as for ignition... i put about 30,000+ miles per year on forwardlook
and other classic cars... electronic ignition is a benefit on cold or damp
starts, and a bonus in the performance world. there are many options and
products out there, some good, some unreliable. the mopar orange box
offers a strong spark with good dwell, but i and a few others have observed they
last between 2500- 10,000 miles before quitting.
on a [safety] note... points, eventually go downhill... i maintain mine so
to say- have about 3 years and over 10k on a set right now... put them and set
at the time of a full rebuild of a 318 poly in a daily driver- polished them
once last summer- snow-rain-shine it will start within the first full crank
every time.
now picture this- you just went on a nice long ride, visiting
friends, returning/going to a show.... pop pop chug... your points are
failing!!!! pull over, pop off the cap- run a piece of clean cardboard, a
sweatshirt sleeve, or if youre that lucky- a scrap of 1200 grit sandpaper-
through the contact set... now you'll make it home and drive another 500
miles after that. you were warned of a problem by your points- you safely
pulled over- back on the road in less that 5 min.... now you're driving-
your electronic ignition fails in the middle of a freeway, you hope to safely
pull over... unless you have a new ECU... or reluctor in some cases... you wait
hours in an unsafe environmnet awaiting a tow.
moral- points worked for nearly 100 years now... they will for
another- electronic ignition is great- but i carry a spare module in every
car i drive with it- exc GM's... the GM HEI is the best distributor
out there.
i made a 1-off HEI for a low deck B in college from a biece of 7" stock....
worked out great in a 400- had to make it a little taller than i cosmetically
wanted to for the large diameter cap in relation to the valve cover- the next
season- i saw a company offered tem in a wide array of non-gm apps.... oh well,
i made mine in about 8 hrs total of paid work-study time at the college's
machine shop.... the only non fabbed part was the advance plate setup- which was
pressed and tig welded to a stainless .495 shaft. fun fun
fun
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