Points style distributor cap & rotor source?
 

Anyone know of a source where I might be able to get a cap & rotor that has the brass hardware instead of the aluminum stuff. This is for V-8 application with the adjustment window.

Thx in advance for any leads

RA

I believe that Standard does sell it; but it's from their premium line.

The trick that many people have is trying to find good parts, where the cap is black.

I picked up one (black plastic with brass connectors - looked just like the expensive old stock GM caps) several years ago from a vendor at the PDx swap meet;
IIRC his were NOT standard pieces.

you made me dig a bit deeper;

I looked on picclick;
It looks like MSD-5500 is what you want;
HERE is an eBay listing that shows a black cap, and the description shows brass connectors.

I believe the Standard (as in the ignition components company) cap is blue or something like that.

Be aware, there is another MSD cap (8442) that is NOT black.

lol...

I couldn't leave it at that.

I dug deeper;
It looks like Standard has revised their cap;
It looks like the DR-429 is the way to go;
The listing page states the contacts are brass.

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...1&d=1708555323

Twenty years ago, you had to special order (with the local guys) the premium caps - because everyone wanted the cheap stuff;
It looks like Standard only offers the one cap right now.

I didn't see the cheap cap listed for a 1970 GTO, so I looked up an application that wouldn't be performance minded;
I picked a 1974 Chev C10 w/V8 - and found this:

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...1&d=1708555460

The DR-429 is the good cap;
The DR429T is the cheap cap.

The top of the Standard line is Blue streak unless that has changed.

ACDelco C349 caps are still black with brass terminals.
 

We buy them on Amazon. Last bought some mid-2023.

They are even Made in USA. :)

We use old stock Mallory or Accel rotors with the longer tip when we can find them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Good point, but odds are you are paying a premium for a Standard brand part in a GM box;
For the most part, GM hasn't made parts in house for decades.

If anyone can explain to me the recent name change to 'GM Genuine Parts' I'd appreciate it.

They could very well be reboxed Standard parts.

The Amazon price is currently $17.16 which includes shipping if you have Amazon Prime.

Don't know if I could find Standard at a lower price than that.

NAPA sells the decent Echlin-made rotors for $12.99 but they're always running some kind of discount promotion, so you could probably get them a little cheaper. They are tan, rather than black, but who can see them with the cap on?

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/ECHRR1670

NAPA's Echlin line still has them.

I've run the Napa echlin stuff that works fine. My go to was always accel when I can find it but the last couple of tune ups I used MSD.

Never had an issue with any of those choices, all brass terminals and black caps.

The Accel cap & rotors are still available, those were the ones I used to use:

https://www.holley.com/products/igni.../parts/8124ACC

Yes, they are black.


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I use NAPA Echlin RR165 cap and RR1670 rotor.

Thanks a bunch for all the great replies!

RA

I get mine NOS from Ebay auctions. You have to search around some, but there are still tune-up kits, and individual components on there at good prices. I recently bought two USA made tune-up kits for less than $25 each. That's for the good stuff, and it was in perfect shape even though the packaging didn't look so great.

Also snagged six sets of USA made Delco points sets about a month ago, averaged less than $10 a piece for those including shipping.

Breeze right on past the sellers wanting 200 times what those items are worth. So far no shortage that I've seen from honest sellers just cleaning out some cabinets in their garage and passing the good parts on at reasonable prices........

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1708734231

I picked up the Echlin parts at NAPA this afternoon. Price wasn't too bad + no shipping to deal with.

Pretty sure the Delco points are only good to 5000 rpm, but it's been a while since I used points.

Accel and Mallory still make points, readily available, and not expensive.

I vaguely recall that there are aftermarket distributors that use the OE GM points mounting pattern, but would have to go thru my notes. Some are tower caps, and some of the regular wire caps only come in certain colors, not black.

I remember there were a lot of crappy condensers out there too, many had problems, but can't recall what the specific issue was, pretty sure it was a quality/failure thing.

Also recall there were reasons the aftermarket flourished when it comes to replacement of OE ignition systems, performance reasons.

I know some are die hard on the original points stuff, but technology has come a long way, and there's much better ways to do things. Honestly think it's a step backwards going to points.


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Sorry to take this in a different direction but this thread piqued my interest. Anyone know how the electronic conversion kits (like Pertronix makes) stack up in performance against original points style distributors?

From their website:

PERTRONIX ELECTRONIC IGNITION CONVERSIONS
It has been half a century since breaker points were used in a new distributor, so why would you even consider running this ancient technology in your classic engine? A Pertronix Points Conversion kit allows you to run a stock distributor while improving the reliability and performance of your ignition system.

The Pertronix Ignitor kits simply bolt to the distributor in place of the points assembly and provide a much more accurate trigger signal. This improves the timing accuracy and prevents ‘points bounce’ at higher rpm. The electronic technology also improves the dwell control to improve the spark output of the coil resulting in a hotter spark at the spark plug.

Three different electronic ignition conversion kits are available, each with the ability to remove all of the mechanical variances and wear expected from breaker point systems. The original Ignitor Module is ideal for restorations while the Ignitor II provides increased starting voltage with adaptive dwell control. The Ignitor III features a digital rev limiter and five times the spark energy of a typical points system!

Ignitor Module Kits are extremely easy to install and fit into your original distributor to maintain your stock look. No additional ignition box is required keeping a clean look under the hood.

Ignitors are available for most distributors that came with mechanical breaker points and will cover AUTOMOTIVE, MARINE, INDUSTRIAL and AGRICULTURE applications.

Step up to one of our Electronic Ignition Conversion Kits and you’ll never adjust points again!



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If you look further down the page I pulled that from, more info is available:

https://pertronixbrands.com/pages/pe...on-conversions

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Can’t get your hands on high rpm points?

Want more coil saturation time?

Want your points contacts to last 8 times longer?

Then try what Smokey Yunick did in the 60s!
:-)