Points to electronic distributor swap

[69_307]

Any tips on switching to an electronic distributor? What would you recommended for someone looking for a good but inexpensive electronic upgrade?

The original distributor was changed out a long time ago to an aftermarket Accell Dual-Point distributor with a super coil. I know they make conversion kits, but those are made to fit the oem single points configuration. I have a '69 307 coupe, mostly original.

I've owned it since '02 and I do all the regular maintenance to it myself, so naturally I'm getting tired of adjusting these points. I've done a lot of minor/routine work to all my vehicles, but I've never installed a distributor before, so any other suggestions would be appreciated.

[Stingr69]

I would not swap it if I were you. If it were mine I would keep the stock set up. They do not quit on you while you are out on the road in a bad place in the middle of the night when it is raining hard. The performance with a points style set-up can deteriorate over time but the maintenance is pretty minor. Very reliable as-is and cheap repair parts can be brought along with you if you want backup.

Electronic conversions are great when they work but if they fail, you are walking. Your car might not be there by the time you get back. Just something to consider.

Lectric Limited has a kit if you still want to do it. Pertronix has a kit but I had issues with their stuff once so that was enough for me. Bad Pertronix ignition coil made me so upset I screwed up in front of a cop and missed a stop sign - got a ticket. Maybe you will have better luck.

Hope this helps.

-Mark.

[69_307]

Well, like I said, it has an aftermarket Accell dual-point distributor on it now, so it's not stock at the moment. I've been looking at the MSD distributors on summitracing, but I'm not sure what else I may need for a complete points-to-electronic swap.

The conversion kits won't work with my setup because the OEM was a single point system, whereas mine is now an old dual point, aftermarket Accell...

[69_307]

I found what I needed at Rick's First Gen. Thanks.

[fireZ]

I have had the pertronix in my car for 3 years and they have worked good. I set the distributor up on a Sun Dist. machine before installing

[jonboy1216]

my mallory electronic point upgrade kit works fine never had a problem

[69_307]

my mallory electronic point upgrade kit works fine never had a problem

Do these kits work on a Dual-Point distributor, or only the stock, single-point system?

As I have stated, I do NOT have the stock distributor. There's an accell Dual-Point distributor in there now. I don't think it would work for me, but if anyone knows otherwise I'd love to hear it.

Thanks.

P.S. I have limited knowledge in this area. I really don't know anyone my age who works on cars and have no-one to turn to who knows what the hell they're talking about. I am considering getting an MSD Streetfire distributor in this vehicle, but I have no idea what all I need to do to convert it from points to electronic. I've never installed a distributor. Do I need a coil, electronic ignition, etc..? I'm in the research stage right now... I've read a lot of bad reviews on the pertronix stuff.

[tmodel66]

If you will do a simple Google search " convert point distributor to HEI " you can read anything you need to know.  I checked it out for you and it is self explanatory. Just follow simple directions. If you run into trouble you will have it there to refer back to. And if you still need help after this  PM me and I will walk you thru it.

Daniel

[tom]

Make sure you keep the wires sequenced right. Distributors can be installed correctly or 180 degrees out. You can't tell which by looking at it. Make sure the rotor is installed to the same location on the new distributor as it was before removing the old distributor. Other than that not a big deal to change. Some HEI distributors will have clearance issues with the firewall on first gen camaros. If you don't care to dimple (hammer) the firewall for clrearance, watch the diameter of the cap.