BLACK Z !

I am going the cp controlled carb and dist for a non cp controlled unit large cap (coil in cap). I was woundering which dist to go with Mallory msd or accel, I am leaning toward the mallory at this time, any tips pros cons, I have a 6al box also.

Any tips on setting the timing and adjusting the dist.

84firebird

i dont really like my mallory 8548201, had to replace too much, it's pretty much talked up as being a semi performer, but it's nothing better than stock HEI really, needs a new coil and control module

I like MSD products personally (heck i even have an MSD control module in my mallory right now ;-) )

the other thing is mallory accel and msd all make high dollar and low dollar hei distributors... like the msd I'm looking at is about $400, msd also makes one for like $160 that i imagine is going to be similar to my mallory 8548201, what dollar range are the distributors you're looking at in?

BLACK Z !

$150 range, the module in the mallory will be by passed due to teh 6AL box. anything else you don't like about the mallory? does it work ok does it fit and look good?
Any tips on tuning? such as where to set the timing how and so on?

How mush intial do i want?8 to 12? how much total? I think the mallory has 24 deg built in to it, so if my base is at 10 I would have 34 total? Do I check base withthe vac dist and then connect it and run it up to 3,000 and check how much timing i have? how do you tune with the vac?

how and why do you check mechanical advance?
thanks

84firebird

uh mallory will come with a few springs to set it to like 'all in' by 1600 3000 or 4500 er somethin like that, exact timing is pretty much dragstrip and run a few times change it a degree and run a few times... til ya get the best time

to start i'd leave the 24* curve all in by 3000, set the final to 36* with timing tape and leave the initial fall where it falls, my car idles rough so setting initial doesnt work so well, and final is really all that matters for the most part

the mallory fits nice it's close to the firewall but that's with any hei, it's shiny and looks good, the coil cover looks pretty cool too and keeps plug wires from popping off. keeps the stock plugs to hook up the tach and the battery line

the mechanical advance is solid no real issues there, the vacuum is adjustable ( i guess with a hex key [supplied] that you turn in and out of the vacuum mechanism ) but for setting timing curves, go and disconnect the vacuum diaphragm, and then set to the 36 final.

vac kinda sucks cuz you set it as to where it will be according to the turns in and out from nothing, it's not something that can really be checked in park you end up pretty much guessing, about what you want, and then screwin with it. they advance like an extra ~12* but that's at different vacuum, so it depends on how much vacuum it gets where.... so yea it's fun ;-) but that's the same with any vacuum advance

but all in all the mallory is a very good distributor, it's just it does have rpm issues, their big coil is probably better than the idle-5500 rpm coil, but then if you run at low rpm a lot it might overheat or something....they advise.... then the curves are good enough, just i havent found a real good aftermarket replacement, like for the other mallory distributors there are regular advance kits, the 8548201 doesnt have a kit other than the 3 sets of springs i mentioned.

The components are better than stock, but just slightly, it isnt a high performance, high dollar distributor, basically the difference from stock wont be noticed unless you have the stock components and swap them in and out. That being said, it is a great quality distributor, but it's moreso comparable to a high quality stock non comp controlled distributor,

now with your increased spark energy and no worries about the control module with the 6AL, you may very well not have any roblems anywhere. The only problems i had were with the control module and the coil