Guest buickkuhn Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 I have been looking at the electronic ignition for my 248 (small straight eight) engine , but have not found all the people out there using it . If you have used it with 6 volt system and noticed the differences that is described by "cars inc " . ----- DistributorNow available for the Vintage BuickStraight 8 is the high performance DUIDistributor! This high powered ignitionwill light the fire in the straight 8 likenever before. Built with our popularStreet Strip DUI Coil, you can open theplug gaps to a massive .055”! Alsoincluded is the high dwell Dyna-Modulewhich allows the coil to produce a longer duration sparkover stock ignitions. The advance curve is custom tuned toprovide the most power throughout the RPM range with nopre-detonation. Additional benefits are quicker starting,smoother idle and it is all electronic - NO POINTS!Installation is easy with only one wire required for hookupBring your straight 8 up to date by adding some seriousfirepower with the DUI! Comes with easy to followinstructions and is backed by a one year warranty.• Simple One Wire Hookup• Allows for Wider Plug Gaps• All Electronic Ignition - No Points• 50,000 Volt Coil and Dyna Module• Performance Tuned Advance Curve• Increased Horsepower and Fuel Mileage1938-1953 248, 263, 320 engines.DUI383 .............................................................$395.00 ea.---- I guess trying to find out how many are in use and if you like it as a option to convert to it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 If you just want to enjoy your old Buick, the original set up works just fine when the points, dwell and timing are set correctly.IMO, electronic ignition might be a good idea if you plan to race it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I believe that distributor requires 12 volt. I have tried to find some one running it with no luck. I changed to 12 volt and installed a Pertronix in mine . Has been trouble free so far. But that unit looks good. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I am in agreement with Mark. The original set up is easier to diagnose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buickkuhn Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 I was just letting my mind wander towards a different path , the original distributor needs the vacuum advance changed out and or find a recon one that I can install . I am doing most of my searching now so when I am rebuilding this winter I stay on track with the objective at hand . then finish it ... Thank you for the input I am going to be just driving it plus groceries and picking the kids up from school also . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 It is your choice to make, and now is the time to make that choice:If you change even small things like 12 Volt wiring & ignition or use radial tires, you loose some of the original experience of restoring & driving an old Buick. It then becomes easier to make more changes, and someday you may come to realize you made a resto-mod. I have made very few changes to my cars because I enjoy the experience of restoring & driving original Buicks. I do have cars that were modified before I acquired them (1924 Buick Pickup Truck) or because there was not enough of the car left to restore it (1915 Buick Speedster). Everyone enjoys this hobby for their own reasons. I actually appreciate those in the hobby who build resto-rods and modified cars because they provide a source of parts to restore my cars. My only concern is loosing restorable original cars forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buickkuhn Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 No . that is my brain thinking that something may be better then reality kicks in and my thinking is right along yours . Original as can be with my wallet tagging along for the ride . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 No . that is my brain thinking that something may be better then reality kicks in and my thinking is right along yours . Original as can be with my wallet tagging along for the ride .I was thinking more of my wallet leading the effort and telling me what I will be doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buickkuhn Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I have a feeling that the points are going to last a lot longer once the motor is rebuilt ,since it is going to have more even compression and less valve leakage . I might even get more than a year out of a set of plugs . I am dreaming of the day that the motor is rebuilt ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 The original design, when properly maintained, worked just fine on my '34 Buick for the past 80 years, and 77 years on my '37.Why mess with a good thing, especially since the original can be adjusted on the road. The electronic unit cannot be "TINKERED" with into adjustment when it does fail.just one guy's opinion - it is your car - do what suits you.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullrun Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I put a pertronix on my 36 Model 80 with their suggested coil-less than $125.00 several years ago. No problems-hot spark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Try and understand how and why electronic ignition all started. In Buick's and all of GM it first appeared in 1975, why? Because that is the first year of cars with catalytic converters. If a car with conventional ignition should loose the tip of a spark plug electrode or burn away the ground strap of a spark plug due to improper maintenance or a spark plug wire internally gets a open circuit due to heat exposure or age a car with a catalytic converter would overheat due to a misfire. HEI was designed to help overcome poor maintenance or ignition failure to keep the converter from overheating. In a normal car with or without electronic ignition it only takes 8-10 KV to jump the gap of a spark plug. On a conventional point distributor if you pulled a spark plug wire with the engine running and the distributor hooked up to a oscilloscope and slowly moved the wire near to ground where the spark actually first jumps to ground a normal conventional coil will produce up to about 30KV. A electronic ignition in the same circumstance can in some instances produce 50+ KV. I have seen a engine with what seemed like a normal smooth idle have a huge spark line on one cylinder on a oscilloscope and found the spark plug to that cylinder have a missing or burnt off electrode and ground. A car with a conventional point / coil system could not produce that kind of spark to overcome that huge gap the result would be a misfire and raw air fuel mixture dumped into the exhaust and if a converter was in the exhaust would cause a converter to overheat.Remember, it only takes 8-10 KV to fire a spark plug under normal usage and both systems will do the job with no problem.Remember this also, just because if you decide to use electronic ignition it does NOT mean your system is maintenance free. You still must periodically clean the mechanical advance weights and lube them and check operation, Check the distributor shaft for bushing soundness, check the cap and rotor for wear, make sure your vacuum advance is working properly. If you have a car with a electronic module in the distributor like GM HEI, then you must remove the module, clean the old dialectic grease from the mating surface on the module and the distributor mounting plate and re-grease ( should be done once a year regardless of mileage ) If not done it cause the module to overheat , the grease transfers heat from the module to the plate. On a car with points the only thing different is changing the points and condenser, lubricating the cam and setting the Point dwell instead of the module cleaning and lubricating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buickkuhn Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 All good points to be taken , Keeping the car 6 volt and now keeping the distributor original - will be in the market looking at recon vacuum advances . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bobgould Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I have been looking at the electronic ignition for my 248 (small straight eight) engine , but have not found all the people out there using it . If you have used it with 6 volt system and noticed the differences that is described by "cars inc " . ----- DistributorNow available for the Vintage BuickStraight 8 is the high performance DUIDistributor! This high powered ignitionwill light the fire in the straight 8 likenever before. Built with our popularStreet Strip DUI Coil, you can open theplug gaps to a massive .055”! Alsoincluded is the high dwell Dyna-Modulewhich allows the coil to produce a longer duration sparkover stock ignitions. The advance curve is custom tuned toprovide the most power throughout the RPM range with nopre-detonation. Additional benefits are quicker starting,smoother idle and it is all electronic - NO POINTS!Installation is easy with only one wire required for hookupBring your straight 8 up to date by adding some seriousfirepower with the DUI! Comes with easy to followinstructions and is backed by a one year warranty.• Simple One Wire Hookup• Allows for Wider Plug Gaps• All Electronic Ignition - No Points• 50,000 Volt Coil and Dyna Module• Performance Tuned Advance Curve• Increased Horsepower and Fuel Mileage1938-1953 248, 263, 320 engines.DUI383 .............................................................$395.00 ea.---- I guess trying to find out how many are in use and if you like it as a option to convert to it ?I have two 6 volt buicks a 1939 and a 1953 both still 6volt with pertronics, very simple to install and very reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v12lincoln Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I'm going to put the Petronius in my 40 180 packard due to the price of the points, over 100 for a set if you can find them.the price to tune my 32 66s is under 75 for points plugs condenser cap and rotor and they are all easy to get so won't be changing it out for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I'm going to put the Petronius in my 40 180 packard due to the price of the points, over 100 for a set if you can find them.the price to tune my 32 66s is under 75 for points plugs condenser cap and rotor and they are all easy to get so won't be changing it out for a long time. Try going to your local parts store and see if they will work with you to find a set of similar points from other types of vehicles that will work or could be modified to work. I think you'll be surprised how easy and cheaper this fix can be than to replace with original points or adding electronic ignition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bobgould Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 the best things I feel about pertronics are there is no cam lobe load, not having to worry about slightly worn dist shaft bushings ,no adjustments needed to compensate for lobe wear, timing is constant, hotter spark, no more points, and points start to wear out the minute you put them in. and the best part it works with your old coil and 6 volt system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I have just scraped my 6v pertronix and gone back to points. Pertronix only operate between 4 - 8volt. Often I only had 3.8v on the coil due to effect loss through the relays, wiring etc and I couldn't start. When the battery ran down trying I couldn't jump start from a 12v car. But other than that they were great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynaflash8 Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 I had a Petronix ignition installed into my 1939 Buick and have had NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. Nobody knows the correct spark plug or spark plug setting. I as advised to use R47S plugs set to .045 gap. No such thing as an R47S plug. I have bought a second set of spark plug wires that are made to order, since the cut to fit wires were incorrectly done by the mechanic. I have bought a Petronix coil since the car wouldn't run hot with either of two coils I had. Can anybody identify the proper plug and gap? The car originally uses AC-46 plugs set to .028. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenz38 Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Since 3 years I have also a Pertronix inside my oem Distributor, runs great , stops at last the pain with alltime problems with fast worn out (china-) points and burned throu condenser .. It have a much better steady idle and a smoother run up to the higher revs.I have a 263 with much more comp ratio , run with a bosch blue coil without resistor. I run a .30 gap with AC 45 plugs and have a perfect brown colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicknutty Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 I have used Pertronix on my 50's V8's, and I found it ran better, and I used the stock .035 setting for plugs. You could not go too wrong by setting the gap to the stock setting. I am interested in this thread too, as I would like to put an electronic ignition on my '41 Roadmaster as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plyroadking Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 I've put 2 pertronix units on my 41 in 5 months and it's been laid up the garage for the last 6 weeks waiting for a "custom" built Ignitor module from pertronix. The car has new wiring and everything meets or exceeds their recommendations for it to work. It's 12v negative ground, Ignitor #1183 and their epoxy filled coil. The second time it happened I called them up and they wanted me to send in the dead module. Two weeks after I sent it in I called and asked what was going on. Apparently the sensor that picks up the magnets spinning by it gave out. Their solution is to build a module with a "better quality" sensor just for my car. While I'm happy that they're trying to solve the issue it is annoying as I assumed I was buying a quality product to start with. Currently I'm still waiting for the replacement module, it was supposed to be here over a week ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 I don't think the Pertronix units are actually built for 6-volt systems. Yes, they'll technically work (sometimes), but they're very sensitive to voltage. Even on, say, a Mustang, which uses a resistor wire to drop voltage to the ignition to about 8 volts, they can have problems if you power it from the coil instead of a direct 12V source. 6V exaggerates the problem. I like the Pertronix units for 12 volt cars and use one in my wife's Mustang (powered by the ignition switch), but I don't think I would use one on a 6V car regardless of what "special" unit they whipped up or what kind of coil they recommend. Points and condenser probably still work best and don't care about voltage drops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted October 7, 2016 Share Posted October 7, 2016 What would be the current draw at 12VDC? I have a 6V to 12V boost converter in my car that can handle 10A. Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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