[nUcLeArEnVoY]

The original distributor for my '79 W72 was long gone when I got the car, so for a few years I've been running a Cardone unit that I purchased under the impression it was a reman but it actually arrived and was a new distributor with a fancy billet housing, etc.

Anyway, I've been facing some ignition headaches (mostly self caused - I couldn't leave well enough alone), and so I purchased an Autoline remanufactured distributor off RockAuto, since they advertise that they only use original castings.

Well, I received the thing and in the most coincidental happenstance I can think of, the refurbished casting is a 1103315 unit. (See attached photo for proof), which would be correct for a 78 or 79 W72. I think it's date-coded for a '78, but either way, WHAT are the odds of that??? I was floored. Not only that, but the weights and center cam that were included were the original #139/#389 combo and are in great condition. So it's almost like the car got reunited with the original dizzy!!

As for a bit of a review, it's a pretty good unit. They blast the casting with something that causes the machined-looking face where the casting number is look roughened up, as well as the heatsink pad the module goes on, but whatever - you can still make out the casting number. They put in new bushings and use original weights/center cam if they deem them in good condition. Side to side play is non-existent. The shaft spins smooth, and the advance weight pads are replaced with actual new nylon pads and are not just raised parts of metal like a lot of the new distributors to keep the weights leveled. Up and down shaft play was around 0.045, which is less play than they were from the factory a lot of the time - either way, I shimmed it down to around 0.015.

Electronics? Garbage, as expected. Most new or reman dizzies always have SOME homework to do with the electronics, and this is no different. Module is a $13 Regitar unit, the three terminals at the end of the block harness with the capacitor that hooks to the coil kept falling out of the plastic connector, and AS ALWAYS with these new distributors, the darn pickup coil is the wrong magnetic polarity for Pontiacs (i.e. white wire is closer to the vacuum advance arm on the coil housing, which is meant for Chevy's/Cadillacs). So after replacing all that stuff with correct and/or higher quality parts, I ended up with a pretty decent distributor that happens to be correct for my car and she runs great.

So all in all, I'm not sure if Autoline actually cross-references the distributor they send out with the car referenced in the parts order, or if I just happened to have been sent this correct casting. As for the quality of the unit? The casting, shaft, bushings, weights, basically all the metal mechanical parts? Very good, at the very least stock quality since most of it is original and just reconditioned. Electronics? Garbage, be ready to replace them with quality components.

Overall, would recommend if you're in a pinch for a newer dizzy but want to keep an original look. And who knows, maybe you'll be lucky like me and get a casting that is correct for your car.

[steve25]

Very interesting and thanks for sharing!

[indymanjoe]

very cool story!

[P@blo]

I picked up two autoline units from rockauto on wholesale clearance. Found the same as you describe and paid a very reasonable price. Autoline will also rebuild and return your distributor too and can ask to not have the housing blasted and they always install new bushings/weight pins when they rebuild. There is an email in the info section of the part at rockauto that is to the place that actually does the rebuilding if you have any questions.

Where I am the parts stores are selling the new Cardone shiny distributors with a lifetime warranty. Not sure if the initial release of the shiny body red cap HEIs are the same as what is produced today but I spoke to the napa guy asking if he gets a lot of them back on warranty and he said no. Have a problem they give a new one if needed type of thing.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Try to verify the Dwell moves with rpm, that means a decent HEI Module.

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Yeah, I've heard that the good modules will change the dwell based on RPM. How can I measure this? Do I need to get an old school dwell meter?

I swapped the cheapo one that came with the distributor with the Napa/Echlin TP45 I had just recently put in my old distributor after a newer ACDelco one failed after only 6 months (repeated module failures are the "ignition woes" I was talking about, in that I was trying to troubleshoot why it kept happening and opened up a whole can of worms that didn't need to be opened).

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Originally Posted by P@blo

I picked up two autoline units from rockauto on wholesale clearance. Found the same as you describe and paid a very reasonable price. Autoline will also rebuild and return your distributor too and can ask to not have the housing blasted and they always install new bushings/weight pins when they rebuild. There is an email in the info section of the part at rockauto that is to the place that actually does the rebuilding if you have any questions.

Where I am the parts stores are selling the new Cardone shiny distributors with a lifetime warranty. Not sure if the initial release of the shiny body red cap HEIs are the same as what is produced today but I spoke to the napa guy asking if he gets a lot of them back on warranty and he said no. Have a problem they give a new one if needed type of thing.

Lucky timing to get them on clearance. I do agree that from a mechanical standpoint, the rebuild is far better quality than one would expect, and they fill a niche market in that they keep most of the original components intact if they're serviceable. Isn't Autoline based out of your country?

There was never anything wrong with my Cardone distributor, per say, other than crappy electronics and again, the wrong Pickup coil. I recently replaced a whole bunch of parts in it to try and troubleshoot repeated ignition module failures, and when I stabbed it into the car, it ran like absolute chit and the idle would surge up and down. I changed far too many components for me to eliminate one by one, which is why I just instead bit the bullet and got the Autoline reman dizzy.

Honestly, in hindsight I think the new Cardone units are the same as the sketchy "white box/red cap" cheapo HEIs you find on eBay and Amazon. The biggest way to tell those units when it comes to Pontiac applications is they all use the same generic black connector pickup coil with polarity meant for Chevy/Cadillac applications, and the capacitor on the terminal block harness is a pink or white block-shaped capacitor rather than the nickel-plated cylindrical capacitor as originally-equipped.