'78 351M with an aftermarket Accel Distributor(model #71202E) and I can't find where to buy a replacement pickup coil. Can anyone help?
Also, would a stock pickup coil work in the Accel Distr.?

 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ac...ions/make/ford

 

Thank you for the link. That is exactly what I'm looking for.
Now my only question is whether or not my pickup coil is defective? I've narrowed it down to only a couple things and this seems to be the culprit but does anyone know how to test the pickup coil?

 

There should be a finite resistance between the two wires. Not sure of the Accel spec but a few hundred ohms is typical of many reluctors.

 

I have a Chilton Manual for 65-84 Ford trucks and a Hayne's Manual for 73-79 Fords and neither manual mention one word about setting the gap between reluctor wheel and pickup coil nor does either say how to remove pickup coil. Does the distributor need to be removed from engine to replace pickup coil? Also, to mention once again, my distributor is made by Accel.

 

If it's anything like a stock distributor, you should be able to get the pickup free after removing the veined armature. Worse comes to worse, a quick phone call to Accel should answer your questions. The shop manual is not going to speak to your aftermarket application.

 

My stock 78 distributor with dura spark ignition uses a split ring to hold pickup coil in. Very easy to change in truck. I dont know about accel, but if you pop dist cap off and remove armature you can see and feel split ring abover stator. Pop it out (I am going from memory here so excuse me if I am wrong) Remove phillips screw and it should slide right off distributor shaft. Or maybe it is phillips screw that holds wires down. Either way its a 10 minute job.

 

Well I know it's not going to refer to aftermarket distributors but what I'm saying is that neither of the manuals mention anything about removing STOCK pickup coils.

 

I'm considering going back to a stock distributor. I like not having to order parts for an aftermarket distributor when instead I could just go to a salvage yard or parts counter and have what I need in about a half an hour.

A little info on my engine: 351M with 400 Ford Crank and Pistons(unknown brand of pistons) bored to 408. The previous owner had 4V Cleveland heads installed from a '71 Mustang, Edelbrock Intake, Holley 670 Carb with off-road needles and seats, Accel Distributor, MSD Blaster Coil, Aussie Timing Chain, custom ground cam(not sure of brand), FuelMiser propane assist, and a claimed 10:1 compression ratio. The engine was built by a local engine builder that builds a lot of the engines for our local dirt track guys. He told me it had 350HP and only 18,000 miles on it.
The guy had put a lot of his own touches to it like screwing with every wire on the thing and making the engine bay look like a big rats nest. I ended up removing the propane assist because I didn't want another fuel to worry about keeping full. Shortly after owning it the MSD Blaster coil died so I replaced that with a stock one. Soon after that the distributor cap on the Accel distributor crapped the bed so I ordered a new one of those. Now the distributor is acting up again so I'm thinking about going back to a stock Motorcraft unit.
I'm not concerned about making peak HP, I just want it to start when I turn the key and to make decent, reliable HP. Do you guys think that going back to stock ignition will affect power that much? Even if it robs 100HP(which it won't), still I'm sure it will have more power than a bone stock 351M.

 

The Accel setup isn't doing anything for you. It's just hand-wavey marketing. Not that there aren't cases were that kind of stuff makes a difference, but not the majority of folks.

 

I'm dumping my Accel also. The engine will just randomly die but will restart immediately and it does not matter if it's hot or cold.

I noticed the plate that the pickup is fastened to can easily bounce upward and the pick up can hit the shaft of the dizz. Mine is a 59205 and it appeared the vacuum advance would have to be disconnected...couple wires and the entire plate with the pickup could be removed.

Good luck.

 

Those 4 bbl cleveland heads arent doing your truck any good for low rpms.That aint what they are made for. Not that it has anything to do with your distributor problem.

 

I'm aware of the advantages/disadvantages of the 4V Cleveland heads. The engine was previously in a Mercury Montego set up for dirt track racing; it's quite the screamer. Later in life that engine made it's way into the Bronco where it sits now.
You know, the whole thought about 4V heads not being good at low RPM's is a myth. Sure they do give up some low end power and compared to the 2V heads, they are not as responsive down low. That being said, I don't know how many guys who claim the 4V Cleveland heads are worthless below 4,000RPM's(not to single you out) have actually driven a vehicle with them? I haven't had a chance to get my truck street legal yet but from driving it across my fields and romping around roads on my property, I can surely stand behind my claim that the 4V heads have more than enough power down low. My truck has the C6 trans (which robs quite a bit of HP in itself) and even with the automatic trans and 37" tall tires, it has more than enough power to jump off the line, glue you to your seat, and prevent you from leaning your head forward. It does that plus it still takes off like a scared rabbit if I stomp on the gas while already cruising at 60MPH.
2V, 4V, both still make for a nice running engine and I wouldn't pass on either of them.
If I could just get my Bronc to start every time I turn the key then I'd have myself one heck of a truck. I'm already searching for a good deal on a stock or stock style distributor. I've had it with parts hunting when I should be working on other things. The older I get, the more quiet I like my exhaust and the more I appreciate the simplicity and reliability of OE Ford parts.

 

Parts catalog pic: Pickup coil = 12A112

D4PZ-12A112-A .. Stator aka magnetic pickup coil (Motorcraft DU-1A) / Available from Ford.

1974/79 all FoMoCo V8's with DuraSpark except 1979 LTD/Grand Marquis 351W with EEC (Electronic Engine Control system).

 

I appreciate the diagram and I will use that for future reference. However, the stator I was looking for was to an Accel dist., not a Motorcraft unit. I am no longer looking for a pickup coil, instead I'm just going to buy a whole new distributor. Regardless, thank you for your time.