damalden

wondering if going electronic is a good idea?

something like this kit
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ACCEL-2010-Distributor-Conversion-Accel-Points-Eliminator-12-V-Kit-/330729830284?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories &fits=Year%3A1968|Model%3AToronado&hash=item4d0108 b78c&vxp=mtr

kitfoxdave

Year One had a conversion kit about 1996 that I installed, it was easy (not as complicated as the one shown) and worked great until I parked the Donor car in 2003... Might even still work! looked like stock when finished except for an extra wire to coil.

MDchanic

There are numerous kits out there to do this, including Pertronix, which I believe is the most popular.

The question I always ask at this juncture is, Why?

I mean, if you have a reason, then good, but you will gain no performance on a stock engine, and points work just fine.

A lot of people just change things because they want the "best" thing, but have no real idea why they want to do it.

- Eric

m371961

Being a mechanic completely familiar with points, I prefer them for a stock engine. Yes, you have to replace them and they require maintenance. But, if you know them they are easy to diagnose and replace if you have an ignition failure, and you can time an engine with them even without the engine running.

redoldsman

I think most people put a Pertronix in and forget about them. I love them. MDchanic is correct that you will gain no performance increase (at least one you can feel). If your budget is limited, there are probably other things I would do first like exhaust.

damalden

thanks to everyone, there are a lot of items higher up on the list, and we can buy a lot of points.

my purpose for thinking of it was to eliminate the servicing, "set it and forget it"

oldcutlass

Points are fairly easy to maintain, and you can find them anywhere. The main thing is to keep them adjusted to a dwell of 30, no more, no less and then double check your timing. This usually takes place about once or twice a year. I've never had or heard of anyone needing to tow their car home do to a points ignition, and an extra set is easily stored in ones glove box.

The only plus on the electronic side is install and go, nothing else is required until it fails. They are a lot more reliable than they used to be!

D. Yaros

A lot of folk with electronic ignition systems that I know carry a real distributor with them on their travels. Why the do such says alot about electronic ignition systems in my opinion.

damalden

oldcutlass, love that ride! my bro in laws parents live near granbury, the Millers.


Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the feedback, have not owned a car with points since my 56 bel air in high school, time to go back to school and learn again

oldcutlass

Thank you, I can't remember names, just faces and cars! Tell your inlaws to come to the Hundai store on 6/29 for a car show from 7-?? pm, there will be about 300 cars there from all over. Usually about 5-10 Olds's running around.

damalden

http://www.pertronix.com/prod/ig/ignitor3/default.aspx

this rev limiter might be a great idea for a 16 year old and 300 horses

Destructor

I do carry an extra condensor with me, new production are garbage. I've had two quit on me. I was able to limp home on one. the other would just quit but then worked again just long enough for me to get to my driveway. I have a set of Bluestreak points which are of good quality, at least they were a couple years ago.

rustyroger

Points;
For, cheap, simple as an anvil, cheap, easy roadside fix, cheap, keeps the car original, and cheap.
Against, not so good at high rpms or high performance applications.

Electronic ignition;
See points but reverse for and against.

Roger.

Albatross

I have a 1966 Toro, with 87K original miles. The person I bought it from put an HEI on there. It looked horribly out of place. So, I put a stock style distributor on there with points. I didn't have any experience with points, but found that they were fairly simple to adjust.

However, I did have the condensor go bad on me a couple of times and then the gap went to zero once. It may have been my fault for not tightening the plate all of the way. But, I said to hell with it and threw in a unilite optical pick-up. I haven't had to mess with my ignition since. I have felt a noticeable difference in how the engine performs. It feels a lot smoother to me when it's accelerating.

My thoughts are that it's a subtle mod that doesn't detract from the value of the car, because, as it's been stated, points are so cheap and easy to throw back in.

henryk8398

Having converted my `72 LeMans from Points to HEI, I've discovered that the biggest problem is space around the distributor. I got it to fit, but you may have to play with different positions. My vacuum advance can is around 3-4 o'clock. As others have said, no horsepower gained, but I did notice easier starts, slightly smoother idle, longer plug life, lower emissions, and slightly better gas mileage. I carry a spare module, coil, and thermal grease. Usually an issue with the coil (a small crack in the epoxy for example), will lead to the failure of the module. If one goes, it can often take the other with it! So always change them both at the same time. If you have a faulty coil, you may wonder why your new modules keep failing.

FAZ442

HEI set it and forget is what I have done. I have heard points are simple but I would never go back.