Im pretty well convinced that the 70s aftermarket electronic ignition and related wiring hackery are why dad's 60 vette wont run. Or run reliably when it does.
We have a spare 60s small block points distributor that pat gave us. We have a spare coil.
What i cant seem to remember is how to straight wire the points set up. I used to know, but its been almost 20 years since ive done it.
So, quick an dirty hotwire job for 60s gm points as a diagnostic tool.
And go!
As a diagnostic tool? Switched power to positive terminal of coil, points wire to negative terminal of coil. The other side of the points grounds through the distributor.
The points will burn up in about 500-1000mi without a ballast resistor or resistor wire, but it'll run long enough to verify all the other things you want to verify. Or you can get good at changing points, like I did when I had my T-bird wired this way.
If you have a tach lead and not a mechanical tach, it goes on the negative side, though you may want to leave this off too. (That GTI I bought years back had no spark because the tach was shorting to ground, killing the spark)
Thats what i thought as far as wiring, because it was logical. But thats never a guarantee with automotive stuff.
And its a mechanical tach. So, no worries there!
I believe that the "stinger" setup has died intermittently. If we can pound 100 miles without issue, ill feel justified in having him buy parts. If not, im back to square one.
Is there any real reason not to stab a gm hei distributor in there and be done with it? It takes one wire to make it run and be worlds better than points. You can buy a new aftermarket unit for less than $100 (at least last time i checked) and parts stores keep the pickup coil and ign module in stock.
In reply to gearheadmb :
Cap clearance with dual carbs and no tach drive.
And we're trying not to load tge parts cannon quite yet.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
I have heard, although I have not done it myself, that you can use the points to trigger an HEI module just fine, and if you do this the points will last pretty much indefinitely because they are not really passing any current.
By the time I found out about this, I hadn't had a points equipped car for many years.
Drop-in HEI distributor was the single best part I ever bought for my El Camino. It finally needed attention (rotor/cap) after 40k miles and 12 years of never giving the darn thing a second thought.
the quick and dirty wiring instructions above are correct. when/if you need to load the parts cannon, there's a guy in Nevada installing non-computer HEI guts in small-cap distributors.
https://www.davessmallbodyheis.com/
AFAIK, any small-cap HEI's from the factory were for computer-controlled engines and won't have advance mechanism
If the points fix it, i then want to test the tach drive electronic distributor for proper function. I'm not sure how to do that, but one thing at a time.
My gut says that the stinger box has gone bad, and if thats the case ill replace it with a spare msd box i have. That way its simle and repairable almost anywhere.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
plus, everyone who's got an MSD box also has a spare MSD box. i think there's a lesson there...
Battery +12v to ignition switch to (optional) ballast resistor or wire to coil+ (internal to the coil to) coil negative to points to ground (battery negative). Capacitor across the points. The ballast resistor/wire is there to limit current should you turn the ignition on with the motor not running and the points happen to be closed.
Throw a MSD6 on it with the points triggering it and call it good. Get a spare if it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling. Or go all NASCAR on it and wire 2 up with a switch between them.
I wonder what all you guys having MSD problems are doing wrong. I've had the same MSD box in my car for something like 70,000mi, driving two coils in parallel, never an issue.
They do not tolerate overvolting, and they also don't like poor connections, which is why they explicitly tell you to not cut or splice the heavy power and ground feeds, and they want you to connect directly to the battery. The MSD will draw 30-40 AMPS momentarily when it is charging the capacitor before each spark.
Here's a video for ya. Hope it helps. If not HEI may the way to go. Remember doing it around 1980 in a built 350, that was in a 37 Chevy coupe. Slipped right in with no drama.
Doc Hess nailed it.
Using the points to trip the MSD box makes the points last almost forever since they're no longer handling high current. The only thing that wears out is the rubbing block. Remember to grease it when you install the points.
The circuit to fire a Ford TFI module is much simpler than the one to handle the HEI module: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tfi-using-points-how-to.374699/
You might even be able to use the pickup that is in the distributor now, depending on what type it is, it may fire an MSD box or Ford TFI module just fine.
A lot of those early electronic conversions just used a Chrysler electronic ignition box. You might be able to source a new box from your FLAPS.
This is a Chrysler box: 
And this is how it works: http://www.fourforty.com/techstuff/ignition.html
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