice with electronic cars has been to carry 2 junkyard modules (hei), which take virtually no room and can be changed quickly if ever needed. Junkyard for dirt cheap, 2 because I feel that gives me very nearly 100% chance of having a good one instead of a chancy 99.9...
I'm not sure I know anyone who's had an HEI failure, and I know of many parts run way beyond 200,000 miles.

 

I've had to walk....twice. But yeah....it wasn't far.
Once because an MSD 6A box quit, and another when the Orange (higher performance?) Mopar box quit. I'm done using MSD's on my 440, and just went with another orange box....BUT, I also bought a cheapie box from Carquest to throw in the glovebox. When the 2nd orange box quit @ year later, I easily swapped to the cheapie box in < 5 minutes.....that same cheap box has been on my car for the past 6 years....

Only once have I ever seen the module in a Mopar dizzy go bad, and those are at the local parts house too.

 

Pertronixs..No resistor..Stock SB HEI has to have a resistor..
Your choice
Duane.

 

Ballast Resistor..
OOPS

 

Man... I opened up a can of worms here...

~Jason

 

Petronix ignition and flame thrower coil is awesome and i've had no problems at all.... muxch more relaible than the regular point set up

 

actually, if your application HAS a resistor, pertronix says leave it inline...least it did in the application i had, that might not be universal

 

Once you put the MSD box into the system, the points act only as a "trigger" for the MSD box - no more buildup resulting in loss of gap, weak spark, etc. So,why spend the $ for the Pertronix or anything else? vic

 

I installed two Pertronix units in my old Chevy trucks,one failed on a road trip,the other gave no problems.I don't use them anymore ,it's points or GM HEI.

 

Krusty, the points still see wear on the rubbing block which changes dwell time. They are also inherently unstable causing timing fluctuations. They also do still wear on the point surface, just not as fast.

With the PerTronix you can leave the resistor in or take it out. If you leave it in the module runs cooler and therefore has a longer lifespan, especially if you leave the key on while troubleshooting something else. There is a slightly lower spark voltage at higher RPM but unless you are racing you'll probably never know it. Removeing the resistor and running a 3 ohm coil will have the same effect. For all out performance run a 1.5 ohm coil and no resistor. (This info is for V8 applications)

 

There are two types of Pertronix. One kind should use the ballast resistor, the other doesn't. Talk to a knowledgeable person.

I started using Pertronix in industrial applications before I started using them in my performance cars. I don't use anything but Pertonix now. I had two different style units that needed the distributors serviced 2 to 3 times a year. I rebuilt them with Pertronix and both were fixed forever. The naysayers can say what they want, they can't argue with the facts.

Most O'Reillys stock Pertronix now. However, if you do have a problem with a converted distributor, a Wal-Mart will have stock points to get you back home.

I've got about 100,000 miles on my '55 since I tuned the ignition, maybe I should check the plugs.!!