I have a 54 chevy with 235. I am looking to update the distributor. What is the best option for the price? I have a holley 390 and dual exhaust. I was looking at the stovebolt hei kit or just a petronix ignitor. What are your opinions? Thanks
Both work well....I've used Pertronix for years in lots of engines with no problems. I currently use a Pertronix in my 235 with an alternator. The Pertronix is a bit fickle if voltage varies, so if you have a generator maybe consider an HEI as they are a bit more forgiving !,,,,
i put a pertronix on my 55 2nd series 235 engine works great and easy to install and it has all the original engine parts including the generator. I put a HEI on my 50 3100 with a 400 sb and it also works great but was a little more work to install. You know, pull the old distributor and you have to replace the plug wires and set your engine at #1 tDC to drop in the HEI distributor. With the Pretronix, just pull your points and replace with the electronic components. So if you don't mind doing the extra work to install the HEI either one would work great.
What is usually not mentioned in an HEI vs Pertronix discussion is that the Pertronix is not a true HEI. That said the Pertronix is still a very good addition there are certainly enough reports on this board to support that. The real difference (unless you re-curve the replacement distr.) is the Pertronix allows you to keep the original distributor advance and mechanical advance curves for the engine. All OEM distributors are emission control distributors and retarded. :[
Larry
I don't own a vehicle that isn't old enough to drink.
what pertronix part number do I need for my 54 chevy with 235? Distributor is less than 2 years old and probably less than 500 miles on it, so I really dont want to replace it all again. thanks for all the replies!
just went out and looked, i have a pertronix 1.5 ohm coil. ive done some research, a 3 ohm coil is recommended. could this be part of my problem with running poor?
You never know about coils, etc. Might swap it out and see. My engine ran like crap until I poured alcohol in the carb and then it straightened out. I was trying to get it lit off. I mean started. Jim
well, just placed order on advance auto parts website. found coupon for $50 off $150 order, and free shipping. ordered new pertronix coil and ignitor. also some extras for the discount. i will let you all know how it works when it arrives and is installed. thanks for all the replies
What should I gap the spark plugs to? The Ignitor has no set specification in which the spark plugs should be gaped at. Every engine responds differently to spark plug setting. In most cases increasing the factory recommended gap by .005 improves the engine performance.
I realize many people have used pertronix with great success, but, make sure you have everything you need to put the points back in along side the road. I have installed 2 of them, one in a mustang and one in the truck, the one in the mustang may have been an issue with the coil as it was within their specs, but just barely and I can't actually guarantee the accuracy of my meter, but it blew a hole in the back of the module after about 20 minutes of running. I got it home but wouldn't start again. The one in the truck worked for about 6 months, then on the day I actually got my wife to come with us, I got a wonderful opportunity to study my fine city's bus system, and experience the pleasure of working out in the wind and rain. They said it worked on their machine. But it wasn't working in my distributor. That may have been voltage issues as my regulator was getting kind of funky, sitting still it had ample voltage,(I don't remember the exact numbers) somewhat lower than specified, but shouldn't have been a problem. But when cranking it wouldn't fire until the last split second when I took my foot off the pedal I would sometimes get one pop. All I know is I could work on points for the rest of my life and it still wouldn't be as much of pain in my #$$ as that one day. I have owned this truck since 1984, and I have never failed to get it home, until I UPGRADED my ignition. There are a lot of posts praising pertronix, but when I specifically asked for others experiences with them, there was about 40% with bad experiences. It didn't make it run any better, maybe even a little worse actually. I am somewhat suspicious of their setup as when I returned the unit that failed, they sent me a completely different setup, that doesn't use a magnetic ring, just picks up off the high spots on the distributor cam. Makes me wonder why they felt it was neccesary to change the design. Oh and don't forget to keep the points and all the little wrenches you need to re-install them with the truck at all times.
It's probably pretty close "as is" unless you've done a lot of race modifications. The problem with race engines running a stock advance curve is not enough advance a little off-idle. It's possible to slightly restrict the total travel of the advance weights to limit the maximum centrifugal advance a few degrees, and add a corresponding amount to the initial timing setting by turning the distributor housing. Unless the centrifugal advance is slightly restricted (10 degrees or so) the extra initial advance to give good off-idle performance can cause an over-advanced situation at top end. One degree too much spark advance robs as much horsepower as 5 degrees of retard from the sweet spot. I've documented that on bunches of dyno runs.
A total centrifugal + initial advance of 34-36 degrees is usually about right, and it seems to be about the same regardless of the manufacturer. That rule of thumb has worked well for me on Chevy, Ford, Chrysler and American Motors race engines. For street use, add about another 10 degrees with a vacuum advance for light-throttle fuel economy. The vacuum goes away almost instantly as soon as the throttle is opened up for acceleration or passing, leaving only centrifugal and initial. Jerry
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