gmcaprala wrote: is the ignition module in that specific to the computer HEI? Or any other dist. internals for that matter? I would like to make my dist. work if possible.. I bought this car non-running, out of long-time storage... for some reason the dist. was in 180? Can’t understand how or why someone would play with the dist during a tune-up.. then, put it back the wrong way?? So, that made everything out of whack. I was told the car ran ‘rough' after the "tune-up” (I can only imagine) and only a few times due to the work was done while the car was in long storage already. Then, years later, it barely sputtered out of storage a year ago, and now won’t start. So that’s where I’m at. Trying to make sense of a drunken tune-up done 20+years ago, to a car with a unique starting system. Im thinking the few times the car ran with everything backwards it could’ve blown the module? Or pick-up coil? If I can get a replacement module, I’ll do that. But if the pick-up coil is bad, I think that’s when I will look into a 350 Olds Dist. So it drops right in and allows me to bypass all the special equipment?
There are lots of ways to put in a distributor that will work fine, as long as the rotor
is pointing at the #1 wire when the #1 piston is at the top of the compression stroke.
If you have as many Olds engines as me, its just a lot simpler to make them all the
same as factory. I would worry about your timing chain, as these often have the plastic
cam sprocket teeth fall off from age (NOT miles). This would not be the first 78 Toro
I know of with that issue. If there isn't excessive slack in the chain, you might change
it after other stuff is fixed.
Everything in your 78 Toro ignition is special one year only. POSSIBLY the HEI cap
and coil are the same. Just install a 350 HEI and ignore all the custom parts in
it now. I had all that stuff decades ago; don't know where you'd find the electronic
module, totally custom HEI, intake with temp sensor, and more that I forget, at this
late date. You could drop in a 403 HEI, but you will give up performance. I have
tried every combination, with half a million miles on 403s. Bruce Roe, NW IL