electronic distributors - any further feedback?

[Charles Levien]

Jon, if memory serves me right I think it’s a 25d

Thanks Charles. I think on balance I'd (fussily) not want a vacuum thing showing.. but (thinks...) I wonder whether there was a precursor to it without? I imagine not, otherwise they would be well known! Good to know though.

That nasty looking vac thing is removed — nothing showing.

Charles

[Peter Clayton]

Charles, did you modify your 25D distributor yourself. if so what was required to make it fit?

[Charles Levien]

Charles, did you modify your 25D distributor yourself. if so what was required to make it fit?

Yes I did it myself with the help of a local friend — position of the drive gear needs changing slightly but nothing drastic.

Charles

[Peter Clayton]

Charles, did you modify your 25D distributor yourself. if so what was required to make it fit?

Yes I did it myself with the help of a local friend — position of the drive gear needs changing slightly but nothing drastic.

Charles

Thanks Charles,  I think I have a 25d4 so might have a look at a conversion.

[Tony Press]

Tony,

I run all the units I have using copper cored leads, without issue.  I have a set of the carbon leads but have never fitted them.

I only have experience of the Accuspark product but Forum user Tod has the Powerspark unit, which looks identical, and is very happy with it.  As an aside, the comparative pricing structure of the products appears to have reversed recently.

" As an aside, the comparative pricing structure of the products appears to have reversed recently."

Not showing on their respective websites !

[Steve kay]

Perhaps looking somewhat in another direction.
The Ruby has a Bosch from Willie McKenzie, which certainly added a horsepower or two. Previous Sevens had manual advance/retard, and I quite often drive other people's cars also with manual control. Has anyone ever considered actually taking a step backwards and converting a later model such as a Ruby to manual advance/retard, to give more immediate control, both on the road but also in driving tests and similar activities?

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Tony,

I run all the units I have using copper cored leads, without issue.  I have a set of the carbon leads but have never fitted them.

I only have experience of the Accuspark product but Forum user Tod has the Powerspark unit, which looks identical, and is very happy with it.  As an aside, the comparative pricing structure of the products appears to have reversed recently.

" As an aside, the comparative pricing structure of the products appears to have reversed recently."

Not showing on their respective websites !

Powerspark were the more expensive choice until recently Tony.

[Charles Levien]

Tony,

I run all the units I have using copper cored leads, without issue.  I have a set of the carbon leads but have never fitted them.

I only have experience of the Accuspark product but Forum user Tod has the Powerspark unit, which looks identical, and is very happy with it.  As an aside, the comparative pricing structure of the products appears to have reversed recently.

" As an aside, the comparative pricing structure of the products appears to have reversed recently."

Not showing on their respective websites !

Powerspark were the more expensive choice until recently Tony.

I use Powerspark electronic ( positive earth) with red rotor arm on my Opal — DK4A. Works brilliantly and cost, a couple of years ago now, around sixty quid.

Charles

[Stuart Giles]

As mentioned in an earlier post I have a modern distributor ( Mini) with the advance and retard weights welded together — on electronic ignition. So any curve is independent of bob weights. The car goes very well with this set up with good torque at low revs ( Jack French road cam) and good performance up to 5000 rpm.
Mine is a road car and I should like to know if anyone else is running a car successfully with this set up.

Charles

Charles, I take it that one of the reasons you welded the bob weights is that the distributor is running "backwards" on your car. Without a fair bit of modification, I can't see how leaving them 'as is' would not result  in centrifugal retard instead of advance.

In the past I have used a mini style Lucas 25D on a 7 motor, but I had reversed the fan/dynamo casting on the crankcase  so that the distributor was now on the other side of the motor, I did this to get underbonnet clearance for a belt driven Roots supercharger; but it was also handy that the BMC Mini Lucas distributor now rotated in the correct direction. the much shortened dynamo casing on this setup was empty as this was a race motor.

[Charles Levien]

As mentioned in an earlier post I have a modern distributor ( Mini) with the advance and retard weights welded together — on electronic ignition. So any curve is independent of bob weights. The car goes very well with this set up with good torque at low revs ( Jack French road cam) and good performance up to 5000 rpm.
Mine is a road car and I should like to know if anyone else is running a car successfully with this set up.

Charles

Charles, I take it that one of the reasons you welded the bob weights is that the distributor is running "backwards" on your car. Without a fair bit of modification, I can't see how leaving them 'as is' would not result  in centrifugal retard instead of advance.

In the past I have used a mini style Lucas 25D on a 7 motor, but I had reversed the fan/dynamo casting on the crankcase  so that the distributor was now on the other side of the motor, I did this to get underbonnet clearance for a belt driven Roots supercharger; but it was also handy that the BMC Mini Lucas distributor now rotated in the correct direction. the much shortened dynamo casing on this setup was empty as this was a race motor.

 Hi Stuart,

The 25d I have runs clockwise as viewed from above ie as per original. The system was fitted about 12 years ago, full title is Magnetronic Ignition—  Luminition system MTK 003
I’m on 12 volts and use a special coil with 1.5 ohm ballast resistor.
I stripped out the dynamo windings and use this solely to drive the distributor. Electrics supplied by a 2CV alternator bracketed to cylinder head driven by v belt off modified cam pulley.
Don’t ask me why it runs so well without advance and retard but it does!

Charles