Okay. I bought a Pertonix unit for my '71 1.7L 914. I like these units and have had great luck with them in the past. Tonight I popped off the distributor cap and removed the condenser and points. I'm looking at a not-so-clean circular plate underneath, along with what looks to be a copper solder wick-style mesh wire that was perhaps once soldered to the plate. It isn't now. It looks like someone has tried to solder it down before because the end has an ugly glob of solder on it.

Does it matter? If I'm installed the Petronix unit, then there no need for (what I'm guessing) is breaker or points ground wire? I'm hesitant to move any further until I know what's up.

Thank you all kindly.

You need the breaker plate, it is what moves to give you advance and retard.

I don't recall any extra ground wires on the Pertronix, so I do think you need the ground braid. It comes standard with a new breaker plate. I believe you can use the one from a Type III or maybe even a Bug. The Cap'n knows for sure, he's told me more times than I can count what the part number is...

--DD

AA has repro plates for about $30.

You shouldn't need the braided ground wire. Clean the plate in the dist. and make sure there is no solder on it so the Igintor plate sits flat. As far as I know the Ignitor doesn't need to be grounded to the plate. The two wires on it is all it needs. Be sure the plate avances like it should.

I run pertronix in my 74 2.0 fuel injected. My ground wire on the advance plate broke and I could get no power above 3000 RPM. Replaced the plate with a new one from AA and that fixed the problem. My experience says you will need it.

I think you need it. They are grounded through the wire in the base of the pertronix. The other ground wire off the pertronix is the coil switch ground.

Heh.

Huh.

Meh.

Geez.

I pulled the distributor (which I've never done before on this car) and made an unpleasant discovery. The vacuum advance doesn't work because the breaker plate is so gunked up and rusty that it can barely move. I've been looking up and down for an answer to why the car decelerates rapidly and jerky. Maybe this is it. I've been following the rebuild thread elsewhere in the forums, but some part of me wonders if I shouldn't just replace it with a new unit.

Pelican shows that these are no longer available. Aren't these just a plain-jane VW-style distributor? Are they really so difficult to find new?

Thanks again.

Are you injected or running carbs? If you are still running the fuel injection you need the fuel injection "points", "contacts", whatever they are called...to fire the injection. They are located in the lower half of the distributer. If you are running carbs then a think you can use another dizzy but the advance curve may not match 100%. Others will know more for sure.

It's a bone-stock 1.7L D-jet fuel injected motor. I looked at the Mallory, but I've seen some say that it doesn't work with D-Jet. Never mind that spending $400+ on a distributor is unacceptable. I spent $300 each on my DUI/HEI high output dizzy/coil unit for my two hotrods, so I just can't get myself to spend $400-$450 on something like the Mallory. Its pretty much just a very clean driver and weekend escape car. It will never see a track.