Its prob been done to death but what are the relative costs, plusses and minuses of available systems.

the idea of no points is appealing.

Never heard any complains about pertronix. Saving for a few sets myself...

Buggy Brad organised a group buy of Compu-fire a while back.

I fitted mine in half hour or so.

No more point-adjusting.

Other than that, once the timing is set, forget about it!

I haven't heard of any problems with either setup....
apart from the cost...

I have built a kit from Dick Smiths but haven't installed it yet.
I had to swap My Bosch GT40 coil for a standard coil as the voltage is excessive with the GT40 and they can burn out...
I will still have points, but the points will never burn out as the current there is quite small. The camblock on the points will wear away eventually... and then the timing will have to be done but with hi temp grease on the distributor shaft & camblock it shouldn't wear down too quickly...

getting away from the original VW system is a Major step ahead....

Lee

I run a mag fire (the cheap vervion) and no problems

[Edited on 15-9-2004 by blue74l]

A slight change of direction but still in the same area. I put an early Magna dissy in mine and it worked well. I get holidays in a couple of weeks and will put up photos of the conversion as requested by someone here. Cost me $40 dollars from a wrecker for the dissy and coil. (I had a 009 and the condesor died and took the points with it. This cured those probs and got me vacuum advance too.)

A question though, should I need a specific coil for this setup? It still gets 12V and earths thru the dissy. When the earth is cut it sparks, right? The only difference will be the current tolerated by the dissy, right?

I ask because I now need to replace my second hand coil and am told I need genuine. Mitsu aren't know for cheap parts so I don't like the prospect. I have a perfectly good one that came out when the new dissy went in.

PS haven't had to touch the timing in over 12 months.

I'd check extra carefully before installing a magfire in a vacuum advance distributor. I bought one for my 74 motor and it had severe clearance problems with the magfire rotor scraping the top of the sensor when I put it all back together.

I would be interested in the conversion of the Magna distributor... I have found Magna parts OK Pricewise...

The imported parts can be expensive but they are all expensive if they come from Japan....

a Vacuum advance Dizzy sounds good to Me....

How did You know a Magna dizzy would fit a VW Engine??
Can't You source the coil from a wrecked Magna?
if necessary...
I don't really think You would need a Magna Coil....

Lee

So what brands an type's would fit my 56 Oval (Vacuum adv) and my 77 Kombi (Vacuum adv)
Rob...

I copied this off the forum about 12 months ago - it explains fairly well about the magna options.

Hi Guys,

The 4 cyclinder Magna dizzy will fit any beetle, type 3 or Kombi. It just so turns out that the Mitsubishi extenal shaft is the same outside diameter or just oversized to a 009.

VVDS use one the race car, type 1 -very easy with FI.

I fitted one to Mike Said's Autronic EFI, sequential injected Kombi - see notes below.

Steve C slotted one straight into his Wazzerboxer-same ease as a type 1, no tinware.


To fit a Magna dizzy, you disassemble the internal shaft and withdraw the internals.
On a lathe slim the external shaft down to the same size as a 009 (were talking thous). The leg on the Magna dizzy is longer so you can cut it to the same length as a 009. Then machine a groove in the leg for the oil ring of a 009. Cut the internal shaft to the correct length, drill the shaft for the pin that locates the bottom half moons and there you have it! Perfect, but you need access to a lathe!

The later model EFI dizzy has twin hall effect sensors. So it can be used as I did for sequential fuel injection, one pickup fires the cyclinders the other locates TDC, the dizzy has twin chopper wheels, 4 on the external wheel and 1 on the internal.

It fits a type 1 motor easy, but on a Kombi you need to clearance the tinware with some heat and a hammer. It's tight but it fits.

The early 4 cyclinder magna dizzy could be used for fuel injection also, but on something that only does fuel like an F9 Haltec. (F for fuel only in Haltecs lingo). The fuel would be controlled by the computer and the spark by the Magna dizzy.

Hope this helps, an easy FI mod that seems to be largely unknown to many.

Leigh

Thanks Rob, Like you suggested the vacuum advance is ceratinly the sticking point. I was more pointing towards the later model hall effect unit with no vac. advance for fuel & spark EFI. These definately do fit, but not with vacuum advance in a type 3 without making a few mods.

NOTE – Early 4 cyl Magna distributors are vacuum advance, single hall effect trigger (no points) – so will not work with Kadrons unless the body is drilled to generate a vacuum signal takeoff.

Aircooled.net (at least I think it was them) made the comment that a coil with a ballast resistor was required with the electronic points, ie compufire / petronixs.

This seems to be a backwards step and more costly, ie having to buy a new coil as well as the electronic points.

Comments from those that are using some would be great

Cheers
Jeremy

All a coil with a ballast resistor does - IMHO :

an 8 volt [approx] volt coil is used , and when the starter motor is turning, all the voltage left over goes to the coil...
which makes the car easier to start... when the starter motor is turned off... the power reverts back to the full 12V again, and it then goes thru the ballast resistor to drop the voltage down to the 8 volts again... otherwise it could burn out with 12 volts going thru it constantly....

so its really another type of starting the engine....
if an engine starts without a ballast resister on the coil...
Well, You don't need this type of coil & ballast resistor...

These Resistor coils & Ballast resistors can be found in any car wreckers as they were common in 6 & 8 cylinder cars in the 70s & 80s .. especially fords..

The nominal Power in a 12 volt system with an alternator is 13.8 Volts DC... with the engine going...

Lee