elruffian wrote:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/maa-4765501/overview/year/1979/make/chevrolet/model/luv
I started seraching summit and found this and was wondering if anyone has tried this, what do you guys think of it over converting to HEI and using Pertronix stuff?
I was thinking of just keeping points and upgrading the coil to a pertronix unit.
I am getting my engine rebuilt and would like to improve power and mpgs wherever possible.
It appears to be netiher HEI
nor CDI, both of which being about the only reasons one would drop $400+ into an ignition system, in my opinion. Furthermore, both of those systems are better suited for high-performance and racing vehicles, not to a stock 4cyl LUV. There's no way a more powerful spark is going to make a $400 difference in a low-displacement engine like that - which is not to say that getting rid of your points shouldn't be a priority! I think that switching to a touchless ignition timing platform is hands-down the easiest way to add a few MPG.
The Mallory distributor you linked to seems to be a fancier version of Pertronix's points replacement kit, but not much more. No additional electrical charge provided. It's just an
optical solution to the 'points problem'.
To clarify:
Points are a
mechanical means of determining when to send the spark. Parts touch, pieces wear out over time, and things fall out of calibration.
Mallory uses
optical input, a
visual means of determining when to send the spark. An eye is trained on a rotating reference wheel, and it knows precisely when the wheel is at the correct position, similar to ABS systems
Pertronix is
magnetic, and has an
electromagnetic means of determining when to send the spark. Instead of an eye, it's a little magnetic sensor, and instead of a reference wheel, a magnet. Rotation of the magnet tells the sensor when it is in the correct position. While neither optics or magnetics have parts that touch eachother, a rotating magnetic field is more robust, reliable, and fail-proof any day of the week. Can you imagine trying to figure out why your truck won't start, only to find that your optical sensor is dirty, and hence, blind?