The stock distributor for my ’75 is worn out. The lobes on the shaft have worn down so that points gaps are irregular for the six cylinders. I run the distributor in combo with an MSD 6, and this system has worked fine for many years, but now I need to upgrade and I want to get rid of the points. Here are my options that I’ve found and the problems associated with each:

HEI
My first choice would be to do the GM HEI conversion, but I don’t have room. The passenger side is crammed with a York, dual batteries, MSD box, battery splitter, ARB compressor, a hot water shower, and soon a second alternater to run as a welder. I won’t move the batteries. Been there, done that. I want to keep them under the hood. The large cap just won't fit with batteries next to the block and the heat exchanger above it.

Pertronix
This is not available for the semi-electronic distributor found in the ’75. I think it might be possible to convert an F-motor points distributor with the Pertronix and then use it in the 2F, but I’m not sure. This means buying another distrubutor and the Pertronix unit.

Later Model Toyota Electronic Distributor
’78 -80 looks like it might be a good alternative if I can find an affordable used distributor that is still in good shape. ‘81+ years use a large cap design and I may have the same problem with space as I would with the HEI. Current dist. is vacuum retard and later models are vacuum advance; I don’t know how that needs to be addressed considering I still need to pass Kalifornia smog regulations.

Mallory
$$$ for the magnetic pulse model. I’ve heard problems with fit and reliability. Tell me if this is wrong.

Replace the Stock Distributor
New replacements are unavailable. I’ve rebuilt mine several times and I’m afraid someone elses old dist. will have the same problems as mine.

Scrap the 2F and Go V8
Getting closer to this decision every day.

So what do you guys think? Any other alternatives? Will the Toy Electronic Distributor work without changing my VSV system of vacuum and carb control?

Well if you end up taking an F motor dist and modifying it. I have a spare if you are interested.

I am going HEI (Tonight!!) and I have currently have 2 dist on my work bench and one in the truck. So I got plenty! :D

Stock LC 79 fully electronic dist. with a MSD..

Sealed, vented to the cab and a super hot spark...


Have you seen what happens to a Hei when they get wet ???


I have never understood why people run them..

Originally posted by Jason M
Stock LC 79 fully electronic dist. with a MSD..

Sealed, vented to the cab and a super hot spark...


Have you seen what happens to a Hei when they get wet ???


I have never understood why people run them..

I've seen several get wet, dried em out and hit the road. Why what is supposed to happen?:eek:

Glo - Thanks for the offer. I'll let you know.

Stock LC 79 fully electronic dist. with a MSD... Sealed, vented to the cab and a super hot spark...
Yeah, I'm leaning in this direction but I'm not sure about the vacuum advance / retard issue. '79's and '80 have a dual diaphram design which I assume would need a second vacuum line. Anybody know the details of the conversion?

You can get a reman distrib from napa.

you would be surprised what the cheapie auto places can get.


I am going with an 83 distro in my 76 piggy, I know I need room, but the lack of points makes it all worth it.

I have a '79 distributor and ignitor/coil on my '76 2F, and it works fine, has a waterproofed cap that's vented to the upper firewall. (into the cab) No points, and with the optima and an FJ60 starter my starting/ignition is just peachy.

I want to go to TBI on my 2F, with spark controlled by the ECM. Dunno if I'll go to a modified HEI, a DUI distributor or try to make an FJ60 dist I got from a friend work.

Morgan

What month is your pig? Did you switch from vacuum retard semi electronic distributor to the electronic vacuum advance? I think they changed in Aug '76.

Have you seen what happens to a Hei when they get wet ???

i'm real interested in what happens to HEI when they get wet, and then i would like to know why mine kept running and never skipped a beat.

Originally posted by Shipwreck
What month is your pig? Did you switch from vacuum retard semi electronic distributor to the electronic vacuum advance? I think they changed in Aug '76.

April 1976 CA spec.

Yes, I changed from a advance/retard points dist to an advance/advance electronic dist.

Morgan

I wish i could help ya but i got a chevy, with hei, i like the hei it works good and has a vaccume advance.

There ya go that was my lame excuse to find a reason to post and say what up, while you were trying to find out valuable info.'

Let us know when ya want to wheel, im going to the con in a week, but when the trail totally dryes out we should get a small group together and go it will rock, litteraly.

Ian-

Originally posted by RHINO


i'm real interested in what happens to HEI when they get wet, and then i would like to know why mine kept running and never skipped a beat.


Good bow wave :D

It really depends. If you do actually swamp the dist it will lose spark. After drying out they usually work okay. But I would hate to lose spark while crossing a river and be stuck...

I like the concept of overbuilding.

HEI is not sealed and if you get it wet enough it will fail...

Besides, Like I said. why run a HEI if Toyota made somathing at least as good???


I have a 79 dist. the retard is not hooked up and the advance is... works great and has for 15 years...

I have a Mallory mechanical/vacume advanced unit on my '73 FJ40 with the F eng. I've had no problems with it. Got it from Man-A-Fre. Can you say, "Cha Ching?" Other than the price, I like it. Its very easy to hook up. I don't think its very water resistant though (in relation to the stock units). If I had to do it over again, I probably would have gotten the factory non-USA one (Vac. advance for my year). Then I would have gotten one of those electric doo-hicky things that SOR or Downey sells to replace the points. I hate points.

P.S. Sorry for the Newbie-ness. Casual reader, hardly a poster.

If you end up looking into the late model 2f dist.,let me know...I've got 2 of them,both in great shape.559)335-2000 ext.239:)

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like the Toy dist. is the way to go. Now I'm in the market, so if anyone has a '79 - '80 Stock distributor sitting around let me know.
Familywagon - What year distributors do you have? Are they the large cap style from the FJ60?

Complaine - I'm definitely ready to go soon. I'm heading out to Cruise Moab at the end of the month so I'm spending the next couple weeks finishing some little projects but I'd love to do the 'con after I get back. Jimmy wants to do Ershim-Dusy sometime this summer too. :D :smokin:

Originally posted by Shipwreck


So what do you guys think? Any other alternatives? Will the Toy Electronic Distributor work without changing my VSV system of vacuum and carb control?

you forgot about the DUI, there was a good write up a couple months ago in Petersens.

Originally posted by Shipwreck
Glo - Thanks for the offer. I'll let you know.

'79's and '80 have a dual diaphram design which I assume would need a second vacuum line. Anybody know the details of the conversion?

Shipwreck -- the dual vacuum advance on the '79 is a normal vacuum ADVANCE with a secondary high altitude compensation (HAC) vacuum advance. The manual specs HAC operation above 4,000 ft, allowing the distributor to have an additional 5 degrees of advance.

Normal vacuum is the nipple closest to the distributor body. The HAC is the second nipple, further away.

Keep in mind that vacuum advance is a "load compensation" device. At partial throttle cruising, the engine really doesn't bring in a full load of fresh air/fuel mixture. It has still has quite a bit of exhaust (inert gas) in the cylinder.

So what's the big deal? The exhaust is inert gas. Neither fuel, nor oxygen. When it mixes in with the fresh a/f mixture, the mixture ratio doesn't change... yet it will burn SLOWER with the addition of the exhaust gas. So we need to start the ignition event earlier in order to get the correct timing of the mixture burning. Hence, vacuum advance for those partial throttle cruising.

To get the right ignition timing, you need a ported vacuum source. You don't want, or desire, any vacuum advance at idle. Also you do not want any advance at WOT (wide open throttle), but you do want the most advance for that partial throttle cruising like 2500 rpm.

How they get the ported vacuum is by having a small hole (port) located just ABOVE the throttle plate in the carb. No, or little, vacuum at idle. Lots at partial throttle cruisin', NO vacuum at WOT.

So the distributor has to be matched to the carb vacuum characteristics.

If you notice my tale of the fresh a/f mixture mixing in with the exhaust, you'll suddenly notice "hey, wait a minute... isn't that the same as EGR?" YES!!! Also EGR is doing is allowing more exhaust gas to flow back into the intake stream. You keep the same a/f ratio, but with the slower burning you keep the peak temperature down (reducing NOX). "Uh, wouldn't that mean a vehicle with EGR needs more timing advance than one without EGR?" BINGO! You really shouldn't disconnect the EGR unless the distributor is recurved to match that. The old 2F really didn't have much difference between EGR & NON-EGR timing system (wish I had more data on the distributor curves used for non-EGR systems). Still you could run too much advance, burning a piston. Heck, 2F's are so robust they seem to run forever despite not recurving the distributor for optimum ignition timing.

[For the emission engineers on the list, I simplified my discussion. True we never have complete burning of a/f mixture so the resulting exhaust gas is purely inert, but the over view of the events still holds true. -TW]

Tom "usa"

You can put the Pertronix setup on the 75 distributor, but..... you will have to send it to Mel at JT Outfitters. He modifies the distributor shaft to accept the pertronix sending unit. Done that myself and it works great. Or.... yes you can use an F distributor on the 2F engine without any problems. You can also get an older F distributor that has advance vacuum, install pertronix and it will run like a top. But, as mentioned before, you will have to have a ported vacuum source on the carb for the advance distributor. With both setups GET THE FLAME THROWER COIL also. With that coil and pertronixs you can dump the ballast resistor. IMHO, I know the pertronix setup works flawlessly on both an F and 2F distributor. I would go with that setup in a heartbeat.

i believe the toy set-up to be better than HEI, especially being the purist that i am. but i did make some mods to the HEI for water resistance, i figure if it didnt die on the crossing it hopefully never will, especially with a mechanical fan blowing water all over the place. the HEI does have a couple things going for it, cheap, simple and plentiful.
shipwreck you seem to have gotten some good response here, whatever you decide, get it together and get wheelin!!

Originally posted by morgan

Yes, I changed from a advance/retard points dist to an advance/advance electronic dist.
"retard is for retards":p

dont remember where i heard it, but its mostly true.

wejacks... Did the Flame Thrower coil make a noticable difference? I have the Pertronix Ignitor II, on a Non-US distributor, with an Accel super stock coil. I didn't think it would make that much diff. Over all I really like the pertronix setup.

Just installed a Performance Distributors D.U.I. in my 60 and am
really surprised at the difference. Along with the Weber38,
Man-a Fre header and exhaust I can now light em up.
Who needs a V8. The web site says waterproof.

pics www.fowlerssheetmetal.com/landcruiser/engine

mark FJ60 90,000

Don't get the mallory dual points. I bought on ea few years ago, ran great for six months or so, then i started having trouble keeping the points set. the screws that hold them to the body are not easy to get to, and its hard to adjust the points. Then they go out after a few months and you have to do it again. I am also looking towards an HEI conversion. How much are the 79 and up electronic distributors??

laters-