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Q & A: Electronic Ignition, Mallory Dual Point Distributer, V8

John

For the past 3-4 yrs I have been rebuilding a '79 MGB basket case. I've learned (the hard way) that you need to know what problems are likely when buying used British cars, but I'm determined to put a good looking, safe, and mechanically sound "B" on the road in time for MG '01 here in Mpls.

I spent the first year or so replacing/repairing anything broken and making the car road safe. The next year the sills were replaced, as well as the entire suspension: Spax shocks, new, lower leaf spring, coil over shocks in front, king pin sets, etc. Also, Mini lite rims and new, wider Dunlaps were added. Last year I stripped the car down to the body and had a local body shop replace all rusty panels and paint Guards Red. This spring I will put it back together with new leather interior, new carpeting, new top, etc The point here is that I'm trying to do as nice a job upgrading the car as Moss Motors can provide!

I plan to pull the engine for a rebuild in a year or two but until then I'm concerned about the current electronic ignition. As near as I can tell it's the unit that came out of Abingdon (the car has 80,000 miles) and the replacement elec ignition for a '79 from Moss doesn't match what I have. Instead of going further down the elec ignition road I'm considering converting to a distributor with points, and since Moss currently has the Mallory dual pt unit on sale I would upgrade to that unit. Would you recommend this switch especially since I plan to upgrade the engine for add'l HP when it is rebuilt?

My reasoning to convert is;

1. On an upgraded engine i.e. hi performance cam, replaced Stromb. carb, recommended head machining, etc the dual pt distributor would be an improvement over an elec ignition.
2. The full centrifigal advance feature gives better performance over a wider speed range and on a SU or Weber replacement carb I may lose the vacuum source.

One last question, do you agree with the author of "How To Give Your MGB V8 Power" when he recommends not installing an aluminum V8 in a roadster unless you replace the body with a new body shell?

Thanks for your time and advice.

Sincerely,

Marty Hanley

Marty!

The existing Lucas electronic ignition fitted to your 1979 MGB will work just fine. I assume that this is the black box under the coil, with a dual wire (red and black) running to the distributor.

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