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  •  » Distributor play and looseness

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    1/25/2021 7:38 PM  #1

    Cab4word67
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    From: Portland, Ore
    Registered: 4/06/2019
    Posts: 1,154

    Distributor play and looseness

    In the rebuilding of my stock 289 i looked at my distributor. This is not a 10K hi revving motor, just a dependable driver  I have a new pertronix conversion with there hot coil and found I have almost .010 play side to side. Ideas & chooses welcome. Should I just by a new one from RA for $50.00 and install my conversion?

    Last edited by Cab4word67 (1/25/2021 7:40 PM)

    Slammed Big Blue, ran over the varmints that messed with the Stang. Now all is good in the NW
     

    1/25/2021 9:16 PM  #2

    6sally6
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    From: Surfside Beach,SC
    Registered: 4/02/2013
    Posts: 6,853

    Re: Distributor play and looseness

    Great time to switch over to a duraspark!.......a PRE 1985 unit.
    Did you modify the curve with light weightsand a limiter?
    If so just transfer the springs & stuff to the new distrib
    6sal6

    Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
     

    1/25/2021 10:19 PM  #3

    MS
    Forum Originator

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    From: Canyon Lake, Texas
    Registered: 1/24/2013
    Posts: 12,260

    Re: Distributor play and looseness

    Bushings are shot and that can cause erratic spark.  Cheap rebuilt duraspark would also be my choice.

    Money you enjoy wasting is NOT wasted money... unless your wife finds out.
     

    1/26/2021 5:54 AM  #4

    TKOPerformance
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    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
    Posts: 7,499

    Re: Distributor play and looseness

    6sally6 wrote:

    Great time to switch over to a duraspark!.......a PRE 1985 unit.
    Did you modify the curve with light weightsand a limiter?
    If so just transfer the springs & stuff to the new distrib
    6sal6

    Really?  No crank trigger coil on plug?

    Seriously though, pretty sure the stocker can be rebuilt as well.  Mine was done at a place called Orlando Mustang many years ago.  Looks like they are still around:

    http://www.orlandomustang.com/
     

     

    2/01/2021 12:20 PM  #5

    Cab4word67
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    From: Portland, Ore
    Registered: 4/06/2019
    Posts: 1,154

    Re: Distributor play and looseness

    RockAuto, I bought a replacement dis (WAI GLOBAL DST2809)  and swapped over my pertronixs. I thought about the HEI dis I see on the internet for $60.00 with wires but figure since I have the pertonixs already. I didnt want to start all over again with somthing I wasnt sure about,  i will start here.

    Slammed Big Blue, ran over the varmints that messed with the Stang. Now all is good in the NW
       •Thread Starter
     

    2/01/2021 12:29 PM  #6

    TKOPerformance
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    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
    Posts: 7,499

    Re: Distributor play and looseness

    HEI was good for its day, but its day is long over.  I have extensive experience with them.  They are huge and ugly.  Not a big deal if they are hidden on the back of the engine, but right out front I'm not a fan of how they look.

    They eventually went to a smaller cap system with a divorced coil in the interest of gaining firewall clearance in the F-body.  That system worked better, but was still limited by the crappy stock module that had insufficient dwell time and didn't want to rev past 5,000 RPM.

    On a classic Ford I'd stick with a stock style distributor with the Pertonix unless you need the TFI system to interface with EFI.  The TFI system also had a module that wasn't great. 

     

    2/01/2021 11:58 PM  #7

    Cab4word67
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    From: Portland, Ore
    Registered: 4/06/2019
    Posts: 1,154

    Re: Distributor play and looseness

    Yes I too know all about that darn module. One of my first car shows with my C10 it went out in the restaurant parking lot at 10:30 at night. This was a new crate engine and my mech said dont you have an extra in the glove box? I do now and so far I haven't had to use it.

    Slammed Big Blue, ran over the varmints that messed with the Stang. Now all is good in the NW
       •Thread Starter
     

    2/02/2021 6:56 AM  #8

    TKOPerformance
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    From: Newark, DE
    Registered: 12/15/2014
    Posts: 7,499

    Re: Distributor play and looseness

    The other things that would fail in them was the pickup coil, right around 100k miles.  You have to pull the distributor to replace them, which really sucks if you don't have a timing light with you. 

     

     

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