You can run a points distributor with a Lectric Limited conversion on it. Those run great, but require the resistance wire which you may not have anymore.
You should try the new progression distributors, I just started my rebuilt 455 on one and it is so tuneable itll make your head spin LOL
Wow.. those look pretty sweet, and fun to work with! A little on the pricy side for my needs, though. I guess I should update what I ended up doing... I got a new-old-stock rebuilt 1112110 distributor at a great deal, which I disassembled and re-lubed. Glad I did, as it was missing the felt washer, which I replaced. Also picked up a FAST electronic module and PS20 coil, a MSD 6AL, and some NGK UR4 spark plugs. After installing it all with a new 12-volt supply wire to the fuse box, it runs night and day better that it has to date (since I got it anyway). I also picked up a different rebuilt Quadrajet off eBay. It's for a 1973 or 1974 Buick 350 application. The seller was awesome and went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable buying it from them. He also made a jetting and secondary rod change to better work with the 400 and my cam. I purchased this as a temporary replacement, cause the price was right. Cliff's High Performance has the carburetor that came with the car, now. I'll use the eBay carb as a back-up when I get the original one back. Now that it runs so much better, I'm not afraid to take it for local drives. I've been trying to tune the ignition to run on 89 octane, NON-Ethanol fuel. I may just have to use the 93 octane gas with ethanol though. Currently it's at 32 degrees total (3,000 RPM) and it pings slightly under full throttle. Idles great though at ~ 600 RPM in gear. I may try 30 degrees total, too. Next thing I need to address is the 210-220 degrees running temp, in traffic, on a 90-degree day. It did this with 34-gegrees total timing too, but pinged worse and sooner in the RPM range. I think the fan clutch and radiator need some help. They both look to be original and look like they have seen better days. I just bought a Cold Case radiator and replacement standard duty fan clutch, this morning.
Thanks for the update! Well that's a bummer. I know he was having some health issues, and last I heard he was having a hip replacement. Hope he's doing Ok. Glad that I did what I did with the distributor.
Update on the ignition system... Today I went to pull the car out of the garage to install some new shelves and transfer stuff in and out of the attic. It would not start and had no spark. After some quick trouble shooting I found that it did not have any power to the coil. Went back through my wiring and everything checked out OK, just no output from the MSD 6AL. So I made a couple harnesses to bypass the 6AL and run the FAST module and coil right off of the 12-volt feed. Fired right up! So as of now, I will be contacting MSD on Tuesday to see what can be done with the box. A couple weeks ago, I went to put gas in it and it barely restarted at the gas station. After a lot of cranking and cursing, it finally sputtered a lot, then fired up. When I got back home I shut it off and it restarted just fine. I just put it away then and decided to deal with it later. I guess today was later... On another note, I saw that Dave Ray may be back at it again, in the beginning of the year!
Are you sure that you don't have wiring issues? You could have faulty new parts, but it sounds like you're having some of the same issues that you started with before you replaced everything. The car is over fifty years old and possibly has corroded terminals, oil soaked wiring, broken strands, and piercings. Check engine and body grounds and battery cables. Wires can be corroded or broken where they are crimped to the terminals. Sometimes just looking at them you won't see a problem, you may have to replace terminals.
This was the first thing I thought of. All of the wiring for the ignition (including the 12V supply wire from the fuse box connector) I had replaced. The only exception being the power wires to the starter. I did have to put a couple of new connectors on the ends of the fusible link wires though, when I put the mini starter in. All of my connectors checked out good, and the car has been reliably starting since I removed the 6AL box. I am waiting now to get an RMA from MSD for it.
