distributer

[boggerboy]

Im very tired of setting my points in the 360 and i see somthing about a bulltear electronic ignition system... how much are these and where are some comments about them?....

i think i have my engine runnin pretty smooth but im still not totally satisfied it has a mild cam ive got an edelbrock intake and a edelbrock 600cfm carb with the spacer plate under it ...its still a little doggy until i get er to 2500 rpm its got headers and hmmm thats about it

i set the points at 016.. and my timing is 5deg before tdc so i think everything is dialed in ...

the carb i took the air fuel adjustment and screwed them all the way in then backed both out three complete turns ... thats where ive stopped on the carb...

any help is greatly appriciated... thks Sean

[ironman_gq]

You can get an HEI ignition pretty cheap these days. I would highly recommend one whether you get it from Bulltear or anyone else as long as its a good quality unit it will be a major improvement over your points. as far as the carb is concerned i would hook a vacuum gauge to the motor and tune the screws till you get the highest vacuum reading, make sure you turn them in small increments and do it evenly on both screws. For timing I would advance it a little more 8-15 before TDC to pick up a little more power and bump up gas mileage then make sure the carb is tuned properly. The HEI will go a long way toward correcting any running problems as it will let you open up your plug gaps to .045-.055 to help burn the fuel.

[AMX69PHATTY]

Could also install a UniLite or other Conversion kit in the stock Distributor to replace the points. I've ran a UniLite for 15+ years. Maintains stock appearance, no Dizzy Gear change to worry about and ya know you housing and all fits and works correctly. What year and stock Distributor type ? Mine was a Delco unit. Somewhere I read that there's another unit that's the same as a UniLite but cost less. Was it an Accel ? Hmmm.....

Here's what I read: ( RobbMC offers some products for AMC's )

http://cgi.amcforum.net/cgi-bin/yabb...num=1174333799
The AMC Forum ‚Ä? Tech Talk ‚Ä? Engine Repair/Modifications
Topic: Mallory unilite distributor (Read 328 times)
RobbMc - AMCer - American Motors Corporation - Posts: 5 - Carson City, Nevada
Reply #8 - Yesterday at 22:24:22 Fastrogue and Fran are mostly correct but let me clarify.

First, a Unilite module needs at least 1.4 ohms TOTAL primary resistance. This includes the primary resistance of the coil (use an ohm meter between the plus and minus terminals) plus the resistance wire (if the car has one) plus the ballast resistor (if one is used). All three of these together must add up to at least 1.4 ohms. You can run as much as 3.5 ohms of total resistance but spark energy goes down as resistance goes up so I prefer to keep the total resistance betwen 1.4 and 2.0 ohms. Most factory resistor wires I have tested (Ford and AMC) measure around 1.0 ohms. So as long as the coil you are using has at least 0.4 ohms (most have at least this much) and your car has the built-in resistor wire, no additional resistance (such as a ballast resistor) is needed.

If you are running an external box (MSD, Mallory etc) with a Unilite, you don't need to run a resistor wire or ballast resistor as the current is controlled by the box. However, you can leave the resistor wire or ballast resistor in place (it won't hurt anything since the box uses a seperate wire for power) in case the box fails and you need to drive home on the module alone.

If you are not using an external box, wire your Unilite like this:

Brown wire grounded to the engine (do not connect the brown wire to the battery or to the frame or to the firewall).
Make sure you have a ground strap/cable between the engine and the battery and between the engine and the frame.
Poor grounds kill Unilite modules during cranking as the brown wire tries to become the ground path for the starter if the brown wire is connected anywhere other than the engine.
Green wire to the negative side of the coil.
Red wire to full battery voltage whenever the key is on. Yes, you read that correctly. The resistance wire or ballast resistor or resistance in the coil is there to limit the current through the coil and the GREEN wire. The red wire should see full battery voltage with no resistance. Yes, I know that many people simply connect the wire to the positive side of the coil. But if you are using a resistor wire or ballast to power the coil, the voltage at the postive post on the coil may get too low during cranking (especially on a cold day when the battery is low) and then the engine won't start. Think about a stock distributor with points. Points need resistor wires or ballast resistors too. There is only one wire running from a point distributor to the coil. This wire is equivelant to the green wire on a Unilite. The red wire powers the module's brains and works better when connected to full battery voltage. The green wire carries the current which runs through coil.

Make sure to use the heat transfer grease on the bottom of the module.
Don't remove the metal decal on the module.
It is there to provide a ground path in case a spark jumps from the rotor to the module (kind of like a little lightning rod).

All the above info also applies to the Mallory MBI (Magnetic Breakerless Ignition) modules, not just Unilte.

If you ever need to replace a Unilte module, buy a Mallory E-Spark or Accel Points Eliminator module.
They are direct replacements for a Unilite module and cost half as much.
Despite what you may have heard, the original Pertronix modules also require a certain minimum resistance (I think Pertronix recommends at least 1.2 ohms but basically about the same as a Unilite). I hear people say Pertronix modules don't require a ballast or resistor wire. This is not true unless you run a coil with enough built-in resistance (such as the coil Pertronix sells). The newer Pertronix II modules do not require a ballast resistor or wire because they are current limiting modules (like an HEI or CD box). Current limiting devices generally automatically adjust dwell to limit the current through the coil and module so no resistance is needed.
Both Mallory and Pertronix make coils with high primary resistance so that a ballast resistor or wire is unneeded. However, I don't recommend them unless the engine is in a show car or is a very mild build. High resistance coils run hotter which reduces spark output and they cannot be used with a CD box as they can explode!
If you have trouble blowing Unilite type modules, check all your grounds and then add a Mallory Power Cell/Filter (they are the same thing) when you replace the module. The power cell can help filter out voltage spikes most commonly found on old cars using a gererator or an alternator with a mechanical voltage regulator. If you aren't running a generator or mechanical voltage regulator don't buy the Power Cell unless you blow a module because they seldom do any good otherwise.
Hope this helps a few people. Robb
PS. Someone please buy my '79 AMX in the want ads.
(hey, after that much typing I should get at least one free sales pitch, right?)

[boggerboy]

thank you guys very much forthe info

Ill be tuning the carb and timing today then regapping my points to see if it helps at all Thank you iron man its really runnin rich right now and i couldnt figure that out ...

AMX69phat thanks for the dist info right now its a delco unit remaned and id like to get a unilite or some kind of electronic here soon the points are drivin me loony lol im runnin a external msd multiple spark box with a accell supercoil to my stock dist with points it runs really good but its just not right somthing isnt right its really rich and kinda not smooth through my rpms always poppin so i need to fittle with it some more... ill let ya know how it turns out this afternooon.... thankyou very much for the info...

[oldscout401]

HEIs are easy to install and work great.

[Mudrat]

DAMN!!! Check that out ... MADE IN THE USA!!!!

[CJim7]

DAMN!!! Check that out ... MADE IN THE USA!!!!

....by parts assembled in Singapore

[Mudrat]

DAMN!!! Check that out ... MADE IN THE USA!!!!

....by parts assembled in Singapore

Party pooper!!

[redneckjeeper]

I have been running a Pertronixs unit in my dual point dist for about 7 years now and have not had a bit of problems from it. I have tried many of the units on the after market and I have had the best luck with the pertronixs unit from Summit Racing. Of course they are only about 23miles from me so it is easy to go and get my parts otherwise I have to wait for the pony express to get to me..