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Distributor Recommendation

Detroit Iron

Well-Known Member
Local time
3:10 PM
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
Messages
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Location
Bay Area - California
HAPPY NEW YEAR! My car, '64 Dodge Polara 383 with automatic... pretty mild build that's used for a daily driver. I have the Mopar Performance ignition conversion with orange box, but was running a stock OEM distributor which started to have multiple issues.

I recently bought the Mopar Performance (ProForm) distributor 440-431 https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pro-440-431/overview/make/dodge , which works fine, but I'm not super comfortable with the fact that it's made in Taiwan. I feel like these things used to be made in USA or Japan 20 years ago. No?

Is there another brand that works with the Chrysler style control box? I'd like to spend a little more and get something that's a little better quality, but also plugs into stock wiring. I guess I could rebuild another OEM unit, but I would prefer something new.

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if needed I can build one for you like new also if you cannot find anything with the curve you need.
 
iPhones are made in China so as mostly of the technology gears. Not EVERYTHING from Taiwan or Mexico or wherever is bad.

Aside that, what are the issues on your dist? Everything on them is serviceable. You can make it with quality parts. The harder piece to service are the bushings and maybe remove the reluctor. Rest are bolt on. Sure the hardest part to work on them is the play on floating pick up plate. This play makes it hard to adjust the gap with precission, but this is on ANY stock kind dist, including factory.

About brands able to work with the stock ECU... anyone not RTR. You want to go for a branded unit, MSD billet one, which runs into bearings as far I recall instead bushings. Just need to cut your wiring to attach the pigtail to match with the MSD dist plug ( included on package ). You could also cut the pigtail from the MSD unit and splice your old dist plug to it and keep the engine harness untouched. Maybe there are more similars.

Latelly there is the Firecore unit available BUT this unit is as far I could check by pics sent just as basic than the stock one, with the ONLY DIFFERENCE the shaft bushings are easier to be serviced ( not talking about the RTR piece ). Rest is the same good or bad than the MP/Mallory unit as far I could tell from the pics posted per my request once by a member who was dissasembling it.

But honestly, I'd try to service the dist you have at this moment first. Not a big deal really.
 
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Nothing the matter with a good stock part. What issues? My racecar (15-1 compression 572) uses 440 source. It's been flawless. 7 years 630 passes.
Doug
 
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