Overall, an electronic distributor provides more consistent ignition, which results in a more efficient engine; it also provides optimum timing and higher performance throughout its service life with zero maintenance.

However, it comes with the tradeoff that any failure of electronics will be sudden, without developing early warning symptoms, and a failed electronic distributor can generally only be repaired with a 1:1 swap.

1. 10mm hex socket wrench (optional, but good to have as nearly all other bolts are 10mm)
2. 12mm hex socket wrench
3. 21mm spark plug socket wrench

Optional:

1. Prepare ≥1.5m of Black and ≥1.5m of Red wire
2. Splice onto the distributor's pigtail wires (butt connector or solder + heatshrink):
   • Black ↔ Black
   • Red ↔ Red
3. Route the conduit through the engine bay and cut to length, leaving ~5cm slack at the coil end
   • Secure to battery positive cable or A/C piping
4. Thread both wires through the conduit. Seal the distributor-end of the conduit (tape/heatshrink)
5. Crimp T-tap spade terminals onto the coil-end of both wires
   • Heatshrink over spades for strain relief
6. ✅ Continuity check: Probe distributor-end plug pins → coil-end spades

1. Unplug the coil's right-side connector
   • Optionally trim back 2cm of sleeve for easier access — do not nick wires
2. Clamp T-taps onto these 2 wires, pointing toward the distributor to reduce cable stress:
   • Black wire
   • Black wire with red stripe
3. Connect spades per the table below

1. ✅ Continuity check: Probe coil-end plug → distributor-end plug
2. Finish all heatshrinking/taping

1. Mark the distributor angle: draw a line across engine block → distributor body with the paint marker
   • Makes it easy to restore the contact point distributor if needed
   • Gives a starting reference when installing the new distributor
2. Unplug the spade cable below the distributor — tie it off, it will not be reused
3. Remove the 12mm bolt
4. Remove the distributor by gently wiggling and pulling in a straight line
   • Minimise wiggling to preserve the shaft angle for reference when installing the new distributor

1. Place old and new distributors side by side
2. Transfer the angle mark to the new body as a dot (not a full line — final timing will differ from the contact-point setting)
3. Rotate the new shaft to match the old shaft angle
   • ⚠️ The shaft is asymmetric (one side has a notch) — do not install 180° off
4. Install the distributor — it should slide in with little resistance if the shaft angle is well matched
   • ⚠️ If you hit a hard stop, do not force it — remove, look into the block, and realign the shaft
5. Install the 12mm bolt slightly loose (distributor should rotate with medium hand strength)
6. Connect the power cable plug

1. Change all 3 spark plugs to the newly purchased resistive plugs so we have all our new ignition components installed before timing adjustment
   • If you have a feeler gauge, check and gap the plugs to 0.7–0.8mm as they may differ due to manufacturing tolerances or shipping damage
   • If you had purchased a pack of 4, it is expected to have one left over, safekeep it as a spare
   • Inspect the original spark plugs, if they are in good condition (no structural damage, excessive wear or heavy deposits), keep them as a spare together with the contact point distributor

1. Clear all tools and debris from the engine bay
2. Start the engine with load: A/C on max cold, headlights on
   • If it won't start, check cable polarity
3. If the engine is cold and the carburetor's cold fast idle choke is functional, it will run around +1000RPM then gradually decrease to idle
   • Either expect this behaviour if tuning a cold engine, or wait for the engine to warm up and settle to idle RPM if you want a consistent baseline RPM
4. Slowly advance timing (RPM rises) until knock begins
5. Retard until knock is completely gone
6. ✅ Verify:
   1. Rev to 3000–4000 RPM — no knock
   2. Remove load (A/C, lights) — no rough idle
   3. Rev to 3000–4000 RPM again — no knock
   4. If unstable at any step, retard slightly
7. Tighten the bolt arm-tight only — do not lean body weight on it, the aluminium thread strips easily
   • Use blue Loctite if backing-out is a concern
   • A dot of RTV silicone on the mating face near the screw hole will also prevent vibration from rotating the timing adjustment
8. Draw the final angle line from engine block to distributor with the paint marker

Reference image if you lost track of the starting angle:

1. Finish any remaining heatshrinking or taping
2. Dress the cable run to minimise stress and short-circuit risk; cable-tie to existing harness or pipes
3. Final check: no tools or debris left in the engine bay