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| How many times would you have liked to convert your pre-75 Corvette to
solid state electronic ignition but a few problems always stood in the
way? You had to use a non-stock distributor, had wiring so complicated
it took an electrical engineering degree to figure it out or you had to
mount black boxes on your engine compartment. These were things most
Corvette owners just were not interested in doing. Well, Zip Products, Inc.,
8067 Fast Lane, Mechanicsville, VA 23111, (800) 962-9632, can provide
the perfect solution. PerTronix manufactures a complete solid state
electronic ignition system, The Ignitor, that uses your original stock
distributor. It has no complicated wiring or any black boxes. As a
matter of fact, the whole system fits completely under your original
distributor cap. This system will install in about one hour and costs
less than $100. Since this unit is one piece, you do not have to drill
any holes, cut any wires and, best of all, you will not have to buy
anything else. According to PerTronix, The Ignitor system has an
effective rpm range from 0 to 6000 rpm with a standard coil. If you
need to go from 0 to 15000 rpm, all you need to do is change to a stock
heavy duty coil. Another nice thing about this system is that you do
not have to change the timing or your stock plug gap.
We installed The Ignitor on our 1973 L48 350 Corvette. It
took less than one hour and worked flawlessly. So if you want the
convenience of a solid state electronic ignition system and still use
your original stock distributor, this is the answer.
Follow along as we install The Ignitor on our 1973 L48 and see just how easy it is.
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01: Here is the complete PerTronix Ignitor Electronic
System. The only other things you will need are some hand tools, feeler
gauge and a timing light. |
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02: Start by disconnecting your battery. Remove the
distributor cap and disconnect the coil wires. Then make a diagram so
that you can remove and replace the distributor in its exact location.
Make a drawing of a clock. Then make the location of the rotor and the
vacuum advance. Here you can see the rotor is pointing at 6 and the
vacuum advance at 8:30. |
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03: Remove the rotor, coil wire and condenser wire
from the point assembly. Then remove the breaker points assembly. Keep
the screws and washers because you will reuse them. |
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04: Secure the coil wire back to the breaker plate
with the screw that held the condenser. Make sure the loop in the coil
wire does not rub the shaft or rotor.
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05: Install the magnet ring with the two threaded
6/32 studs. Keep the nuts and the two thick washers. Now check the air
gap between the face of the magnet ring and the face of the Ignitor
module. It should not be less than .010” and not more than .040”. |
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06: On Delco distributors, the shaft has a tendency
to climb as the car is started and as the engine accelerates. This is
due to the bevel of the gear on the distributor shaft and camshaft. If
the clearance between the gear and the lower end of the distributor
housing is too great. it may allow the clearance between the magnet
ring and the module to become more than .100”. If this happens, the
engine will miss or not fire. Here we are checking the clearance and we
found it to be too great. |
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07: To reduce the clearance at the end of the shaft
and prevent the shaft from climbing, we installed the provided shims.
We drove out the roll pin and installed the shim provided. Notice that
we also marked the gear with a crayon so that we reinstalled it exactly
in the same position that it was removed. |
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08: After you have installed the gear shims, re-check
the magnet ring to Ignitor module gap. Remember, it should be between
.010” and .040”. Here we installed the .032 washer, which is provided,
to adjust the gap to fall between the accepted limits. |
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09: Now install the rotor with the nuts provided. It is a good idea to install a new rotor. |
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10: Remove the cap’s sliding door and notch the
corner of the door at the bottom lip. This is done so that the
insulating sleeve can slip through without binding. When installed, the
wire fits between the lip of the cap and the distributor body. Now
re-install the door.
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11: Re-install the distributor in the car as per your
diagram. Install the distributor cap and locate the wiring through the
slot in the door. Be sure the wires are not pinched. Make sure they
move freely. |
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12: Connect the black wire to the (-) negative side
of the coil and the red wire to the (+) positive side of the coil.
Re-connect your battery terminals to the battery. Start the engine. Let
it run for about five minutes and time it to your specs. That’s it! Now
you have an electronic ignition and your original stock distributor . |
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ELECTRONIC IGNITION CONVERSION FOR YOUR PRE-75 CORVETTE
By: Greg Donahue
Photos by: Author
SOURCE:
Zip Products, Inc.
8067 Fast Lane
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
(800) 962-9632
PARTS LIST:
The Author would like to thank
Richard Gaudio of Greg Donahue Collector Car Restorations, Inc. for his
assistance with this article.
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