upgrading to electronic ignition

[tomiaccino]

just acquired a 1978 Fiat Spider
Mechanic is suggesting an electronic ignition
What can i reasonably expect to spend and will it become a problem later on due to "originality" of the car??

[davidbruce]

The simplest solution would be a Pertronix igniter (about $110 from AR). It is self contained. I belive it replaces the points as a direct bolt in and is reversible. My only experience was in a 351 ford in my ski boat that was installed when I bought the boat. Owned it for 10 years and it worked flawlessly.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Electronic ignition is a nice upgrade, and as pointed out above, it is reversible if you want to restore it to original at some future point. My only thought is that I would make sure the rest of the mechanical stuff is in good shape before converting to electronic ignition. If there are issues with the electrical system, burning oil, leaks, clunky transmission, needs front end work, etc, you might want to focus on those first. Just my $0.02 worth.

Also, I believe a '78 had the notorious dual point ignition system that was prone to issues, so one quick option is to rewire that to work on a single set of points which makes life much easier.

-Bryan

[18Fiatsandcounting]

<< duplicate post. deleted >>

[SteinOnkel]

Get a 1979-1980 distributor from AR. And a gm hei module. They are like $20. Pertronix is overpriced junk.

[tima01864]

Quite expensive with the heat sink and coil at AR. I would look for a used unit. Worth looking around

[davidbruce]

Well there you go Tom. One day and 4 different opinions. Do your research, ask your mechanic his thoughts and come to your own conclusions

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Well there you go Tom. One day and 4 different opinions. Do your research, ask your mechanic his thoughts and come to your own conclusions

And at the risk of being forever banned from this forum: Points and condensors have always worked fine for me. Good to 7000 rpm (maybe beyond, but I haven't spent much time there), cheap, easy to diagnose, etc. Give them a try; you might like them.

OK, cue to Steiny for the rebuttal on why points are complete junk. Watch the sparks fly!

-Bryan

[SteinOnkel]

Quite expensive with the heat sink and coil at AR. I would look for a used unit. Worth looking around

Yeah, its outrageous. The module is $20 anywhere else. And any ol' heatsink will do. I pulled apart one from an old pc power supply I had flying around.

OK, cue to Steiny for the rebuttal on why points are complete junk. Watch the sparks fly!

Nope, no sparks flying...point gap incorrect.