If you are switching to an electronic ignition, then HEI is simple, good, and cheap. Those 3 things don't usually go together. Parts for HEI are on the shelf in every auto parts store. Not so with Petronix and even the factory modules anymore. Not sure why anyone would want to install a factory type EI and have to run a ballast resistor.

If your running points now, just run them until you can do the HEI.

Rick

_________________
2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

I was able to tear into some dist today.

From left to right are

New/re-manufactured 78 Truck with a R 13 Governor
Dist I removed from a 74 Dart with a 9R Governor
New/re-manufactured 78 Truck with a 9R Governor
Random Points dist that I picked up with an L13 Governor



I have some questions

On one of the Newly Re/manufactured dist there is a small pin that passed through Governor mounting plate and then thru the dist body and seems to align with a pre-considered notch on the lower advance plate.



It seems like there are two other slots on this lower advance plate that are there to accept this pin if it were at all possible for the plate to be shifted ( which I dont see how that would be possible since it is held onto dist body with two located screws ) So what gives?





Also I see no stamps or identifying marks on any of these canisters other than the #s that appear on the brackets 3rd picture down, so what can I assume ?

First...get a box and place the points distributor in it and put away for the next world war...it is a different beast and you can't put a reluctor on the points governor, and as you notice the arm on the vacc. advance is bent differently and the peg sits in the wrong place on the EI plate. Also the springs are heavy and not the best choice to use on an EI curve.

Second...the reason the cans don't have marks is that reman cans don't have marks and only occasionally do they have a stamp on the arm...typically when tested these cans have moderate vacuum range and are a "10x" throw...or they provide 20 degrees of advance when they are all in...

If using a reman distributor body...I use a file and chamfer the outer rim of the body so it's easier to get a cap to fit on it (an OEM aluminum body has this chamfered edge so the caps are easy to replace). On OEM bodies the "pin" is there to hold and index the vacuum advance pod, without it, you can physically slide the vacc. advance pod (or if the screws don't hold it well, it can slip) and it will shift the advance plate and timing up to 3 degrees +/- (hard to curve something if you have to readjust the pod again after changing the springs...and it's off). The other pin locations are not for use with our distributor, the "base" plates and pick up plates also work in the V-8 distributors (but the location and length of pick up wires, and where the pin is used when installed correctly is not correct on a /6 distributor). If one is installed in the body, it will index the plate and the screws will hold it in place fine, and that's all that's needed.

If doing a distributor for your truck, I would pick one of the 9R governed distributors, pick the spring combination that best fits your top rpm at cruise for 90% advance. Get a new VC-239 pod to replace the generic Reman pod (they are fine for cars, but are not as adjustable, and may have too much advance for the "brick" with the six). Start there and set the distributor to 8 BTDC to start with, then work up to 12BTDC if you get no pinging...(you may have to adjust carburation as well with the timing change).

If you get a factory distributor, it will still have a metal tag held to the body by one of the plate screws on the side, and have a mopar part number stamped in it, along with numbers along the top for month and day.

-D.Idiot

Thank-you for the information Duster and your time

Can someone give me a clear dummied down explanation of why I would want a 9R governor versus a 13 and what other governors have you guys seen installed in these slant dist.

From my understanding/examination the 13 allowed the weights to move further outward allowing the engine to have more advance. This was done to help with emissions and possibly fuel economy.

Why wouldnt anyone wanting better fuel economy choose to use the longest slot governor he could find?

I believe it was Duster that mentioned typically trucks used the 13 ( good call ) but why?

Why would they install the 13 over the 9. Is there a 12,11,10, maybe an 8,7,6?

Thanks

EDIT: Doing a good search I see that there was indeed at least a 7.5R Governor and someone wanted one. Whats the deal with these things?

EDIT: I found this excellent thread http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic ... f5fab8bba8

http://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=319169

http://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=314383

There is a point of no return if timing advances too high generally 50 or so degrees for a light car, and perhaps 40 to 45 degrees for a brick, er, rather truck.

The engine works less to push a car through the air at cruse, and can stand timing into the low fifties with out ping or detention. A truck because it is less aerodynamic and heaver its engine can't use as much extra timing because the engine is under more of a load compared to a car.

There are three sources of timing, base, mechanical, and vacuum advance. Generally a light car's base is near 12 degrees, mechanical for a car should not go much past 30 degrees (12 + 18), and vacuum advance brings it to 48 to 52. 12+18+20


The 9R gives 18 degrees advance, and 13 gives 26 degrees.

Some slants came from the factory with base timing set between zero to 5 due to early pollution control protocol before any of the manufactures figured out how to clean up the exhaust pipe; in other words pre computers, cats, and fuel injection. These detuned low compression cars ran like crap for the years 1973 to 75, and needed a lot of mechanical advance to hit the sweet spot 28 to 30 degrees when under way.


Perhaps not the best explanation floating around out there, but I guess it all depends what one is running, and in what.


So you need to figure out what runs best in your set-up if it is non stock in any way. Tweaking of a stock set-up is also on the table, as chances are one can get it to run a bit better with better economy.

_________________
67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

You can install the longer slot, but if you set it to have more initial you could cause the engine to ping/ or detonate at a certain point because it lit the mix in the cylinder too soon. On a low compression engine, like ours giving the combustion process a "leg up" by limiting the governor and setting the base timing starts the process sooner so the cylinder builds pressure sooner...

As noted we are lucky to have a particular formula to work with on timing
(base+mechanical=30, and with vacc. advance at cruise =50...for a truck I advise to limit to 30 and 47 due to the power to weight ratio and lack of aerodynamics).

So if you follow to articles...the truck distributor would be set at:
4 BTDC base+ 26 springs and governor at just above highway cruise rpm=30 then your vacuum advance on top of it....

The super six distributor gets to light to fire off earlier:
12 BTDC + 18 BTDC springs and governor=30 then add the vacc advance.

That extra 8 degrees helps for a more complete burn of the mix compared to the 4 on the truck.

There are only a certain set of governors mopar tended to work with, and an end user like your self can break out a welder and file/grinder and make whatever version you want:

slant six 9 (super six),10( mopar performance distributor),11 (stock 1976 applications,13 (truck distributors),15 (1973-1975 cars) and points 11.5 (early to mid-60's distributors),13(late 60s to 1972 distributors)
V-8 17,18 (too much for a slant six but worked fine for those 4"+ bores)
Points could be had in anything from 9-18 (but you can't use an 8 point governor in a 6 cylinder car)

Remember emissions timing is to provide a controllable amount of pollution per the regulations and specs when everything is working correctly. This does not necessarily help with power and economy, adding a little more base timing will help get a few more HP out of a
low compression engine but may create a little more NOx (thus the need for a little more EGR in the 1976+ vehicles along with the catalytic convertor...so the combination evens the gains and losses out).

Typically when someone wants a shorter slot that 9, it desired because of the limit in timing with boosted engines, or because the performance build needs less timing due to the fuel or combination being run to stay out of detonation.

You guys are the best. I appreciate all of your in-puts. I have wanted to know these sorts of things for a long time but devoted my time in the past instead to my trade ( autobody/collision repair ) and their is only so much time.

Thanks again, may have more questions

http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic ... 98&start=0

http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic ... 2878d451a1

Not having any luck with finding the Super Six dist core as was suggested. Reading past posts it was suggested that Distributor 3874714 would be a good core to start with.

In Dusters words ........That's a common 1976 distributor (is for A/B, etc bodies), a somewhat good core to start with. ..............

They are avail brand new still from Old Car parts N.W for a reasonable amount, do you guys see any advantage here over the remans that I am working with or trying to work with.

I am questioning the quality of the reamans, not sure how corners could be cut but I would assume that at 60 dollars a pop they prob. are not the very best money can buy.

Trying to do this once.

I dont know how this dist is set-up but I do see that the vacuum pod is the non-adjustable round nipple type.

I dont know internally how its set-up other than what was mentioned within these posts

http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic ... lot+length

Also trying to locate the suggested VC-239 can which apparently is a VC 3034 part number nowadays. Napa lists them but they are again the round nipple type so no adjustment.

Is this what I should be after?

Moparkid: it has to different weight springs causing one "curve" to start @ 2500rpm and the next "curve" @ 4000 rpm! your new curve will be all in @ 2500rpm. so you want to have it set to 12 initial, 30 total, with 10* of vacuum adv(crank degrees).