Distributor options for 3.2 with DME removed
 

Doing some project musing...

Is there a "drop-in" distr that would suit a 3.2 with the DME removed and running carbs? Looking to convert a stock 85 3.2 to early style fuel and ignition to run in classic events.

Look for a '76 Turbo distributor.

Those are breakerless units that will slip right in. I'd suggest that the advance curve be redone since they are optimized for a Turbo motor.

thanks steve

next question - are weber 40's big enough for a fairly stock 3.2 with an early exhaust setup?

40mm Webers are a bit small for a 3.2, even in a mild state of tune,...:)

46mm PMO's (LOTS of differences between those and Weber's) would be a better choice in all respects.

Please take note that I did NOT recommend 46mm Weber's.

thanks again steve

Not drop-in, but what I did for my PMO'ed SC was to send the distributor in, have it rebuilt, recurved, and converted to full mechanical advance (what you'll need).

Cost was $300.

You'll need a SC distributor to start with.

The result worked excellent.

PM me if you need to know where to get it done.

TonyG

Tony:

Remember now that your SC's distributor has a magnetic trigger in it so thats an easy thing to do,......... :)

Ryan's Carrera distributor has no trigger inside it so he must either install one (not feasible for many reasons), install a compatible one with a trigger as I suggested above, or use a crank triggered system (not recommended).

Hope this clarifies things a bit,....:)

Steve

If he's going PMO's and dumping the DME/Fuel Injection, then the simple solution is to get a SC CDI box (which sell for $100), a SC wiring harness (cheap), and a SC distributor which then can be recurved/setup properly.

I just sold a good CDI box for $100, and a fully rebuilt/recurved/converted to mechanical advance distributor for $275.


I'm new to 911 stuff for sure. But what I did with my SC worked real well, silky smooth, made 200HP to the wheels (34mm ports, 20/21 cams, PMO 40mm carbs, SSI exhaust, properly setup distributor).

What am I missing here? (seriously.. not taking jabs at you!)


TonyG

Tony:

SC distributors rotate CCW,......all other distributors rotate CW. If Ryan wants to use an SC dizzy, he must change the crank gear. :) :)

Steve

Ahhhhh Good Point!

I wonder if a SC distributor could be modified to retard instead of advance using the same curve. If so, the reversed rotation would be a non-issue.

Like I said... I'm not up on the 911 details yet.

I'll ask the guy that modifed my distributor. Probably a dead-end though.

TonyG

LOL,...Nossir, it won't do that. I have a distributor machine and have been doing such things since the mid-sixties,...:)

Steve

I don't own a distributor dyno, but I've spent countless hours using them throughout the last 20+ years.

Owning a piece of machinery doesn't make you an authority on the subject as your post would suggest.

The point was that the mechanics of the SC distributor, which I openly admit I'm not familar with, might be able to be converted to move the in the opposite direction making a SC distributor a economical solution...nothing more or nothing less.

It's really a small potatoes deal...

He could simply install the Electromotive XDi ignition system. No distributor. Fired either of a pully trigger wheel (like I just did) or off a proper flywheel. $1200 retail list price (which I could get him for substantially less though our shop) and it blows any distributor out of the water ...

TonyG

Hi Tony:

Mentioning that I have a piece of equipment wasn't my point and I apologize for the miscommunication, Sir....:)

I was only trying to point out that the SC distributor couldn't be converted to CW operation and how I arrived at that conclusion. I was also trying to convey that I was not a rookie at this,....:) :) :)

I'd also mention that there are some drawbacks to some of the current crank-fired ignitions and some are not as good as they might appear to be. In most cases, you get what you pay for.

Best Regards,

Will a 2.7S distributor work?

Thanks

Eddie

Hi Eddie:

The 2.7 unit is a point-type distributor (as you know) and could be used in Ryan's application as long as he used a compatible ignition system such as the early Bosch 3-pin CD or an MSD setup.

One could also use the 2.7 dizzy with a Pertronix (to eliminate the points) and trigger the early Bosch 3-pin CDI or an MSD system.

Actually Tony, that was my question to you days ago about the 3.0. I wanted to make sure you had kept the CCW rotation. I have a standard rotation dizzy and was just clarifying this with you before looking for other options. Just SC's and some Turbos have this quirky firing order and rotation.

Hi Luke;

The firing order is identical on all air-cooled 911's, '65-'98.

Only the distributor rotation changed in some model years.

Actually the 2.7 distributor will fit in a 3.2 engine but not properly.
I have been following this thread for awhile now and thought the correct answer was given and then things went goofy.

Let's recap.
The 3.2 distr. turns clock wise.
Sc dist. turns counter clock wise.
There is no practical way to convert the SC dist.
The 2.7 dist. turns clock wise but has the wrong size gear. You can change the gear and it will work properly but the curve is strange and it uses points (float) and small dist. cap and rotor (arc inside causing cross fires at higher rpm).

The best option as stated by Steve at the beginning is:

Look for a '76 Turbo distributor.

Those are breakerless units that will slip right in. I'd suggest that the advance curve be redone since they are optimized for a Turbo motor.
All be it that you must change the drive gear to match the 3.2 crank gear.

We have a 3.0 dist. in stock that we could recurve.
Call for price and turn around.

Yes, duh.... firing order mis stated.

I was just thinking about the wiring order in the cap, but obviously it only appears different visually since it rotates backward. Brain fade. I certainly didn't mean to blur the real data.