Looking for a points distributor

[teamssc]

I know the 1001 reasons to stay with an HEI unit and not go to a points distrib but I'm feeling nostalgic. I used to have a 72 Nova with points. I want to have the experience of swapping a points unit in and our of my 78 sb 350. I can only guess if the engine is a 78 though the carburetor does decode as such. Anyway how do I determine if it's HEI? Its got a coil in the cap so that might be all I need to know, short of taking the cap off.

Anyway if I'm looking for a used distributor what can I buy? Anything with points that is for a Chevy or do I have to determine if it fits a 350 truck? I see a lot on ebay $40 to $70 delivered and I'm wondering how to choose.

Thanks for any direction you can give me.

Don

[faribran]

i would imagine there are a FEW on here to be had for the shipping charges....

[77ChevySharkBite]

An HEI as I was told once has like a hump on it, that's the way to know it's an HEI.

[piecesparts]

First off Don, I say stick with the HEI and don't do the points. Have you ever laid across the top of a carburetor in a truck and worked to install points and then align the dizzzy up to get to the window to adjust the points. If you have any age on you, you will regret this move in your later years.

HEI is a very stable process and the fact that you have a dizzy with the coil in the top, tells me that you are already an owner of one.

Just my input.

[78maliburat]

Originally Posted by piecesparts

First off Don, I say stick with the HEI and don't do the points. Have you ever laid across the top of a carburetor in a truck and worked to install points and then align the dizzzy up to get to the window to adjust the points. If you have any age on you, you will regret this move in your later years.

HEI is a very stable process and the fact that you have a dizzy with the coil in the top, tells me that you are already an owner of one.

Just my input.

WOW....................... in a points type dist the points are stationary

[Pampas56]

Originally Posted by 78maliburat

WOW....................... in a points type dist the points are stationary

Yes the points are stationary, but the dwell angle still has to be adjusted. It has to do with the timing and time of energization of the field for the coil. If the points do not open at the right time, the timing will be off and if the dwell angle is too large, the coil will not have time to build a large enough field and you get a weak spark.

Ford had ONE better idea when they put the distributor on the front of the engine. GM had the better idea by putting an allen screw adjuster on their points.

Adjust the dwell angle first, then the timing because one degree of dwell angle changes timing by two degrees. If I remember correctly a SBC was set at .019" point gap for the proper angle (about the thickness of a matchbook cover).

To the OP: Kudos for wanting to go Old School with the point type distributor, but as a guy that pre-dates HEI and all the electronic ignition systems I don't miss laying across a running engine fiddling with the points and distributor while trying to watch the dwell angle meter.

Best of luck

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by Pampas56

Yes the points are stationary, but the dwell angle still has to be adjusted. It has to do with the timing and time of energization of the field for the coil. If the points do not open at the right time, the timing will be off and if the dwell angle is too large, the coil will not have time to build a large enough field and you get a weak spark.

Ford had ONE better idea when they put the distributor on the front of the engine. GM had the better idea by putting an allen screw adjuster on their points.

Adjust the dwell angle first, then the timing because one degree of dwell angle changes timing by two degrees. If I remember correctly a SBC was set at .019" point gap for the proper angle (about the thickness of a matchbook cover).

To the OP: Kudos for wanting to go Old School with the point type distributor, but as a guy that pre-dates HEI and all the electronic ignition systems I don't miss laying across a running engine fiddling with the points and distributor while trying to watch the dwell angle meter.

Best of luck

My point exactly! OUCH and shucks that's hot and a few other explicatives.

I did my time with the old points process during my time that I worked at a County Highway Department shop. You learn to hate the old stuff and look forward to the better stuff.

[INSIDIOUS '86]

You can run a points looking ignition if you want the looks. Mallory has setups with good working modules that don't need to be adjusted.

If your set on points stock up on some original ac/delco points.

[nekkidhillbilly]

was it even offered in a square i know the buicks stopped in 73.

[Axle]

GM went HEI across the board in 1975.

To the OP, put the notion of running points in your truck out of your head. Theres a reason plenty of us put an HEI in place of a points ignition in our older cars--even if it meant taking a bfh to the firewall to get it to fit.

Alex.

[rusty76]

Funny but my '76 had points. My uncle used to have to set the dwell. When we put the HEI in it was like day and night. I know it was probably swapped out by a previous owner but still it had points in its' early days. When the smog police rolled in years later that's when the HEI got put in. But setting points and screwing with the dwell was a weekend of fun. I know my '74 had a HEI as well.

[teamssc]

Thanks for the input. I was afraid this would become a religious discussion, points vs HEI, and I really was trying to avoid that as there are plenty of those threads on the forum. As I said I'll be doing a points disty just to do it, just to know I can, because that's what was in my 72 Nova. I know when HEI went mainstream I always wanted to drop one into the Nova but never did. Points, Dwell and all the rest weren't that big of a deal to set up. I don't know that I will stay the points ditsy, in fact I doubt it will. That doesn't mean I won't do it.

So back to my original question. What do I look for in a distributor (there's none in the for sale section here). There are multiple reasonably priced Accel and Mallory on ebay. Do I buy one that says good for SBC? What am I looking to avoid?

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Originally Posted by teamssc

Thanks for the input. I was afraid this would become a religious discussion, points vs HEI, and I really was trying to avoid that as there are plenty of threads on the forum. As I said I'll be doing a points disty just to do it, just to know I can, because that's what was in my 72 Nova. I know when HEI went mainstream I always wanted to drop one into the Nova but never did. Points, Dwell and all the rest weren't that big of a deal to set up. I don't know that I will stay the points ditsy, in fact I doubt it will. That doesn't mean I won't do it.

So back to my original question. What do I look for in a distributor (there's none in the for sale section here). There are multiple reasonably priced Accel and Mallory on ebay. Do I buy one that says good for SBC? What am I looking to avoid?

For a vintage distributor not many ran the access back then very much. The Mallory distributors were the hot ticket. Track cars would run dual points. Look for ones that have little shaft play. Although Mallory can still recondition them I'm sure.

[teamssc]

Originally Posted by INSIDIOUS '86

not many ran the access back then very much.

I'm not sure what you mean? Accel instead of access?

[INSIDIOUS '86]

Originally Posted by teamssc

I'm not sure what you mean? Accel instead of access?

Yes. Sorry sometimes my phone tells me what to type.

[xrcr]

Still have points in my shovelhead, but access is a little easier. That being said I'm currently chasing Demons in my HEI.

[Sodell]

I have to add;;;lol...I had a V8 Vega I built back in the day and I out a duel point dizzy in it...at least I could reach it. I am with INSIDiUOS, if you are going to keep it a while I would go with a Mallory Hey, you could throw on some bias ply tires too..

[teamssc]

Originally Posted by Sodell

I have to add;;;lol...I had a V8 Vega I built back in the day and I out a duel point dizzy in it...at least I could reach it. Hey, you could throw on some bias ply tires too..

Hilarious .... well not really

[Sodell]

8 Track??? sorry had to do it...

[teamssc]

Originally Posted by Sodell

8 Track??? sorry had to do it...

Now THAT is funny!

[geezer#99]

Go shoppin' on evilbay. There's several.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-63-64-6...r#ht_150wt_813

[teamssc]

Went to the Summit site and went through their configurations. They point to the Mallory Dual Point Distributor 2548201. Went to ebay and there are several in the $50 to $75 range.

[mrolds88]

Something else to remember about this swap. Regardless of good/bad, fun/no fun, etc. You will need to put a resistor inline for the power feed for the ignition. Original points systems had a resistor power wire going to the coil.

[teamssc]

Originally Posted by mrolds88

Something else to remember about this swap. Regardless of good/bad, fun/no fun, etc. You will need to put a resistor inline for the power feed for the ignition. Original points systems had a resistor power wire going to the coil.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I think this warrants a trip to the junkyard to pull some parts from an older Chevy so I can get the configuration right.

[manimal]

any points distributor for a Small Block Chevy OR Big Block Chevy will work...EXCEPT for the BIG truck 366/427.