[Healeys] Distributor guy

[Michael Oritt]

I've had the pleasure of replacing a set of contact points alongside the
road in the dark.  If you don't get the stack of insulating washers and
parts correct you are going nowhere and it's awfully easy to drop one of
the bits down and under the car--with the same result.

I put a Mallory Unilite distributor/ignition system in my Healey about
twenty years ago with absolutely no issue other than a cracked external
ballast resistor and about three years ago I replaced the module simply
because I did not want to push my luck any further.  On long trips I carry
a spare distributor with drive dog attached, allowing for quick and easy
replacement and no need to worry about timing so long as I pay careful
attention to the positions of the rotor and distributor body when switching
things out.

On my race cars I use Pertronix modules simply because the failure mode is
almost always total which makes diagnosis much easier whereas with points
there is one more component (the condenser) plus very often when points
ignitions go bad the problem is often partial and/or intermittent,
resulting in more time lost trying to diagnose the problem with more
sessions lost due to having more possibilities to eliminate.

Best--Michael Oritt

On Mon, Aug 29, 2022 at 8:47 PM warthodson--- via Healeys <
healeys at autox.team.net> wrote:

> Since Pertronix don't have points I guess the answer is: "the car would
> not have been disabled due to the points failing".
> Gary
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dwflagg--- via Healeys <healeys at autox.team.net>
> To: ahbn6 at verizon.net
> Cc: healeys at autox.team.net
> Sent: Mon, Aug 29, 2022 12:00 pm
> Subject: Re: [Healeys] Distributor guy
>
> *Also, years ago whilst traveling the New York State Thruway I came upon a
> disabled Austin Healey whilst driving my own to a fraternity **brother's
> wedding. This was before cell phones. Disabled vehicles were at the mercy
> of tow trucks and **exorbitant fees. It was **determined** there was no
> spark. With no tools but just a nail clipper with a nail file, we filed the
> **points,** and were both on our **way! Try** that with a Pertronix unit!*
>
> *Doug*
> *To add more fuel to the fire, while driving on the freeway in Las Vegas
> years ago I had the rotor on my BN6 split in two. A highway patrolman
> stopped and repaired it with super glue and a rubber band. I limped home 15
> miles – put on another rotor and kept a spare for safety and the repaired
> one in the parcel shelve for memories. Try that with a Pertronix unit*
>
> *John Sims*
> *www.healey6.com <http://www.healey6.com/>*
> *Matawan, NJ*
>
> *From:* Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> *On Behalf Of *Jim Ryan
> *Sent:* Monday, August 29, 2022 10:12 AM
> *To:* patrick williams <2x2doc at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* List Healey <healeys at autox.team.net>
> *Subject:* Re: [Healeys] Distributor guy
>
> Just wondering, the debate between this unit and the original points has
> always been that you can replace the points in the event of a failure on
> the side of the road. How difficult is it to replace this unit in the same
> manner if you carried a spare, and what would the cost be for that spare?
> I'm referring to a1958 Bugeye here.
>
> On Mon, Aug 29, 2022, 8:21 AM patrick williams <2x2doc at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> It's been close to 20 years ago, but Jeff rebuilt my distributor,
> including the vacuum advance diaphram, and put in a pertronix unit.  I'm
> very happy with the results.
> Pat Williams
> 1960 BT7
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