Are there distributors better than others ? 68 - 76 350 - 430 - 455 Like certain numbers have more or less adv. curve or what ever it might be ? also the HEI has more voltage is good . but big cap...
It depends on what your needs are. Higher performance cams like more initial timing. To run more initial timing, you need less mechanical advance to keep the total advance at 30-34* where most Buick engines make the best full throttle power. The 1972 Buick 350 (1112109) and the 455 (1112110) had less than 20* of mechanical advance. They are desirable if you want to run 14* or more initial. Some of the 1971 distributors are like that as well.
Can the weights be modified on some and not on others to move more or less ? Other wise they are mostly the same just different gear.
Distributors are not the same. The point distributors have a pin in slot arrangement that determines how much advance is built into the distributor. You can take the distributor apart and weld the slot closed, then custom file it if you can weld. The HEI big cap distributors have different weight and centerpiece shapes that determine advance. Most HEI distributors use too much mechanical advance which limits the amount of initial advance you can run. All of this is covered in the Power Timing thread. http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?63475-Power-Timing-your-Buick-V8
