electronic distributors
- Thread starter 31chevy
- Start date
fmayer
Junior Member
I'm just getting my '50 ready to put in my 30 Model A and currently have no distributor. I was considering using a stock one with the Pertronic replacement module inside - looks stock, no points to wear out. I've used one in the 4 banger for 10 years with zero problems. Anyone on this site had and plus/negative coments about this system on a 8BA?
55 dude
Senior Member
contact GMC BUBBA
richard crow
Well-known member
go stock if you lube the lobes your good for 10,000 miles cary a spare set & cond & you will always get home . with that eletctronic stuff if you have a proulbem you are in trouble.
Seth Swoboda
Well-known member
Yes my dad has delt with Philbin Manufacturing, STAY AWAY!! Poor design. If you want to run electronic, run the two bolt, pancake distributor. I suggest you contact Charlie Schwendler (Charlie NY) for further information and advice. He is a Fordbarn Regular and was also well respected on the "Old Fordbarn".
Flathead Fever
Well-known member
I don't think there would be much difference, The coil is what is drawing the amperage, the electornic pickup assembly is just the switch turning on and off the coil. The eletronic pickup does require a voltage source to power it but I think it would be a very small amount of amps.
Jerry
Flathead Fever
Well-known member
I don't think there would be much difference. The coil is what is drawing the amperage, the electronic pickup assembly is just the switch turning on and off the coil. The electronic pickup does require a voltage source to power it but I think it would be a very small amount of amperage.
Personally, on an old car I would stay with the points and condenser and just carry some spares. Performance wise, you might get a little more power out of the more precise electronic ignition but is it really going to matter if your Flathead Ford has 85 horsepower or 86? On an early Flathead Ford with the distributor mounted in the front of the engine I would carry a spare distributor in the trunk and the tools needed to replace it. If you break down because of a faulty distributor why mess with trying to diagnose if it's the coil, points or condenser. Swap the distributor and get back on the road and on your way. You can mess with it when you get home.
I just talked to a guy that had a Pertronics ignition in his vintage Hemi powered Ford. The ignition went out on a trip and he had to be towed home. Sometimes the new stuff is worse because there is no way your going to fiddle with it and get it going and the local Napa store is not going to have a Pertronics ignition for your old car. That's not so much a problem if your at home but if your a hundred miles from home it becomes a serious issue. I bet Napa still has the points and condensers on there shelves for most vintage cars. If you had replaced your points and condensers with good quality parts every 12,000 miles then you will most likely never have a problem, it's called "preventative maintenance".
I worked as a mechanic on a fleet of 300 vehicles back when most of the vehicles had points, then later when they switched to electronic controlled distributors and finally when they eliminated distributors all together and went with computer controlled direct ignition. Usually when the points had problems the vehicles managed to limp home again, $10.00 worth of parts and they were on the road again. Then along came electronic ignition, when it fails the vehicle comes home on a tow truck, usually it was $50.00 or more in parts, plus the tow bill. Then they simplified everything and eliminated the distributor all together to make it more dependable. Guess what, they still break, now when it fails it's a $1000.00 computer and a tow bill, that would buy a lot of points.
There is nothing wrong with points.
Jerry