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I have a 300 from the early or mid 80's that I want to put a points distributer in. Will any distributer from any year 300 work ?
Also what years did they use points distributors?
About 73-74 is when points went away so to be safe go with a 70 dist.
Now I dont see why you would want to go backwards on spark?
There is nothing wrong with the DSII electronic system.
I have see a car run 11's in the 1/4 mile with out any misses.
If you are looking for something that is easy to install / wire up then get a HEI off Ebay.
1 - 12 volt wire hook up and it works.
Dave ----
I just got this project truck and it's kinda hacked up. It had a 460 in it originally and someone replaced it with a 300 inline that has the feedback carburetor and the TFI (I think that's right) ignition.
I'm going to a simple setup, non feedback carb, simple ignition, etc. I may end up putting a duraspark 2 on it but my thought was it would probably be cheaper to just buy a points distributer than to buy all the duraspark components.
You can use the points distributor and upgrade it with a PerTronix conversion kit or you can add an MSD 6A with the points distributor.
I did the point distributor with a Summit Brand MSD box on my 1965.
Since the points no longer pass the full electrical current to coil, they become just a switch for the MSD box so electrical arc at the points is minimal.
Along with that, I made the connections to the MSD box with insulated spade connections so it the box ever stops working, I can go right back stock power for the coil and distributor and be on my way again.
I'm having a hell of a time finding a points distributor. I'm looking for a reman original part not a Chinese knockoff but they are "out of stock" everywhere on the web. I might have to go with the duraspark2.
Why spend all the money on parts that you dont need, points dist & MSD box, as you have 2 points that can fail.
Being it is not a race motor I dont see the need for the MSD box.
You did not say what year the truck is but something about TFI?
If the truck came with a TFI system then the DSII wiring is there you just need the harness between the dist. and the trucks wiring.
They say that harness can be a little hard to come by from junk yards and bucks from Painless.
Now what I would do as it will work and be less money than the parts & MSD set up.
Go with a Ebay HEI dist. As said 1 12 volt wire hook up.
1 part that might fail but any of the parts, module, you can get it at any parts store as it is in a lot of GM cars & trucks.
There are reasons for the large cap on the HEI and DSII dist.
They both put out higher voltage spark and with small points cap you get cross fire.
You can also run higher RPM, not that a 300 six can, with out cross fire also.
The HEI is also easier to "dial in" over any of the Ford dist.
I can tell you anything got to be easier than the DSII dist to adjust the springs in.
HEI everything is up top, DSII is at the vary bottom.
The 83 to 86 truck have feed back and we tell them go HEI
Go with the HEI and dont look back
Dave ----
Have you tried any Ag places? Ford 300's were in a lot of irrigation stuff as well as new holland and a lot of other equipment. They probably used points distributors well into the 80s but they might not have vacuum advance and a different spark curve. I like points stuff but be prepared to clean and adjust them in the dark on the side of the road. Buy a good quality electronic ignition if you decide to go that route, a cheepo one might give you more problems then points would. Best of luck
Could try Brillman. That’s who I use for the family project vehicle for distributor parts. Then again it has an unusual motor in it. Nothing like trying to find parts for a Waukesha with dual ignition systems.
I decided to go with an HEI from summit racing. It seems to be the easiest fastest solution to my problem. The replacement cap/coil and rotor is only $46.00 so I'll probably get one of those and keep it behind the seat. Thanks for all the input guys !!!
You only need a cap, rotor because they wear out like any cap & rotor, and maybe the module.
I have never see a HEI coil go bad since the HEI came out.
Dave ----
I thought the coil was built into the cap, now that I look closer at the pictures I see that it's not.
The coil is mounted in the cap.
When you replace the cap you remove 2 or 3 screws holding the coil cover in place.
Then there are 4 screws, 1 in each corner of the coil, lift the coil out being careful of the wires from coil to the spades that fit down inside.
You can push them up from under neath and they come out with the coil.
IIRC 1 of the screws holds a spade that is a ground make sure that comes over with the coil to the new cap.
New cap should have a new rotor button with spring, drop that in the center hole and the new rubber washer and then the coil with the wires and spades.
4 screws to hold the coil to cap, coil cover and screws and you are ready to put the cap back on the dist.
Dont forget to swap out the old rotor for new.
It is a vary easy swap.
Dave ----
So I'm also hunting a 300 points distro, but for an unrelated reason. I'm 25 and don't mind fiddling with points on the side of the road, plus it just feels right for what I'm throwing it in. I've got a 1963 223 motor I'm rebuilding for my 1964 F100 and the 223 guys tell me I should run a modified 300 distro with a 223 gear on it. I've got a spare 223 distro to cannibalize, but I can't find a source for a 300 points unit and every junkyard around me either they're already gone or the correct year trucks and vans have V8s in em. All the big stores are sold out of remans and looking elsewhere all I'm seeing is HEI.