Distributor Question

I myself prefer stock AMC Delco Type Distributors, serviced, re-curved,

and fitted with your choice of aftermarket electronic points elimination conversion kits.

There have been many people destroy their AMC engine with current aftermarket

import Distributors HEI or otherwise that for some reason EAT DISTRIBUTOR DRIVE GEARS.

Do a google search - there are 100's of horror stories out there all over the place,

some from p!ss pour aftermarket part for the cam snout stack and oil passages,

some from ill fitting offshore HEI units, some from Distributor Drive Gears

that are incorrect in one way or another.

There are others though that have used modern offshore aftermarket HEI units with no issues.

To me there is no "magic" to a Distributor, it is nothing more than a switch.

A serviced re-curved converted AMC Delco Type does the job just fine.

I am not a fan of the big ugly HEI sitting on the front of an AMC V8

and I fail to see the "magic" they may have and why they get used.

But that's just me, and there is room in this big ol' world for everybody.

There is also the option of the MotorCraft AutoLite type unit that AMC used stock later on.

Many folks prefer to use those also, they have a separate module box,

and the "Big Cap" conversion fits on them with widely separated male wire posts.

It is ok imho because it is a stock AMC casting / part so it will fit right.

Whatever you do imho use nothing but STOCK AMC Distributor Drive Gears.

I AM Quite Familiar With Engines EATING Dist. Gears, BELIEVE ME! LOL About 10 - 12 Years Ago, I Built a Very Healthy 454 for a Buddy, and He Wanted me Using Only The BEST of The BEST Components, Which I Had NO Problem Doing, and as He was a Young Single Guy Living at Home, Making Decent Coin, HE Had No Problem Doing it. I Only had ONE Argument, Disagreement, Whatever, and it was Over the Distributor HE Bought Somewhere, under the Pre-Text it was a Super Duper Full Race Competition Dist. I Looked it Over I Don't Know HOW Many Times, and It was Put together SO Poorly, I Had to Basically Re do Everything. Looseness, ALL Over the Place, Including the Pin! I Could Literally Push it Out with my Fingers! I Told Him I Could Get him a VERY Well Built Dist. from a Very Good Friend that Did Drag Racing All his life, and Built the Vast Majority of his Own Parts. It Was All Set up for a Higher Comp. 454 He Used in One of his Race Cars, and He Said He Could Set it Up Fully, for the One I was Building. Well, Lesson FINALLY Learned, I Think, 2 Months Later, 3 or 4 Gears, and I Told Him I was DONE With it. So, In Went the One my Friend Built, and It Stayed Working for the Next Few Years, With NO Issues to it at all. 

So, I Messaged the Dude Yesterday, After I Posted This Question, and He JUST Got Back to me about 4 AM This Morning, asking me to Call him Tonight AFTER 7 PM, and He Would Verbally Answer ALL my Concerns. MY Only Issue With THAT is, NO Paper Trail to Fall back on! He has a Few Other AMC Goodies I'm Interested in Too, so it MIGHT Be a Good Conversation...... 

Bottom Line though, is I Really Was NOT Too Interested in an Aftermarket One too much At All. I Have Never Really had Any Sorts of Issues Using ALMOST Any OEM Part from ALMOST any Manufacturer, Which Really & Truly The Bases for My question.

Ok, THANKS Again for the Replies Folks, I LOVE Learning, ALWAYS Have, and I Certainly DID Learn Here Today! IF Anyone is Interested, I'll Keep the Post Updated With What His Answers Are.

Thanks eh!

ME

I've Even Seen this One Thing a day or two ago, it is an E1-1 B/W Ign. CONVERSION Set Up. I Haven't Seen Anything Like That, for Many, MANY Years! I Almost Chuckled when I Ran across it! Just Strange Seeing Something People USED to Use MANY Years ago, Pop up in Your Face, if ya Know what I Mean. Didn't Even Think there'd Be ANYTHING Like That Still Available! LOL

THANKS Again Man...........

P.S. (I Have a QUICK Question, and IF Anyone KNOWS the Answer, I'd Appreciate it. I Made a Donation, Using P/P, and I See Some folks Have a Contributor thing With their Name. Did I Not Make a Large enough Donation, or????

THANKS MUCH for a Reply.....)

ME 

I Also KNOW About the SUPPOSED "Parts Available" Crap too. Before I Had a Stroke, I Was a Fully Lic. Class "A" Inter-provincial Mechanic. The WORST Of The WORST, were When People Would Buy a Crappy (CTC) Tire Part, that had Any sort of Warranty, and They'd Bring it Back in to our Dealership, and Expect US, a GM Dealership, To Fix it Under Supposed Warr.! Now, we Did TRY to Accommodate a Few Customers, and We were NEVER Able to Get ANY and I Mean, ANY Supposed Parts Available PARTS! It Ended Up, Our Service Manager, said NO MORE. IF they Buy anything from anyone but a Licensed GM Dealership, we Would NOT have ANYTHING to do With it. 

Some Pretty Crazy Wording on Packages, But The Worst Offenders, The Very NON KNOWLEDGEABLE Parts SELLER! They Promised the World to People that had Absolutely NO IDEA about What is WHAT!

Just ONE Reason I Don't Normally Shop at a LOT of those Sort of Places.........

THANKS for The Reply!!!!

\ME