Distributor recommendation

josehf34

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My '74 fury has a 360 SB, the past year I bought a brand new HEI type distributor with a high voltage coil and MSD wires, since then my car ran like crap so yesterday I re-installed my old and tired mopar factory alternator and now the car runs a lot better.

The problem is that this distributor has the vacuum advance broken, has never been rebuild or cleaned and my MSD wires doesn't fit in the cap because are for a male type HEI cap and the mopar cap is a female type.

What should I do? Would be better to buy a new mopar alternator, new ICM and new MSD wires for this distributor or change to an aftermarket distributor?
 
The factory Mopar electronic ignition is the way to go. They have been around for decades with zero problems. Just my 2 cents.
 
The factory Mopar electronic ignition is the way to go. They have been around for decades with zero problems. Just my 2 cents.

I think that's the best option for a daily driver like my fury :) . so, worth the extra expense buying MSD wires for a mopar distributor?
 
That's up to you. Mopar still makes the orange electronic ignition wires that works fine.
 
That's up to you. Mopar still makes the orange electronic ignition wires that works fine.

There's a last question :)

I'm going to build my 360 with high compression pistons, a mild cam and I'm going to swap factory heads with a pair of high compression 62cc combustion chamber heads from hughes engines.

Would worth the extra expense to a silver ICM or I'm going to be ok with the factory black ICM?
 
If you are going to drive it all the time I would use the black ICM.

Back in the mid 70's I had all of the Mopar Direction Connection "Blue Box" Ignition parts on a 73 Challenger with a 340.
 
If you are going to drive it all the time I would use the black ICM.

Back in the mid 70's I had all of the Mopar Direction Connection "Blue Box" Ignition parts on a 73 Challenger with a 340.

Great :) would be recommendable to replace my old ICM with a new Black?

What about this alternator? More Information for SPECTRA PREMIUM / COOLING DEPOT CH04 is a mopar style stock but is from spectra premium, not mopar

EDIT: My stock ballast resistor gets a bit hot with engine running, is that normal or is time for replace?
 
First, stay with the factory system, 1973 and up are rated to 8,000 rpm. Use the factory cap and wires, best made. Repair you vacuum advance or get a rebuilt unit.
Second, Put a volt meter across your battery with the engine running, you should have a minimum of 14.5 volts, if you do your charging system is fine.
 
What kind of "HEI" distributor do you have? Is it a ready to run type or does it have a separate box?

Most electronic ignition problems fall under the "it ran and now it won't" category.

Make sure you followed the Mfg installation instructions EXACTLY. If the coil calls for no ballast resistor and you are using one, it can run like crap. If it requires a different ballast resistor than the one you are using, it can run like crap.

Inspect the distributor to confirm that the advance mechanism isn't sticking and all the springs are correct. Also check the shaft to make sure it isn't flapping around because of a bad bushing. Check the reluctor gap on the pick-up with a brass feeler gauge. This should usually be in the .004"-.008" range but check the manual to be sure.

Check the inside of the cap to make sure it's clean from mfg residue. 30,000 volts needs very little encouragement to take a detour.

If after checking and correcting the above it still runs like crap, don't assume that because the wires say MSD, they can't be FUBAR. If you new dist uses a Mopar style cap with HEI terminals, swap caps and wires and see if it's better.

Kevin
 
I'm not a big fan of the Aftermarket HEI distributors. Seen several fail. Didn't make it year. Likely made in China
 
What kind of "HEI" distributor do you have? Is it a ready to run type or does it have a separate box?

Most electronic ignition problems fall under the "it ran and now it won't" category.

Make sure you followed the Mfg installation instructions EXACTLY. If the coil calls for no ballast resistor and you are using one, it can run like crap. If it requires a different ballast resistor than the one you are using, it can run like crap.

Inspect the distributor to confirm that the advance mechanism isn't sticking and all the springs are correct. Also check the shaft to make sure it isn't flapping around because of a bad bushing. Check the reluctor gap on the pick-up with a brass feeler gauge. This should usually be in the .004"-.008" range but check the manual to be sure.

Check the inside of the cap to make sure it's clean from mfg residue. 30,000 volts needs very little encouragement to take a detour.

If after checking and correcting the above it still runs like crap, don't assume that because the wires say MSD, they can't be FUBAR. If you new dist uses a Mopar style cap with HEI terminals, swap caps and wires and see if it's better.

Kevin

I had one of these ready to run things
s-l1600.jpg


I did everything possible to make this distributor work fine, from reinstalling it 3 times, checked voltage, run a direct wire from battery and even adding a custom made 12V regulator on that wire to guarantee 12V supply all time and the thing never worked well.
 
I had one of these ready to run things
s-l1600.jpg


I did everything possible to make this distributor work fine, from reinstalling it 3 times, checked voltage, run a direct wire from battery and even adding a custom made 12V regulator on that wire to guarantee 12V supply all time and the thing never worked well.

I'm using the Mopar electronic ignition system and I couldn't be happier with it.
 
I think many Mopar guys are
I have said it so many times, having worked for Chrysler and G.M. those H.E.I. systems were junk when brand new. You have know idea how many came in for no start, no spark, only to have a broken pick up coil. And of course you could not just replace the top plate like on a Chrysler, you had to R+R the whole thing and rebuild it.
 
I have said it so many times, having worked for Chrysler and G.M. those H.E.I. systems were junk when brand new. You have know idea how many came in for no start, no spark, only to have a broken pick up coil. And of course you could not just replace the top plate like on a Chrysler, you had to R+R the whole thing and rebuild it.
Agreed... all things taken into consideration... stay factory Mopar and you will have parts availability and specs when things go wrong. Ballasts, pick-ups, modules, coils all fail eventually... then what are you going to do. Heck, even the crappy auto parts store might have parts in stock and can order what you need within 24 hrs(weekdays). IMO if you can find no other compelling reason to stay factory type parts, and are going to drive out of AAA towing range, do it because you can fix it while on the road.
Now all your problems will come from the engine build... careful driving up compression on pump gas... and your timing will not be factory...
 
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