Like a dummy I got into a tight spot with the distributor on my t bucket. I sunk the coil into the firewall, and now with the motor on there isnt room for the both. I need a lower profile cap. 5 inches would be ideal. Prefer something that doesnt have to have an external ignition box, again, T bucket, tight on space. It seems the majority of crab claws and low pro setups im seeing are needing of an external box. Can anyone save me and direct me to a low unit that is drop and go?
I don't have the crab cap but I picked up a Mallory 520CV marine distributor that can use one for my flathead. The advance works with the flatheads but doesn't do well on a Chevy street motor. The description on this one on Ebay makes it sound like junk but I am just posting the link so you have a visual image of how tall the unit is. 333197774291 Seller ***umes all responsibility for this listing. Link to Summit's listing on the cap. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/maa-221b You can find them for less than that though.
Yes, that sort of height would work. Not sure I want to try to get one rebuilt such as that though. Ive seen ones for newer motors, such as this MSD, https://www.holley.com/products/ign...evrolet/ready_to_run_distributors/parts/55923 But curious if it would work with just the coil, and how I'd go about wiring it. One of them kicking myself in the **** for it situations.
I don't believe you are ever going to find a low cap distributor that doesn't require an external box....reason being in order to make them that low they have to remove something to get the space, so either the points or module and the mechanical advance parts are what is eliminated and the distributor then just becomes a spark director. If there is a solution, it is likely to be something vintage....there won't be anythng currently in the new market. You could go external box, and hide the box under the dash inside the car. but as far as i know, all the current low cap distributors require a crank trigger to feed signal to an external box.
Does this thread help? https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/lowering-an-hei-distributor-cap.1036766/
That distributor is computer controlled, it has no mechanical advance mechanism in it. It is just a magnetic pick-up and rotor, no module to convert the mag pulse into coil trigger signal. It can't be used stand-alone with just a coil.
Here is Max Cubes' instructions to build a low profile HEI cap. http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20160323-2-128175.html Phil
This MSD cap I thinks works with their distributor and box. I haven't researched how it all works, but it is low. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/MSD-8541-Crab-Style-Cap,26839.html Phil
This cap goes with their Flat top Pro-Billet SBC distributor, along with also fitting a crank trigger distributor and a Ford Flathead distributor. It doesn't fit any other distributors, like a regular HEI The Flat Top Pro Billet distributor has a mechanical advance, but no vacuum advance, and is 4.875" tall according to one review....but it also requires a ignition control box, it isn't a self contained distributor. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/MSD-84891-Chevy-Flat-Top-Pro-Billet-Distributor,104220.html
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