50's distributor- 12v or 6v? dual points???

[Powerhouse]

ANyone know which 50's distribs fit in a 53 dodge truck engine...I mean if a desoto or chrysler will fit in the doge/plym block? also when did the dual points or 12v come into play?

[Plymouthy Adams]

the 12 volt came into play in 1956...on most of these cars the identification tag went from red (6 volt) to a green tag which quickly identified it as the 12 volt.

[Don Coatney]

Crashler and Desoto long blolck distributors will not work in a Dodge or

Plymouth short block engine. Dual point distributors were never an option in

Mopar flathead engines. However they were/are an aftermarket item. I am

running a dual point kit in my Desoto engine and it works very well.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Good info Don...I have nver seen one in a flattie till you posted yours but was very much aware of the fact that the early Hemi engines were dual point...now I must ask the question, can the points plate be interchanged?

[Don Coatney]

Good info Don...I have nver seen one in a flattie till you posted yours but was very much aware of the fact that the early Hemi engines were dual point...now I must ask the question, can the points plate be interchanged?

Interchanged with what? I dont understand the question.

[Plymouthy Adams]

the question was more of a ponder...would the early hemi distributor plate swap over to a flat head...the distributors appear the same physical size...not to be confused with the later large block hemi engine of front block distributor location...

I also have one of the precision ball bearing dual point distributors here for a Ford small block...was going to put it in the Tiger but opted instead for the Chrysler electronic ignition setup...set it once..set it for life...

[Don Coatney]

the question was more of a ponder...would the early hemi distributor plate swap over to a flat head......

With a little work anything can be done. My dual point setup uses early hemi points.

[greg g]

Uh I believe the big block dist will work in a short block but you must change the drive tang as the long blocks are longer. I don't think the points care what the voltage is and in most cases the resited circuit of the 12v ignition would mitigate any large difference of voltage across the points. The only caveat is that there were several different dizzys used. they have different body heights and different point locations (and points) and they require their own distributor caps. best thing to do is take the dist to the parts place and order parts by the distributor number. The advance curves are a bit different depending on the series but not enough to make a difference in a street application.

So the simple answer is yes it will work if the drive tand is the correct length for your block and you have the right parts to go into it.

[Powerhouse]

so...is there actually any advantage of the 12 volt dizzy in a 6 volt system? I heard it would give better spark and has stronger wieghts...whatever that would do?

[greg g]

Use whatever works for you, and of course your engine. I am running a distributor from a 54 Dodge pickup in my 56 engine in my 46 car.

[Don Coatney]

so...is there actually any advantage of the 12 volt dizzy in a 6 volt system? I heard it would give better spark and has stronger wieghts...whatever that would do?

The voltage on most all conventional contact point distributors is reduced to 6 volts. So a so called 12 volt distributor will not add better spark.

What will add better spark is a dual point conversion. Dwell is the ammount of time (in degrees of crankshaft rotation) that the points remain open. With dual points the dwell is increased from 35-38 degrees to 44-47 degrees. This added dwell time allows the coil to more fully saturate producing a hotter spark.

The counter weights in a distributor have nothing to do with voltage. They are strictly mechanical. Altering the spring tension on these weights will affect the distributor curve. The curve being at what RPM the mechanical advance begins and at what RPM the mechanical advance is fully in. Distributor curves are altered most offen for racing applications.

[Powerhouse]

ok...that answered it...thanks much. So I don't need the nos 12volt distrib for $150 bucks on ebay. I have a nice rebuilt 39 dodge dizzy in my 53 dodge truck engine in my 39 plymouth car....so cool that we can exchange so many parts...since they are exactly the same.

Is it possible to take the dual points plate out of a Chrysler or something mopar with dual points and put them in a flat 6 dizzy? Like a later 60's dizzy or something?? let's say a Dual Point Distributor from a 66-67 273 4 Barrel Plymouth?