The V8 Owners Forum -

Finishing off a top-end rebuild on my '73 3.5 P6B. I'm re-fitting the original timing cover and the RS uprated oil pump kit, together with the 35D8 points dizzy...





...but at some point fairly soon I'd like to go to electronic.

What's the best/most cost effective route? Pertronix/Aldon maybe? Or if I changed the dizzy, can I swap the oil pump drive arrangement on the replacement?

Stan

Unfortunately, the oil pump drive cannot be swapped - the earlier type that you have has the peg machined as part of the distributor shaft, while the later type has the slot as part of the drive pinion.

There are some electronic ignition systems available to suit the earlier type drive - I'm sure that someone else on here can advise on those. My personal choice for the engine in my 101 is to go distributorless (the existing distributor then just becomes a means of driving the oil pump)

Bryan

Hello Stan,

I can certainly recommend Lumenition as an alternative to points.

I have been using a system specific for the 35D8 distributor since 1991 and have never (touch wood) had a problem.

The points and capacitor are removed, and an optical eye and chopper installed in their place. Power is supplied by a module which is about the same size as a deck of cards.

The original coil is retained, the distance between the chopper and the optical eye adjusted via the distributor dwell adjustment screw, and then thats it.

Starting is improved, idling is smoother, the engine revs more freely and any wear in the actual distributor shaft makes no difference to the smooth operation of the system, in every way it is superior to points.

Ron.

I have Lumenition on my engine, easy to fit and low maintenance.

Bryan wrote:Unfortunately, the oil pump drive cannot be swapped - the earlier type that you have has the peg machined as part of the distributor shaft, while the later type has the slot as part of the drive pinion.

You can fit the SD1 gear to the early distributor with an easy mod, but you can't do it the other way around. As the car in question has had the uprated pump kit fitted, the pump drive could be changed for an SD1 type to allow the later distributor to be fitted.

I'd still just fit Luminition though.............

I have recently installed a Aldon LU 181 ignition module for my 35d8. Easy to fit and should be trouble free.

harvey wrote:

Bryan wrote:Unfortunately, the oil pump drive cannot be swapped - the earlier type that you have has the peg machined as part of the distributor shaft, while the later type has the slot as part of the drive pinion.

You can fit the SD1 gear to the early distributor with an easy mod, but you can't do it the other way around. As the car in question has had the uprated pump kit fitted, the pump drive could be changed for an SD1 type to allow the later distributor to be fitted.

I'd still just fit Luminition though.............

if your going to knock the pin out BECAREFUL the gear is prone to snap bits off it , or you could just change the
top shaft and base plate for a later one , i'm pretty sure they would fit

bodger wrote: if your going to knock the pin out BECAREFUL the gear is prone to snap bits off it , or you could just change the
top shaft and base plate for a later one , i'm pretty sure they would fit

I've knocked out the roll pin many times and its been OK but that's because I learnt an important lesson the first time that I hammered it back home. (Which was the time that I broke the gear! )

The thing is that the hole in the shaft and the gear lines up better one way round compared to 180 degrees round. Check it both ways before tapping the pin back home.

Pete

harvey wrote:You can fit the SD1 gear to the early distributor with an easy mod, but you can't do it the other way around. As the car in question has had the uprated pump kit fitted, the pump drive could be changed for an SD1 type to allow the later distributor to be fitted.

I'd still just fit Luminition though.............

..by just machining off the drive dog and fitting the later gear then? Plus later oil pump gears of course.

sidecar wrote:

bodger wrote: if your going to knock the pin out BECAREFUL the gear is prone to snap bits off it , or you could just change the
top shaft and base plate for a later one , i'm pretty sure they would fit

I've knocked out the roll pin many times and its been OK but that's because I learnt an important lesson the first time that I hammered it back home. (Which was the time that I broke the gear! )

The thing is that the hole in the shaft and the gear lines up better one way round compared to 180 degrees round. Check it both ways before tapping the pin back home.

Pete

are that's the secret ...lol
mind you , you only break it once the next time you know

1 vote for Pertronix Ignitor kit (same as Aldon Ignitor)

I suggested RetroRockets in Connecticut for buying Pertronix stuff a while ago.
You order from the US site and pay the US dollar prices, plus a bit of shipping, but the kit is delivered from a UK warehouse.

So .. I put my money where my mouth was and gave them a try a couple of years ago. A Pertronix LU-183 Ignitor for Rover V8, plus a 40111 resin filled Flamethrower coil came to just over £70 all in. Equivalent UK pricing would be a little over £135.

Easy to fit, everything fits inside the dissy.

Carl Dudash at RetroRockets was helpful and ID'd the ignitor I needed from a digital pic of my dissy baseplate.

Web site:
http://www.vintageperformance.com/retrorockets/

Plenty of Tech Info:
http://www.vintageperformance.com/retro ... mation.htm

Info on ordering from UK:
http://www.vintageperformance.com/retro ... orders.htm

vaultsman wrote:Plus later oil pump gears of course.

Or machining the slotted drive shaft down to the tongue setup?
Anyone have a tongue-drive gear handy they could measure up & post the dimensions?

Stan

Hello Stan,

From the SD1 onwards, the drive gear for the distributor was referred to as a "wobbly drive" as it was a two piece design, the top section covered the helical gear while the lower section, attached via a pin contained the necessary drive for the oil pump gear. Overall it is somewhat longer than original drive fitted to the 35D8 distributors for the P6B.

The best option I feel would be to retain the existing drive along with the later type oil pump gears designed for that drive, spacer plate for the oil pump front cover, and then fit Lumenition or another electronic ignition system of your choice.

Ron.

Hi Ron,

Yep, I know the design of the later drive gear arrangement , and that it's sufficiently longer for it to be possible to convert a slot drive gear to the later type.

One option would then be to fit a later, electronic, dizzy instead of going the Pertronix or Lumenition route.

Stan

Hello Stan,

The later type Lucas electronic distributors, such as those for a Land Rover Discovery or Range Rover either have a power module fitted to the distributor or mounted separately.

In both cases, it is my understanding that a new coil would be required as the original one fitted to the P6B is not suitable.

Ron.