Distributor recommendations?

[Richard2112]

I've been perusing various sites (Jegs, Summit...) and looking over the reviews on distributers. And the prices. 80 to 800 dollars is quite a spread and there are a lot of mixed reviews.

I have a new 383 to install soon and have yet to settle on a distributor. But I see various coils, modules and spring kits, enough to boggle the mind. I've decided I don't want to play around with the dizzy too much, just install and tweek to decent performance.

My truck will never see the high side of 5k rpm so I suppose I could use a decent quality street dizzy. But it would be nice to have a solid HEI that delivers some good energy.

Any recommendations?

[Steeveedee]

When I put a SBC in my '68 Skylark, I put in a Mallory HEI. I put a Buick engine back in the car about 8 years ago and put that distributor in my BBC truck. It hasn't had a part failure, yet. Maybe things have changed in the intervening years? I don't know. But I got 18.5 MPG in combined freeway driving, of which the drive home was pretty much slow and go on the 405, and some really good performance with that 305. Maybe it was the 700 with the seriously low first gear and lock-up converter that helped?

[Richard2112]

Thank you for that, Steeveedee. I've been considering a Mallory as the name has been around for a long time. But having no recent experience with them, I'm not certain if things have changed. I dread trying to fire up a brand new motor using old parts even if they're known good.

[geezer#99]

Check these guys out.
I’ve heard they’ll set up the distributor to match your motors needs.


https://performancedistributors.com/

[Richard2112]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

Check these guys out.
I’ve heard they’ll set up the distributor to match your motors needs.


https://performancedistributors.com/

Thanks geezer, I'll look into them. Been considering just building one myself but would want a good base to build onto.

[72SB]

I use my stock dizzy with a Pertronix kit and Pertronix oil filled coil on my 357 motor. If I had to buy a new dizzy the MSD 8360 would be it.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/m...+5ba289ba32f16

If this is a heads and cam 383, like any "modified" motor....adjustments in base, vacuum and mechanical timing are needed to get max power and fuel burn (read you need vacuum advance controlled on a street car). This involves either installing a VA (adjustable) can with + or - vacuum or installing a stop plate to keep VA at "x" degrees of advance (i.e. 12 vs 18 without). Additionally, spring and weight adjustment to adjust "when" mechanical advance comes in and how fast

All of the above tuning adjustments + what the carb "may" need (beyond idle fuel adjustment) to dial it in. There are kits sold for carbs with various jets, metering rods, step up springs used per graph included to adjust +/- desired performance

On an SBC idle timing of 20-24 degrees with combined base and VA is good with "all in" at 3k rpm of 34-36 degrees. 10-12 degrees of base without VA and 10-12 of VA added to get 20-24 at idle. Mechanical advance can be adjusted with weight changes and when it comes in with springs (lighter or heavier). Having a VA that you can not only adjust by how much VA it applies but when mechanical comes in and VA goes away at WOT is typical fine tuning any motor, especially "modified" ones with heads & cam. Once all is done the motor will run excellent in all driving conditions.

[Arnulfo]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

Check these guys out.
I’ve heard they’ll set up the distributor to match your motors needs.


https://performancedistributors.com/

Just installed one of these on my 1970 c20 stock 350 auto tranny. VERY happy with it. Easy install. truck fired up within 1/2 revolution on initial start up. Hardest part of install was getting a new #12 wire to it.

[SRU1436]

Originally Posted by Arnulfo

Just installed one of these on my 1970 c20 stock 350 auto tranny. VERY happy with it. Easy install. truck fired up within 1/2 revolution on initial start up. Hardest part of install was getting a new #12 wire to it.

I put one of these in my chevelle, I’m happy with it too.

[RichardJ]

I'm sure that MSD is a great distributor, BUT every part of it is proprietary.

You can go to any Napa or O'Reilly and get parts for any standard HEI or HEI clone.
If you have a problem with the MSD and it does happen you will need a AAA card.

MSD does have distributors that use a standard HEI module , pickup, rotor and cap.

[68 P.O.S.]

I've always had good luck with the Accel 59107. It won't break the bank either.

[Already Gone]

I put a Petronix Stock Look Distributor and their 40k Watt coil , link included, in my 72 C10 wth stock 350 engine as I wanted a HEI and wanted to keep the stock look. After 5/6 years It has never given me and issue of any kind and I recently transfered it to the new small block thats been built for my truck and it works like it is suposed to in that engine too. Seems like lots of choices for you so depends on your plans and needs.

https://pertronixbrands.com/products...31797120073764

https://pertronixbrands.com/products...31797269037092

[67swb72klb]

You can never go wrong with the factory GM HEI unit

[HalfBrit]

The nice thing about Performance Distributors is the custom setup you receive. Truck weight, axle ratio, driving style, octane requirement are all considered in the build. Ran one in my '70, from the 90's all the way to 2 years ago, when I sold the engine. Worked perfectly

[ochremo]

While you're looking I'd also recommend taking a look at this one. You set the initial at 10 degrees and lock it down. From that point on you input all other settings with your phone.

https://progressionignition.com/

[tim71]

I also put a Pertronix small body distributor and their 40000 volt coil in my truck. I’ve been very satisfied with performance of dist/coil.

[tim_mc]

I installed a new factory GM HEI, however the coil failed after a year. Replaced coil and module with Davis Unified Ignition (DUI) parts and WOW. Huge improvement.

[steveo70]

I have the F.A.S.T. 303051 and have had no issues. Billet, tach, cam gear, carb and EFI friendly, and a good price.

[halfstep]

Quick read

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/su...-distributors/

[Richard2112]

Thank you all for the advise and the reading materials. Right now my thoughts are to either have one built to match the range of my cam (an option that is probably well outside my budget but then, this entire build has been so...), or to build one myself with as much advise I can get and learn about curve tuning.

There had been mention of "proprietary parts" also which is interesting as I don't want to use AAA when I live close a McAuto store.

There is a feature I like and that is the ability to open spark plug gaps to 50 or 55 with a high voltage output. Unless I'm mistaken, and I could be, the ability to open the plug gap becomes viable with 50k volt coil/module.

I have a lot to learn in this area and now I see that some distributors have a control box of some sort which I know nothing about. I really do not need a distributor that holds up under 7k rpm as I'll never exceed 5k likely.

I'm trying to piece together a truck with good towing power and decent acceleration. There'll never be a quarter mile track in my trucks future. There might be a car hauler though.

[Steeveedee]

Seeing all this information flow makes me want to take my Mallory HEI to a shop and find out how it's configured. Seems to work fine, but even a little bump in mileage would be welcome. I don't run mine over 4k RPM, anyway.

[Richard2112]

My inclination right now is to buy a fleabay HEI unit, gut the internals and get an after market coil, module, weights and springs. Maybe a new vac pot too. New cap/rotor. But it's hard to pay 60 dollars for an aluminum stick with a gear attached when it's probably a hencho en China part

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

If I remember right, I pulled a Delco off a 75 and am still using it, assuming the thing runs again It's a 402, not sure what engine I pulled it out of, 454? Perhaps SBC vs BBC doesn't matter.

[Richard2112]

Aright, finally. I decided to get the F.A.S.T. distributor 303051. (I know, I'm slow--old too so I have an excuse) because it did have some features I wanted at a price that didn't break the bank. And building a truck on social security means the "bank" is pretty fragile. Lol!

There has been an absolute deluge of information to be had from reading here, following the links provided and examining the listed features of each dizzy advertised.

But the biggest impetus was that originally I only needed a distributor for a motor I'm building so there was no rush. But then the distributor in my daily driver took a dump and now I need two.

There are things that are hard to keep track of when one is plowing through massive amounts of information, much of it being new, while trying to keep in mind the many things that are good, better and best for a specific purpose.

One thing I've discovered is that some distributors will not work with some timing lights. Ooops! And some will make your tach do funny things or not work at all. Of course there's the drive gear to be considered and whole host of other things that boggles the mind sometimes.

I am trying to avoid pulling the dizzy from my daily driver as it is parked on a fairly steep slope outside and we get tons of rain this time of year. So I am considering pulling parts from the F.A.S.T. to fix my distributor in place then using the housing of the new distributor to build a distributor for the motor I'm currently building. That'll get me on the road and buy me some time to learn more about the many adjustable and requirements of a distributor build. The information here has been great help and I'm sure will continue to be. Much thanks.

[72SB]

There is a guy, David Ray, who rebuilds dizzys. He may be retired now but I have his write up saved. What is the most ignored provision of a dizzy is the vacuum advance and controlling when it comes in and how much advance it does provide is a critical factor be it points, or HEI dizzy to control.

Crane "did" make a VA and stop plate kit which I did buy and install on my Camaro a few years ago. They are now extinct. In dialing in the tune of my new 357 crate motor I found it critical to have dizzy set up right, which beyond timing, is critical on VA function and after installing the detent plate and making the adjustments using alan key on VA and setting timing I was then ready to proceed making the various adjustments (metering rods, step up springs, jets) on my carb. All of this was a multi-step process, but man once done the drivability and performance is great.

For any street car, if your VA is not connected do so.

Here is a pic of my VA with detent plate installed and the alan wrench used to djust VA. Home made versions are also done.

[j_cst_10]

So my friend does engine part development for a well known aftermarket company and turned me onto this set up. He saw it at PRI. I am going to get get one. Pretty neat.

https://progressionignition.com/