The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop New aftermarket distributor or install Electronic ignition in stock?

Can anyone tell me their opinion on what to do with the distributor in my 57 chevy 235? I have not seen the engine run but it seems to be complete and in great condition. I got the distributor out today and it looks to be in decent shape. There is some play in the shaft and the gear is a little loose on the shaft. The gear rivet seems to be coming loose although I doubt it would ever cause any trouble. At the very least I would like to get rid of the points and go electronic ignition, and should probably replace the vacuum advance. I doubt a 60 year old rubber diaphragm would be in the best shape. Should I work on my stock distributor or just replace it with an aftermarket? I figure a new coil, lobe sensor, and vacuum advance for my stock distributor will cost me about $200. There are some new HEI distributors on Ebay that fit a 235 and are ready to install for $100. They are a Top Street Performance brand which I never heard of, so they are probably a generic Chinese part. I don't need a high end distributor, I just want something reliable and maintenance free. Is there any well know brand distributors for a reasonable price? What would everybody do?

A distributor gear being "a little loose" is like being a little bit pregnant- - - -things aren't going to get any better, and they can get worse in a hurry. You could drill the drive pin out and go to a slightly larger one to cure the sloppy fit. I'd very much prefer an original equipment GM HEI distributor to a Chinese knockoff, even though a minor amount of fitting has to be done to make it function correctly. Stay FAR away from conversion kits to eliminate the points, such as Pertronix. They have expensive proprietary parts that will leave you stranded for a long time after they fail at the worst possible moment. Untold millions of point-type distributors worked well for decades. Why mess with success, especially on a vehicle that's only going to be driven occasionally, not in every day service?
Jerry

When bought my1949 truck the PO had bought and installed a new "regular" distributor. I have not had any problems with the distributor at all. I have a extra set of points and a condenser in the glove box just in case I have trouble. I thought about going with an HEI or something like that but I really couldn't see a reason why. Points and condenser really has done good for me. Mind you that I just use my truck for pleasure. Not a hot rod so I guess it's what you are going to use it for.

Jonald, the stock distributor is very easy to rebuild. The 1957 shop manual gives very good step-by-step instructions. Deve also has a good tutorial about how to do it on his website--

http://devestechnet.com/Home/Project1959235#distributorrebuild

Don't let a rebuild spook you...it's easy.

Matt

Rebuild yourself or these
For HEI, see Langdon's website.

When I first got my '53 235 running after a total rebuild, I had trouble with the points. I found out a long time later it was due to warn off plastic where the point set rides on the distributor lobes.
So, not realizing what was wrong with my point system, I got the "great" idea to move away from the "antiquated, unreliable" technology and go with the "latest and greatest" Pertronix.
It worked great. I had talked myself into believing that the performance was far superior to points. Then my Chinese ignition key cylinder allowed me to remove the key with the ignition switch just barely "on".
It was on over night and melted the top (bottom) off of my brand new coil and burnt out the Pertonix module. Thankfully this happened in my driveway and not in the middle of nowhere.
I went back to a new set of points and the engine performed just as good as it did when it had the Pertronix in it. 10,000 miles later, this engine still rocks!

Jonald,

Here's an article about putting a GM HEI ignition on.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/chevy-235-electronic-ignition.408419/