Re: Petronix - Pros & Cons
Check out the website
www.vintageperformance.com/retrorockets. They have alot of good Pertronix stuff, and some of the best deals on it that I've ever seen.
What you'll want to do is to make sure there's nothing wrong with your distributor. Make sure the weights and springs are free, that the vacuum advance works, and that the shaft is tight and doesn't wobble. Check your points and condensor to make sure they're set up correctly and not worn out.
My belief is that you should try to get your car running correctly with points if possible before switching to electronic ignition. If something else is wrong, electronic ignition might not solve it, and it might not work at all.
The Pertronix Ignitor is a small Hall Effect trigger unit that fits in the dizzy where the points and condensor used to fit. Installation's supposed to be easy, and it only requires that two wires be plugged in. Buying their coil is supposed to help with the unit's longevity, but it will work with a basic Lucas coil.
The advantages are that your car retains its original appearance, the installation is easy, and you no longer have to worry about whether or not you points are out of whack.
The disadvantage that I can think of is that an electronic unit can fail without warning. This doesn't mean that they're trouble-prone, but electronics can go wrong. These units are supposed to give years of trouble-free service, but stuff happens sometimes.
My 25D4 distributor is about to bite the dust and is causing some other problems with the car, like not being able to tune the carbs properly. I've ordered a Pertronix Flame Thrower distributor and the Flame Thrower coil. The dizzy uses a more robust Lucas 45D4 distributor with the Ignitor pre-installed. Just drop in, hook up, set the timing, and you're away. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. It should arrive early next week.
To make a long story short, a Pertronix is supposed to be a good way to make your car more dependable.