PontiacJim
Member
This has been covered quite a bit on another forum I am on. Everyone has an opinion and then there are the supporter stories and the "its junk" stories.
Points distributors work fine, its just that many no longer understand or know how to install or adjust them. They wear out and need replacing, but points will usually let you know they are going out whereas an electronic set-up will quit with no warning. NOS or older original Delco points/condensors seem to be best as has been mentioned here, contemporary parts are poorly reproduced and fail.
I have used the Pertronix on my Lemans with zero problems and 25,000 miles. Installed a Pertronix kit on my brother's 1948 International 6 cylinder - no problems. I went with a Pertronix billet distributor with the Ignitor II module on my present 455 build.
If you do a search on Pertronix, you will find enough negative feedback to get you to question its use. Always look at the date of the post, as most of them are old posts. Apparently when they first came out, there were issues, the biggest being they were damaged if you left the key/ignition on with the engine shut down.
The next problem was that they needed 12volt power (even though instructions say you can keep the resistor wire/set-up), but a points ignition system uses a resistor wire or ballast resistor to keep volts around 8V so the points do not burn. The Pertronix will run on 8V, but the lower voltage seemed to eventually damage the unit by the assorted complaints of failures I read where the resistor wire was retained. I used a separate 12V wire (along with the factory resistor wire because I did not want to cut up the harness) to the coil activated by a toggle switch. If I forgot to throw the toggle switch, the car ran OK on the 8Volts, but when I flipped the switch, the 12V power source made a difference in running and engine power that was noticeable/audible.
Pertronix typically recommends a coil to go with whatever design you select and a mismatched coil may have caused failures on the earlier units as well. I am no expert, but coils have differing values and you want to have a matching coil that goes with the Pertronix unit you select - so I go with Pertronix's recommendation.
From my understanding, the problems with the original design was fixed and they will not fail if the key is left on with the engine off, and dependability is the rule, not the exception. Many on my other forum use Pertronix and have no problems or use the factory HEI or an aftermarket form of it (but the electronic modules can/do go bad with these and are easy enough to replace). Original/show cars use points/HEI to keep things factory. Street/Strip cars usually use some form of electronic ignition for longevity and not needing to replace/set points & condensors.
Easy to install, just follow the instructions.
On my '73 Fury, I use the FBO brand ECU/Module and matching & required FlameThower coil. The module has a built-in adjustable rev limiter IF you have a need for a rev limiter. Eliminates the ballast resistor. So far, working great and noticed the engine does idle smoother than with the stock items.
Points distributors work fine, its just that many no longer understand or know how to install or adjust them. They wear out and need replacing, but points will usually let you know they are going out whereas an electronic set-up will quit with no warning. NOS or older original Delco points/condensors seem to be best as has been mentioned here, contemporary parts are poorly reproduced and fail.
I have used the Pertronix on my Lemans with zero problems and 25,000 miles. Installed a Pertronix kit on my brother's 1948 International 6 cylinder - no problems. I went with a Pertronix billet distributor with the Ignitor II module on my present 455 build.
If you do a search on Pertronix, you will find enough negative feedback to get you to question its use. Always look at the date of the post, as most of them are old posts. Apparently when they first came out, there were issues, the biggest being they were damaged if you left the key/ignition on with the engine shut down.
The next problem was that they needed 12volt power (even though instructions say you can keep the resistor wire/set-up), but a points ignition system uses a resistor wire or ballast resistor to keep volts around 8V so the points do not burn. The Pertronix will run on 8V, but the lower voltage seemed to eventually damage the unit by the assorted complaints of failures I read where the resistor wire was retained. I used a separate 12V wire (along with the factory resistor wire because I did not want to cut up the harness) to the coil activated by a toggle switch. If I forgot to throw the toggle switch, the car ran OK on the 8Volts, but when I flipped the switch, the 12V power source made a difference in running and engine power that was noticeable/audible.
Pertronix typically recommends a coil to go with whatever design you select and a mismatched coil may have caused failures on the earlier units as well. I am no expert, but coils have differing values and you want to have a matching coil that goes with the Pertronix unit you select - so I go with Pertronix's recommendation.
From my understanding, the problems with the original design was fixed and they will not fail if the key is left on with the engine off, and dependability is the rule, not the exception. Many on my other forum use Pertronix and have no problems or use the factory HEI or an aftermarket form of it (but the electronic modules can/do go bad with these and are easy enough to replace). Original/show cars use points/HEI to keep things factory. Street/Strip cars usually use some form of electronic ignition for longevity and not needing to replace/set points & condensors.
Easy to install, just follow the instructions.
On my '73 Fury, I use the FBO brand ECU/Module and matching & required FlameThower coil. The module has a built-in adjustable rev limiter IF you have a need for a rev limiter. Eliminates the ballast resistor. So far, working great and noticed the engine does idle smoother than with the stock items.
