electronic ignition for 59 Caddy

[MY 59]

just enquiring if there is a factory or aftermarket electronic distributor to fit 1959 390?

or are the only options conversion kits

thanks

[russ austin]

pertronics points conversion.

[Coupe Deville]

Yes. Conversion kits are the only option. I sure wish they made full HEI distributors for the 365ci-429ci engines. There is a man that will convert your original distributor to an electronic ignition HEI set up. Only problem is that if you ever wanted to go back to pertronixs or points you couldn't, and the man the does the conversions is absolutely impossible to contact. So really, just pertronix...

Best of luck.

-Gavin

[Jon S]

Call me a purist, but I see no reason to upgrade from a system that works and performs well.  I'll keep my points and dwell adjustments.

[MY 59]

Thanks for the info guys,
Hi Jon,
I agree keeping points is simple and they do the job, but I feel an easy and 'secret' upgrade such as electronic ignition can only benefit the running of the car.
as well as this the lobes on my distibutor look pretty worn after 56 years and surely this alters dwell angle and point gap from ideal factory settings.
I run alectronic ignition on my Fairlane and it has given me 10+ years of trouble free service (many hard and high revving!)

I decided to buy a Crane Cams conversion kit, it seems much more happy to accept variable voltage than the Pertronix and it appears I can simply use the resistor wire harness without a problem which would make a swap back to points in the event of a failure relatively easy.
will keep you all posted on the results

again this is what I like about forums (they can have their bad points also), people chatting and expressing their opinions and experiences and hopefully helping each other in the process.

[TJ Hopland]

If you are not that worried about the look or cost you could do something like a MDS6 plus.   It still uses the original points to trigger but they are not doing the dwell or carrying much current so wear of the points themselves or the cam for dwell should not be a problem.   I have an older MSD6 box on one points engine and it works great.   Really helps starting and idle.  Also feels stronger on heavy acceleration.   Easily bypassed if it happened to fail.    I have not actually used the current model but the earlier ones make a heck of a spark.  You don't want to accidentally leave the key on and be messing around spark plug wires, they bite hard and long. 

[Quentin Hall]

Gday Dave, when are you gonna come over for a visit?. I'm here for a week or so. Call me on 0421615959. Bring lunch and I'll help you eat it. 

[Gene Beaird]

If you are not that worried about the look or cost you could do something like a MDS6 plus.   It still uses the original points to trigger but they are not doing the dwell or carrying much current so wear of the points themselves or the cam for dwell should not be a problem.   I have an older MSD6 box on one points engine and it works great.   Really helps starting and idle.  Also feels stronger on heavy acceleration.   Easily bypassed if it happened to fail.    I have not actually used the current model but the earlier ones make a heck of a spark.  You don't want to accidentally leave the key on and be messing around spark plug wires, they bite hard and long.

Yes, this does work.  We have a dedicated autocross car.  We bought it pretty much built.  It came with a Mallory dual point distributor but only using one pair of points to trigger the MSD.  That worked great.  I replaced the points when we bought the car, and it still has that set in it, almost 10 years later.  We've upgraded the engine now, but I'm 100% certain we could drop the old engine back in and fire it right up. 

[Jon S]

I know a lot of you guys like to update things because you can, but I have to tell you my original distributor with points starts my car right up even after sitting for long periods of time, the engine idles is so smooth you could place a glass of water on the air cleaner and it barely moves and it has tons of pep at all RPMs.  I believe the Engineers knew what they were doing.

[Coupe Deville]

I totally agree with you Jon. I'm really neutral about points/Electronic ignition. My dads 59' and my 72' (which is driven every single day back and fourth to school and everywhere els) still use points. The only reason somtimes I perfer electronic igntion on the later Cadillac motors is that you get a lot more voltage at the plugs whitch is nice in certin situations. You can balance a dime on the air cleaner of my dads 390ci at idle which still uses points. Points are not hard to service ether. I usally do mine every other oil change and it takes like 3 minuets. I feel that sometimes points just get a bad wrap, but yet again..so does pertronixs. 

-Gavin

[TJ Hopland]

The biggest problem I have with points is its getting really hard to find a good quality set.   Last time I had a daily driver with them I think I went through 8 sets in one summer.   They would stick, burn, physically fall apart.   Amazingly poor quality from several formally respected brand names.   I don't think I have anything left running straight points.  I do have several using points to trigger electronics and those have been great.  All of them were ones that seemed to require tinkering to keep em working and since the conversions its been years since I have even had to look at em.   

[Jon S]

NAPA's Echlin have been in my car for 5 years and never a problem.  I checked the dwell last Fall at still at 30 degrees.

[TJ Hopland]

The Echlin was one I had trouble with but none of mine were GM V8's so maybe the different applications were different quality.   Standard Ignition Blue Streak are the only ones so far that have still been good for me.   

[Jon S]

The Echlin was one I had trouble with but none of mine were GM V8's so maybe the different applications were different quality.   Standard Ignition Blue Streak are the only ones so far that have still been good for me.   

I used the Blue Streak's in my Lincoln 9 years ago - Still runs like a top!

[TJ Hopland]

The way the blue streaks look now is how I remember them all looking at one time.   The metal was all thick and some of it looked to be copper. The contacts seemed to hit squarely.  They had the lube wick.  They had a screw terminal for the wire,  now many the wire is just held by tension from the spring.   It almost looks like they make em out of cheap recycled metal then do a cheap chrome like plating process on the whole works after its assembled.

[MY 59]

well the Crane unit is in, simple fit really, decided to pull the dizzy instead of laying in the engine bay!
started nice and easy, just had to wind a little advance as the position of the dizzy was slightly out.
runs like a damn clock, road test this afternoon and tomorrow saturday.
up to this point seems just fine

[Scot Minesinger]

I agree with Jon.  Changed to electronic ignition on one of my 1970 Cadillacs, did notice any difference whatsoever.  Accordingly, saw no reason to change the other two.  If ever there is an emp, my other two will run.

[dplotkin]

I have a 63 Impala with an inoperative choke that will start on the first crank every time and only the third after sitting all winter running a stock 4GC & ignition (327). I put points in for the hell of it when I took possession in 2000. 23,000 miles later it still runs like a watch and starts like a light bulb. Finally last year I gave it to my mechanic and told him to tune it-it must need it. When he saw how it started and ran he put plugs in it and wouldn't touch the rest. He figured things could only get worse fiddling with it.

I have a 62 Bonneville that went through a set of points in a few seasons, a 68 Chrysler same thing, hard to know if its the quality or the primary circuit characteristics of each car vary a lot.

I run points in all but two cars and I like it that way, they make you pay attention. Yet if I was driving one of these relics more than 10,000 miles a year I would go electronic, it's analogous to the difference between old bias ply and modern radial tires in terms of reliability and performance. (But lot's of us run those crappy bias ply tires too!)

Dan

[cadillacmike68]

Call me a purist, but I see no reason to upgrade from a system that works and performs well.  I'll keep my points and dwell adjustments.

Amen to this!

My 68 starts in about 1/10 of a second.

[MY 59]

each to his own I guess.
I have had the car just over 2 years, the first set of point I purchased were the cheapest rubbish quality, didnt even align properly although they cost me about $ 20.
Motor seemed fluttery so I fitted Echlin brand, which seemed better quality than the first ones, although I had to have excessive dwell angle to stop missing at high revs for some reason
anyway, it is done now, and time will tell the result