292 Y Block Electronic Ignition Conversion Advice

[dw-satx]

I would like to convert my distributor to electronic ignition. Anyone have any advice or recommendations for doing that? It is a 1961 292 Y Block in a '61 F100 1/2 ton pickup. I see that there are modules that would replace the points or would I be better off installing a new electronic distributor? I am not completely sold on doing this as it is all original, but thinking it would be easier than messing with the finicky points. As far as I can tell there is no adjustment screw to set the dwell and have been having a hard time getting it right.

[Sid]

The dwell is controlled by the point gap. It is the time the points are closed. Wider gap is a lower # on dwell and tighter gap creates higher dwell. Normally with new points about .003 wider gap then specs. call for to allow break in. Normal dwell for a V8 is generally 28-32. As far as electronic for a y block I have seen the conversions for stock distributors. You may want to contact Pertronics as they offer conversions for many applications. As far as electronic conversions IMO they are good and no more screwing with points and crappy condensers but I feel it wise to either carry a spare module or a spare point style dist. as electronics give no warning before they fail.

[dmsfrr]

Originally Posted by Sid

. . . I feel it wise to either carry a spare module or a spare point style dist. as electronics give no warning before they fail.

My opinion may eventually change but personally I won't use aftermarket points conversion kits after one quit on me in the middle of a left turn in front of a loaded oncoming dump truck.
I have a fair sized stash of oem condensers & points for my two Birds. Hopefully quality points can be obtained for a good while yet, avoiding the poor quality of the off-shore versions of both.
.

[50fordcoupeman]

I am with you Sid. I am using the Pertronix unit in two of my engines one being in my avatar. They will be going on five years now without any problems but anything can fail.

Good luck with your decision!!

[Ford Freak]

Pertronix w/Igniter II . Use their coil , also .

[Ole Don]

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Converting to electronic ignition is OK, but be sure the distributor is in perfect condition first. I sent out two distributors to be rebuilt and have a custom curve put in, then went to Pertonix. I was very happy with the results.

[5851a]

I think it would boil down to how many miles you drive. I tried some electronic conversions when they came out. I have switched back to my old points. If you could find a good distributor man and have it rebuilt and dialed in with good quality points and condenser, you may be better off in the long run depending on miles driven. Points usually kind of slowly take the edge off performance and starting as they need adjusted maybe 5 or 6 thousand miles. Gives you a warning. Electronic usually leaves you on the side of the road with no warning. I know everything is electronic now so this is just my opinion, it's a little swayed since I have been stuck on the side of the road a few times.

[Daves55Sedan]

I have been looking also for conversion options.
1) replacement points and condensers are made in china and they are of substandard materials and construction. Especially the condensers. They fail at the drop of a hat, especially in warmer weather. Thus, your car becomes unreliable. Bubbas Ignition can supply new quality made condensers for flathead V8's, but not for overhead valve engines. Capacity of the flathead condensers is higher than the Y-blocks (.21-.25 mfd), so they are not compatible.
2) Even the Chinese made points MIGHT last awhile unless the contacts fall off (good possibility because their method of resistance welding to the arm is insufficient), and the rubbing block material is subject to premature wear. If that happens, it decreases the point gap and increases the dwell angle. Not good at all. Even if you always swipe a little grease on the distributor cam, it may not help with their points. Constant checking of the point gap is recommended with these but if you drive your car non-stop long distances on the highway (as I do), that still will not help.
The rotors are a problem too (especially in areas of higher humidity). During spring and fall around here, the rotor tip corrodes due to condensation inside the dizzy, rusting the rotor tip. Contact to the distributor towers decrease drastically. I have actually taken some rotors, cleaned the tip with a wire wheel, and electroplated copper onto the rotor tip. But if the tip was pitted, the tip will corrode again. Got to keep after them. This holds true for rotors in any ignition system. Need better quality polishing of the tip and plating.
3) Pertronix conversions have been no good to me. I converted both my '55 Ford Y-block and my '55 Ford Courier with 223 I-block using pertronix. Both failed very quickly. I have had three pretronix units, one was in a '57 distributor with mechanical advance. It also lasted only a short time. Heat may be a problem for them. Re-installed old points and condenser and got the engine running again. As I recall, the '57 Pertronix lasted just past the warranty, while the other two lasted just past one month each. Total waste of over $300.
4) FBO custom manufactures their own distributor for the Y-blocks. They have mechanical advance, so you can't use them for pre-'57 Y-blocks without some kind of modifications to carburetor and vacuum routing (or swap your old intake manifold with '57 and later, and use the modern style carburetor). Their unit uses Pertronix III with high output coil included with the unit. They also boast of a better dizzy shaft bearing arrangement than the original distributors. Comes with a distributor cap (identical to the original '57 Ford), except having copper tower sockets rather than aluminum. I don't see the great advantage in buying a new distributor for over $300, when you could just re-use your '57 and later dizzy and convert it to Pertronix. (And I don't trust Pertronix anyway). FBO claims to have pre-set advance curve, so you shouldn't need to worry about that, and they offer customer technical service if you have problems installing.
5) MSD has a conversion you should compare to the features of the FBO (and look at everything carefully). The MSD unit has an outboard computer like the modern ignition systems. I'm pretty sure most of their components are made in China. The distributor housing is a Billet type and has a modern style distributor caps, so you also will be required to replace your spark plug wires. The dizzy is taller than the original, so you need to check to see if it may hit your firewall or interfere with air-cleaner installation, or something else. Around $550 for the unit.
6) to summarize; three possible methods of conversion: 1) Pretronix in your original dizzy. Sorry, been there, done that. 2) FBO dizzy with Pertronix III and high output coil. Why is this so much better than pertronix in original distributor??? 3) MSD electronic ignition.
I don't really like either option.
GIMME a good condenser.
BTW, many people agree that NAPA, Echlin heavy duty series ignition condensers are best. I went and bought three of them. Went on a long trip in the '55 car and the condenser failed 75 miles from home. It was during mid summer when the ambient temperature was 95 degrees and I was flying down the highway 70 MPH. When I got into Nashville it sputtered at idle speed. When I parked and shut it off, it was done.
I can remember having the same condenser in the car for twenty years straight and drove the p*ss out of it. It was a lousy $2.00 item back then. Now you can't get one good one for $20.00.

[40 Deluxe]

Some of these electronic ignition failures might be attributed to arcing in the generator due to bad brushes, plus the old electro/mechanical voltage regulators. Between these two items you get a lot of voltage spikes and surges that electronics don't like.

[Sid]

As we read this I am going through problems with a Stromberg dist. on a 59AB flathead. They are supposed to be the cats meow of electronic 6 volt pos. grnd dizzy's. The only reason I even considered this electronic is I was running a dual point Mallory and as we know there are no timing marks for timing the early front dizzy flatheads. The Stromberg is dialed in on a dist. machine then installed fixed as the Mallory bolt holes are slotted so much harder to dial in the timing. I installed the new dizzy and the car ran like crap and would not rev. any more then about 900 RPM using the coil Stromberg recommended.(1.5 ohm) It only has 2 wires to hook up so pretty hard to go wrong there. I rebuilt the 2 Stromberg 97"s and still had the exact same problem. I re installed my old Mallory and it runs like a top. The only reason I even considered going electronic is because of the accessibility if this dist. is not an easy task,crappy condensers and the price of a decent set of points any more. I recently bought a set of points and condenser at Napa and got sticker shock. The salesman said that points are becoming obsolete as every thing is going electronic. For the most part I am old school and prefer my old points and condenser. Like the o'le Mallory Double Life distributor if you can find points for them.

[L5wolvesf]

FWIW, I've raced off road with a Pertronix and with all the beating the car (no not a Ford) was given we never had an ignition problem.

[estout81]

Could a post '75 duraspark be adapted. I've done that on early SBF engines and worked well. I have one on an early 302 that has been running for years. Another trick. Use your points sans cond. to trigger an HEI module.

[miker98038]

Go down this thread to the post by Greenbird. I've known him for several years and he's a very experienced engineer. I'm running the Duraspark module to trigger my EFI controller with a programmed timing curve. I use an LT4 module to fire the coil, but it's the same basic set up. Steve drives the bird at 115 degrees in Tucson (and has figured out how to cool it, another subject), so I think he has the heat problems figured out.

http://forums.y-blocksforever.com/To...spark#bm141497

[KULTULZ]

Originally Posted by estout81

Could a post '75 duraspark be adapted.

DURASPARK II

Yes.

[Hot Rod Reverend]

To add to the mix, let me suggest the ACCEL 2020 conversion kit that is commonly sold at most auto parts stores across the US. This kit is a "points eliminator" package that is a much cheaper option than Petronix and does not have a track record of repeated failures. No "kit" or any option is 100% foolproof. What the other posters have said about low quality ignition parts such as the points and condensers is certainly true - read this post on my blog concerning a rebuilt distributor and the internals that failed within 30 miles or so... no fun.

https://www.hotrodreverend.com/post/...-door-victoria

I run ACCEL 2020s in all the Y blocks I have rebuilt, own myself, and for friends' engines that I help with on occasion. 0 issues with any and all over the 15 year period. I will say this however - if you read through other articles on my website you will find that I did encourage a 59 Edsel owner to stay with his points and condenser - but that was because a college student was given the opportunity to learn how to adjust points, the use of a condenser and points set up under the cap, and the ignition parts themselves were quality NOS components installed some time ago. For what the young man was doing with the car the points/condenser worked just fine.

[LOWRIDER]

I converted my 57 yblock to Duraspark a few years ago. Worked great. I had to have the original point cam machined down to accept the armature and roll pin. There's supposed to be a later model yblock distributor you can use the lower shaft so you don't have to machine the point cam down. But it's like Bigfoot. Everyone says it's out there but no one has ever seen it.

[LD-Ordie]

I'm not a big fan of Petronix as I installed a conversion kit on my 64 Series II Land Rover. Coil and all. It died in the middle of no where in Death Valley. 100 miles from anything, freaked out my wife big time. I also carried everything to replace it back to original, but not something I want to do in the boonies. I'm currently running a complete Mallory Unilite distributer in my 55 292. Just had to update the original wires to 8mm because the new 7mm stock ones were arching. Lot's of spark!! Also running the same in to other hot rods. 25 years in my 55 3100, 327. I do carry a replacement module in the glove box since I have been known to drive them long distance, but have never needed it

[Daves55Sedan]

Originally Posted by Hot Rod Reverend

To add to the mix, let me suggest the ACCEL 2020 conversion kit that is commonly sold at most auto parts stores across the US.

I looked at that one too, but it is only available for '57 and later distributors and with 12-volt electrical system.
I am still using '55 Load-o-matic distributor and still have 6-volt system.


But if I did have a '57 intake manifold, carb, dizzy and 12-volt system, that Accel unit would be my first pick from all the other options I listed.
Can anybody attest to how the Accel holds up to 160 degree operating temperature in 90 degree ambient temperature over long distances at 60-75 mph ?????

[emf]

Originally Posted by Daves55Sedan

I looked at that one too, but it is only available for '57 and later distributors and with 12-volt electrical system.
I am still using '55 Load-o-matic distributor and still have 6-volt system.


But if I did have a '57 intake manifold, carb, dizzy and 12-volt system, that Accel unit would be my first pick from all the other options I listed.
Can anybody attest to how the Accel holds up to 160 degree operating temperature in 90 degree ambient temperature over long distances at 60-75 mph ?????

I'm still running 6 volts in my '54 with the 239. For better headlights, I installed the 12 volt LED's from Rodtiques, using their 12v inverter module. Why couldn't I run a 12 volt feed to the Accel unit from the inverter and keep everything else at 6 volts? Has anyone tried this? That way, all I would have to worry about is the Load-O-Matic...


Frank

[Sid]

Unless you are dealing with a 6 volt radio that still works why not step up and convert the car to 12 volt. Playing with inverters and such is a recipe for a failure at the most inopportune time. The dist. with points don't care if it is 6 volt or 12 volt. Then you can use your 12 volt module.When that made in China inverter fails you may be stuck some dark night. keep it simple. Basically as mentioned earlier all this new technology (inverters and modules) is great when it works proper but there is no warning when it is going to fail. It's not if it will fail, it's when.