Long Island Mopar Guy With Cars & Questions!

[PGio]

5 Classic Mopars. Hello Everyone! Nice to join all of you. I have perused the thread a few times and finally joined. I have much to ask!!
Yes, I own 5 Classic Mopars and each one needs a little bit of something. My newest addition to "The Fleet" needs some work to get it running right. Beautiful car - one of my two all-time Dream Cars that I have wanted for close to 40 years! Finally have it. 1970 Challenger R/T, Plum Crazy and Triple White! (vinyl top, interior, longitudinal stripe). Matching #s 440 and 727 (I would have preferred a 4 speed). All correct stampings, body plate and some docs. Just don't have the Broadcast Sheet. Car was built in Los Angeles and several people have told me those cars didn't have B-Sheets. Ownership history all the way back to original owner in in Spokane Washington. Car is restored very nicely but runs poorly. Very little power. Engine is sound, carb is good. Has original factory single point distributor with that little box on the side of the vacuum advance.
QUESTIONS: 1) What does that distributor box do? I've read it is to retard timing!
2) Should I replace it with the Mopar electronic ignition set up? I am leaning towards that. Not looking for anything race and want closest to stock appearing as possible.
Pertronix is out, I have heard about too many issues with it and you have to change coil and bypass ballast, so not interested in that.
3) The above named unit used to be made by Ma Mopar but not any longer, who makes the best one? Most people seem to like Proform but it is made in Asia. Not sure of reliability.
INTERIOR Qs: A) Original bright white door, quarter and seat back panels are a bit scraped up, read all the posts about which replacements are best, consensus was the METRO panels.
I bought all of them recently from Roseville Moparts, fit and finish are very nice - however - COLOR IS WAY OFF! It is creamy white, almost yellowish.
Should I use a white coating from SEM, or the white coating from Kolor Korrect in New Jersey?
Which is closest to the factory white? KK is sending me a spray out sample so I can check theirs against the original.
Thanks Everyone! I look forward to all of your input!

 

[Mopar Nut]

Beautiful cars.

 

[Challenger RTA]

Welcome to FEBO. Nothing like Fleet pictures!

 

[gran coupe john]

Nice Mopars!!!

 

[Xcudame]

Welcome to FEBO from the desert! Beautiful collection of Mopars!

I'd yank that single point distributor out and replace it with a rebuilt one. Halifaxhop (member here) sales refurbished distributers. PM him for an electronic one for a 440. Buy an Orange Box ECU from Summit and get an engine harness from Bill Evans at Evan's Wiring. It's plug and play and sure to make your car run better regardless whatever else may or may not be wrong.

 

[Chryco Psycho]

Do Not Waste your time with FBO garbage , Rev N Ator seems to be the best box , Mancini had blue $20 one that worked great too

 

[fasjac]

Welcome from Arkansas! That’s a cool Challenger, and all of the others. Love that color.

 

[DetMatt1]

Welcome to the site from the Motor City! Beautiful collection you have!!
I’ve got well over 30k trouble free miles on the Pertronix I systems between 2 of my cars and regretted changing it out for the factory style electronic in one of the cars.

 

[Steve340]

I like that yellow Cuda.

 

[Deathproofcuda]

Yes, that box of the side of your distributor is a solenoid that is supposed to retard timing at idle for emissions control. Have you confirmed whether or not it is working? You can just disconnect it. Have you confirmed where your timing is set? Car seems pretty original with the original solenoid type distributer in it. If the previous owner has the timing set to factory specs, which is probably something like TDC, that is probably why the performance is lacking.

For how I'm guessing you are going to use that car, I'd just use the original points dizzy (with a performance recurve and/or rebuild if needed).

 

[Deathproofcuda]

Do Not Waste your time with FBO garbage , Rev N Ator seems to be the best box , Mancini had blue $20 one that worked great too

Except that Rev N Ators haven't been available for years now.

 

[moparleo]

aboard. Wow, what a fleet ! You must have a nice garage to put them in.
More pictures would be great !!

 

[Rapidfire]

Welcome to the forum. Nice to have you with us

 

[moparlee]

Welcome to the site from Michigan! Very nice Mopars

 

[Fishgutz]

Awesome ”fleet” you have, all are beautiful. How do you decide which one to drive?
Welcome from California’s North Coast.

 

[PGio]

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE for the welcome! It is appreciated. I see a couple of conflicting comments (advice) on what to do regarding the distributor issue. (I kind of expected that)
In my other four cars, they all have the Mopar Electronic Ignition Conversion system and they run fantastic! (In all the decades of ownership I have only had to change 2 control boxes)
BUT - now they are made overseas in Asia, and like most other things from there, the quality is not as good as our American Made parts. Hence my consternation regarding what to go with.

DEATHPROOFCUDA: Thank you! I did not know I could just disconnect that little retarding box. How is that done and will it negatively affect anything else by doing so? How do I determine if it is working or not - as you asked?

XCUDAME: Thanks, you mean buy a rebuilt electronic distributor from Halifaxhop that is from a later year Mopar? They did not have electronic distributors in 1970. What year are the units he is selling from? Also, when distributors are old, the lobes are often worn down which of course affects the points gap and causes retarded timing too. That is a concern.

CHRYCO PSYCHO: What is "FBO"?

DETMATT1: I have heard too many tales of Pertronix complaints, plus I do not want to change out my stock coil and rewire the ballast. This car is almost all original equipment and just taking out the original distributor is a tough decision to make. But I have to get it running right.

MOPARLEO: I have a 2 car garage in the house and a detached 3 car garage. One of the reasons I bought this house ten years ago! I used to have a 1 car garage and 7 Classic Mopars! Was renting all over a 20 mile radius! Not fun and too expensive here on Long Island!

FISHGUTZ: I alternate! Today I had the '71 Charger R/T out. Yesterday was the '71 Cuda and '66 Charger. Tomorrow might be the '69 Super Bee. Have to enjoy them before winter snow comes here and they salt and sand the roads! Then they are all put away until the spring rains clean the roads up.
All the Southern and Western guys are lucky they don't have to deal with that and can use their cars year round!

 

[Xcudame]

Correct, you need a newer distributer. 72 or 73. You're right regarding the ECUs being made over seas. But it's simply circuitry, hard to mess up. If you don't mind spending extra money, I've had a MSD 6A on my 70 Challenger for twenty years now.

 

[Deathproofcuda]

@PGio

The following link will take you to a page on the Mymopar.com site where you can access the Master Technicians Service Conference Reference Book # 70-5 titled "Let's Keep it Clean". Download that pdf and watch the video (they are all super amusing and very helpful), but that one in particular covers the emissions controls on the 70 models and includes the why and how of the advance solenoid on your distributor. I have a similar distributor on my 383, but its not working since I don't have the original carb on my car. For yours to be working, it would need to have the wire connection in place to the curb idle screw on your carb. To check if it is working, you could disconnect that wire while the car is running at idle and then check to see if the timing advances.

Browse MTSC by Model Year – 1970 – MyMopar

For clarification, I wasn't suggesting that you should remove the solenoid from your distributor. Just disconnect and wiring between the solenoid and your carb, if it is still there.

 

[DetMatt1]

With the Pertronix 1 you can easily install The kit in your original distributor, replace the resistor in the ballast resistor for a length of the appropriate gauge wire and install one of their coils. No cutting of the original harness and you can stick everything in a little box in the trunk along with another fresh ballast that you’ll never need to use in case you ever decide to put it back to the original points. With this kit you keep a stock appearance under the hood and get stellar performance. I’ve heard of issues with the Pertronix 2 & 3 but they are unnecessary if all you’re looking for is something comparable to Ma Mopars electronic ignition.
20 years ago you could probably buy reliable MSD stuff but I’ve heard mixed things about their quality lately and I’m not sure if they offer any set-ups that are stock appearing.
With Pertronix 1 I think you can still be all in for less than 200 bucks.

 

[340challconvert]

Nice collection of Mopars
to FEBO from New Jersey
I am following the conversations here; I still have a point distributor in my A66 Challenger and will convert to something after I start and break in the rebuilt engine.