I am building a 5.0 rocker motor to put in my 73 Comet GT. Things are going good, but I am confused as to what distributor to use. I know I do not want points and a condenser, so it has to be electronic. But then what? I hear I should have one with a steel gear, not iron, like I have on the distributor from the original 73 motor. What about the Petronix insert vs buing a new HEI distributor on Ebay. What suggestions are out there?
Ok, I'm going to assume you meant a roller motor, when you said rocker. 1. You are correct that you cannot use a cast iron dizzy gear with a roller cam. You need one of the following. a) Bronze gear b) Steel Gear I also assume you're staying carb. If that is true, there is a cheap alternative. Go to Napa/Carquest and get a factory Ford distributor for the following: 1985 Mustang GT with a 5 speed. This Dizzy will have a steel gear on it already and is a breaker-less dizzy. It costs about $75.00 and has vacuum advance. It is also better than any of Petronix or any of that other slop. You can then either put an MSD ignition module or get a DuraSpark for a factory look. Hope that helps!
Im not a big fan with the HEI style...too many flaws in the design. If your replacing the distributor you might want to look into a MSD or Mallory unit...if not, then swap the points with PerTronix.
Well, it depends what roller cam he decides to run. There are aftermarket roller cams that work with the original cast iron gears. Edelbrock even says their retrofit and full-size rollers work with "any factory distributor gear". Of course the Ebrock cams are pretty crappy otherwise...
This what I did for the motor in my signature. Used my old distributor, installed a steel Ford Racing gear and Pertronix.
Superlead76 is dead on, I ran a 85 mustang dist for years with a MSD box, I've tried bronze gears on customers cars and they never last.
Thanks much! Sounds like I have several good options, which I will pursue with vigor. Can't wait to hear her purr....
