distributor swap
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 7,174
Likes: 377
From: Near Los Angeles
For more than 10 years I have run a stand alone DS2 distributor with an MSD 6A box. It works well and is torquey. If you use a DS distributor, buy an NOS (new old stock) motocraft stator unit on Ebay. It'll run you about $15. The oem motocraft ones last about 40 years. The ones you get in the parts store (China) last about 2 years. I know that from experience. If you don't want to use the MSD box, you can wire a DS2 dizzy through a GM 4 pin module too, but it'll have less spring in its step, so to speak. Good luck.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 896
Likes: 55
From: Bothell
The duraspark distributor with a MSD ignition box is a good setup. The DS distributor is a very simple magnetic pickup and feeds the MSD box or any other ignition box that has magnetic pickup input.
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 7,174
Likes: 377
From: Near Los Angeles
Summit offers an ignition box with the same spark energy as the MSD, and the Summit box costs about $50 less than the MSD.
*I have noticed that running so much current through my dizzy makes the contacts in the cap and rotor (all brass) corrode a bit. That makes me change them once a year—for free! I purchased the more expensive type through O'reiley's auto parts, and they came with a life time warranty. I've replaced them for free about 6 times.
*I have noticed that running so much current through my dizzy makes the contacts in the cap and rotor (all brass) corrode a bit. That makes me change them once a year—for free! I purchased the more expensive type through O'reiley's auto parts, and they came with a life time warranty. I've replaced them for free about 6 times.
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
I have a '73 with 360. I went with the pertronix setup. I did the coil, distributor that goes in the factory location, new wire and new plugs. The driveability is far superior to what I had. The price was decent and I was able to figure it all out with my limited mechanical knowledge.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
6 months ago I bought one on ebay for $200.00. The seller's name is "theswapmeetparts". Description of my distributor is "Small cap Ford F390 (etc) blue HEI distributor + 45K coil + plug wires." It fits alongside the big Edelbrock air cleaner, that is why I got the small cap type. (Air cleaner has a 3/4" shim under it also.) The distributor came with a steel gear, and I think my cam is cast iron. So I got a brass gear from Jegs and put that on. Big improvement over my worn-out points distributor. If I had it to do over again I would look for something that came with a cast iron gear on it. My brass gear was $50.
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