breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

My ol 72 still has points and sometimes she wants to start and sometimes not. Been looking at some breakerless options such as Crane XR-1, one by Accel, Breakerless SE, Pertronix etc. Have had at least 2 friends have issues with the Pertronix versions, one with a missing condition and 1 with a total ignition failure leaving him stranded which kinda leaves me leaning away from this brand. I know HEI is always an option and have considered it but for now want to focus on the conversions.

I want to hear from you guys on what youre running, the good, the bad and the ugly of it!!!

thanks a bunch!!

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

Get a new hei!
Any points conversion you use is still going in an old worn out distributor.

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I used the Crane XRI kit in my 67 Camaro and it worked great.

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I have sold several of the Pertronix kits, but, as stated in the earlier post, it is still going in a worn distributor. Converting to OEM HEI would be the most dependable way to go. If you break down in Rector Arkansas, you can get parts for a factory HEI.

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

Has anybody installed a hall-effect conversion from Lectric Limited?

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I've used the Pertronics in English car restorations, there used to be 'Piranha' ignitions but I haven't seen them in years. Of course, just about anything is more reliable than old Beitish car electrics.

I run GM HEI's in the trucks. Worst problem I've had is a bad module, a spare is about $25 and available just about anywhere.
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Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I've converted 3-4 trucks now all over to Pertronix. (3 V-8's and 1-6cylinder)
I had never had an ignition or component failure with them and they never missed a beat in my experience.
Personally, I would attribute most failures of this kind to poor or incomplete installation practice....that is always over 50% of the instances.
The HEI systems are really good, but they are bigger, bulkier and they don't give off an original or factory appearance...but for a lot of guys that isn't an issue.
It comes to down to your preference at the end of the day.
My two bits.
Coley

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I am with Coley on this. I have a 1964 pick up with a 292 and a Pertronix conversion and that truck will lite up no matter what. It will crank less than three revolutions and fire even after sitting for 3 months. I also like the fact that it looks stock.

I am going to do this conversion on my 72 Cheyenne 350. I also want it to be stock appearing and reliable. There are good distributor cores out there for the old point style set ups. Not all of them are wore out. The one I using for the 72 is a nice piece that is good and tight and has very minimal wear.

And yes, no matter what company you decide to use, they have all had occasional failures from time to time.

Just my opinion.

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I wanted to do the same thing for the same reason. I would have went with the HEI, but my truck being a 4WD doesn't leave enough room by the fire wall. After doing some research and asking questions here, I went with the Pertronix. I haven't used it on my truck yet, "still doing other things" but have heard mostly good reviews on them. Good luck!

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I have had a Pertronix in my 71 with a 250 6 cylinder for 15 years and ~80,000 miles without a problem. nuf said.

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

That's the first time I've heard of it, looks interesting, and made in the U.S.A. !

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I have put probly half a million miles on my cars and trucks in the last 30 years with points have never had a single problem , I don't understand why other people have problems with points ? I had a HEI in an 80s c10 one time that thing quit like you cut the key off ! had to pull the distributor and put that coil thing in it , about 6 months later it did it again , I pulled the distributor that second time and took a good look at it as it was flying across the road heard the splash when it hit the creek LOL put a points distributor in and never worried about it again , my 67 Camaro has points Ive owned it 14 years never had a problem would drive it to china ! you buy the gas of course LOL but anyway your question of do they make a good replacement non breaker type ignition that is BETTER than points ? I would have to say NO THEY DONT ,,, my opinion ,,,

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I used a pertronics and it ran bad , may have been my install or the distributor , second time around I used a crane xri unit , ran great

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

HEI's are rock solid reliable, you can get a module and any parts store, relatively inexpensive to convert, however they are big, look out of place on an original motor, you have to replace the resister wire from the ignition switch to the dizzy.

The points conversions are pretty much a drop in replacement for the breaker style set up, supposed to be more reliable than points??, you cant get points anymore that are worth a crap, points conversion still looks stock,

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

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What about using the external coil HEI distributor? I know it's smaller.

LockDoc

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I have had no problems with my Mallory Unilite distributor.

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I have a Pertronix Ignitor II on the L6 292 in my '68 C/10 Stepside. It works great. I haven't needed a tune up in 5 years. On the shelf, I had an Accel blueprint 6 Cyl [rebuilt AC/Delco] new-in-box for a base. It was like adding a 5th gear.

I have an HEI in my '71 GMC Jimmy 4x4 w/ V8 350. The PO had points, I swapped in a junkyard HEI [cannibalized from my downed '67 Suburban K/10] bought new components and had nothing but problems. I finally went with a new Mallory HEI from the local hot rod shop. Still cheaper than gathering all the fresh components separately.

A friend of mine has a '72 Ford F250 w/V8 429. He went with the Pertronix Ignitor III, which he says has multi-spark ignition like MSD 6A. [I have not researched this claim, however.]

Pertronix Ignitor (I) had the problem of burning out if the key was left in "ON" position (or maybe even ''ACC'').
Ignitor II does not have this issue, it shuts itself off, and is protected.
Ignitor III is rumored to be a mutli-spark discharge unit. I'm thinking of converting the distributor on the GMC to this system, as I'm not happy with the HEI and its intolerance to heat in Summer, which in Southern Arizona lasts about 10 months of the year.

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I too never had any problems with points. Plus on the chevy you can dial in the dwell angle via the door in the side of the distributor(always loved that about the chevy). However, I needed to replace my wore out points distributor so I bought the cheap skip white ready to run. It's cheap and works better than the points. I read all sorts of bad comments on the skip white. But I like it very much. I spent my money on MSD wires. Plus, of course, I put in new coil. My 350 runs way better. My opinion is if you are putting your hands on the distributor move to HEI. The vehicle will run better due to HEI.
I will be putting a new pack(engine) in the truck next year. Doubt I will keep the skip white, but I have to say, the truck is running excellent with the new low cost dist.

That said, if it craps out I'll probably scream loud and long. :lol:

http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...?Item=PE-323-R

Re: breakerless points conversions, who has em and what brand are you running??
 

I just ordered this set-up. I don't like the curve on the Pertronix plug and plays. See how this runs in a 4x4 Blazer with a mild 350 / 4 speed.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/dui-14720bk/overview/