Distributor: Pertronix back to points conversion

[Mitch Covington]

My '59 came with a Super 90 engine and a 022 distributor with a Pertronix ignition. There seems to be consensus that the old points/condenser is the way to go, and while my car runs pretty good, it's sporadic and sometimes just sputters and cuts out with no pattern. I know that could be several things, but I still want to go back to points. My first inclination is to just switch out the distributor with a BR18 complete with points and save the 022 as a spare part or backup. Any problem with this plan? Is there a better option? I don't care about "correctness" so much as performance and reliability. Where is a good source for buying a complete distributor?

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[Mike Wilson]

I think it's a good idea to have a spare distributor in your travel kit. I have one. As far as finding another one ready to go, I'd check with the guys that are rebuilding them.

Mike

[Mitch Covington]

What should i get... BR18? Just under $600 from one vendor... i don't mind that, but again... performance and reliability is the goal.
thanks Mike!

I think it's a good idea to have a spare distributor in your travel kit. I have one. As far as finding another one ready to go, I'd check with the guys that are rebuilding them.

Mike

[Mike Wilson]

Another option is to get a 031. They are pretty easy to find.

Mike

[Wes Bender]

If you want to go the cheap route, carry an 009 as your spare. Chances are you won't ever need it. There isn't much that will go wrong with a reasonably well-maintained distributor that a new condenser or set of points won't fix. (I carry an 009 only because I had one on hand. I'd feel just as secure carrying a few spare parts.) If money isn't an object, buy an 031, BR18 or 022 and carry it for a spare. Or an 050.

[Mike Ruddy]

Consider fitting a 123 distributor and forget about condensers, points, worn shaft bearings, sticky bob weights and questionable advance curves.

[Bruce Smith]

Mitch,

From the pitting on the outside of your 022, the Pertronix may have been installed because of a worn cam. If lobes are off by more than a degree, your timing between cylinders is off by 2X. The Pertronix doesn’t rely on the cam lobes. Some have criticized the magnetic ring accuracy but I’ve seen better than 1° in all that I’ve installed. But with 6V electrics, any drop in current to the Hall Effect sensor can result in misfiring. I wrote an article in the magazine a couple of years ago that you might find interesting. Here's the link: http://sparkingplugs.com/resources/Igni ... +Smith.pdf .

Bottom line, if I were you, I’d first try points in your 022. If all is good, use it and replace points during tune-ups. If you’d like a spare, follow Wes’ advice and get a cheap 009. A spare 050, 031, or BR18 would be another option with cost increasing in that order.

[Martin Benade]

You could get a repro from Classico wheels/Jeff fell man. I think it’s much cheaper. And put points in your present distributed. Also just carrying spare points condenser and rotor would allow a 25 minute fix on the road, as Wes alluded to.

[Mitch Covington]

Consider fitting a 123 distributor and forget about condensers, points, worn shaft bearings, sticky bob weights and questionable advance curves.

Wow... now that is an intriguing option... roughly the same price as a rebuilt BR18, and programmable through your phone. Anybody else have experience with these? From the reviews, the hardware is awesome but the app is (was?) pretty buggy.

[David Jones]

Mitch, another option that was not mentioned is the Gammatronix ignition module which uses the points as a trigger. The only advantage here is that the capacitor is eliminated as is most of the wear on the points making the system more reliable and in case of failure it is less than 5 minutes work to switch back to stock configuration.

[Mike Ruddy]

Consider fitting a 123 distributor and forget about condensers, points, worn shaft bearings, sticky bob weights and questionable advance curves.

Wow... now that is an intriguing option... roughly the same price as a rebuilt BR18, and programmable through your phone. Anybody else have experience with these? From the reviews, the hardware is awesome but the app is (was?) pretty buggy.

I have the standard 123 with the correct curve for my car. I see little point in adjusting the advance curve on my telephone.

For me it's been a fit and forget item and after years of messing with mechanical distributors it's a breath of fresh air.

[Mitch Covington]

Mitch, another option that was not mentioned is the Gammatronix ignition module which uses the points as a trigger. The only advantage here is that the capacitor is eliminated as is most of the wear on the points making the system more reliable and in case of failure it is less than 5 minutes work to switch back to stock configuration.

That looks like a great option too, and they are really cheap -- ~$50. Looks like they're sold from the UK... is there a distributor in the US? For that small price it's worth an experiment.

[David Jones]

I think with shipping it is still under $50. No distributor in the USA but only a few days to get it from the UK.

[Mervyn Hyde]

I tried Gamatronics and Pertronix and both showed considerable voltage loss at the distributor, from the battery. Went to the 6V CDI and always 6v at the dizzy. No more condenser worries either.

[David Jones]

Merv, would not voltage drop at the coil be more of a concern? All the gamma does is trigger the coil from a signal by the points whereas the Pertronix actually fails when the voltage drops below 5.2 volts and the flux from the magnet fails to trigger the hall effect sensor in the module.
So far I have not had any issues that I could blame on the Gammatronix up to 6K rpm. I am about to switch back to a Permatune because of an ongoing problem with a backfire on the overrun though I doubt it is the Gamma causing it.