Cancobra Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 I recall reading somewhere on this forum that a distributor from a MG is interchangeable with the one in my 1300. If true does anyone know which MG one fits? Is it a simple bolt in? 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted May 19, 2021 Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Wayno might know. Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted May 20, 2021 Report Share Posted May 20, 2021 (edited) Yes they will bolt right in, it would likely be a lot easier if you use the MG mount bracket also, that way you can put #1 distributor post/wire where you want it. I put a MG Midget distributor in my 320 with an E1 block(which is the same as the J13) that had a crane ignition system that I was able to wire positive ground and have it work with the stock generator in the 320, the MG Midget or early MGB distributors are the same as the early Datsun engines. I started this thread about this subject. I also made a plate so I could bolt a 5 speed to the E1/J13-15 engine, there are 2 guys running around with 5 speeds in their 411 cars with J13 engines. Edited May 20, 2021 by wayno 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Cancobra Posted May 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2021 Thanks I appreciate the response and guidance. Is there a specific distributor from a MG or are they all pretty well the same units. I am assuming a B or Midget. 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted May 25, 2021 Report Share Posted May 25, 2021 I always looked for MG Midget distributors as I knew they fit as I had an MG Midget engine in my garage and when I went to part it out as no one wanted to buy it when I pulled the distributor I looked at it for a long time, I really could not believe what I was seeing, it looked exactly like my Datsun 320 distributor, I had just made up a matchbox distributor for my 320 but it would only work negative ground and my truck was positive ground, this distributor was set up with a Crane electronic ignition wired negative ground so I pulled the distributor out of the 320 right there, wired it for negative ground(bypassed all 320 wiring), got in and it started better than it had the entire time I have owned the truck, later I read some literature about the Crane ignition system and read it could be wired positive ground and the rest is history. I believe that I learned about what they would fit on ebay, the sellers would say what that distributor would fit, I took their word for it as I know very little about MGs, I was focused on positive ground as I knew the matchbox could be fitted with the early distributor drives/key from the 320 E1/J13 distributors, but it was way easier to use the Datsun 320/MG distributor clamp as the J13 clamp needs to be modified to work on the matchbox distributor, the MG clamp works the best. If you were able to find a 1978 thru 1980 Matchbox distributor you can make that fit with a MG Midget clamp and the key drive on your old J13 distributor, it is easy to do, but the MG Midget distributor will work also with the MG clamp. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
yenpit Posted May 25, 2021 Report Share Posted May 25, 2021 On 5/24/2021 at 2:37 PM, Cancobra said: Thanks I appreciate the response and guidance. Is there a specific distributor from a MG or are they all pretty well the same units. I am assuming a B or Midget. Was in British parts for 30++ years. If wayno says MG Midget or MGB, then you want a Lucas 25D distributor, used from around 1959-1974. Differences are in the vac advance units & the centrifical advance curves. There are two styles of distributor caps, but they interchange. If you want something set up for you, contact Jeff at Advanced Distributors. He started out doing British & he got into Datsun stuff, so he should know exactly what you want/need! He can set up as points or electronic. Tell him TJ sent ya!! 😎 1 Quote Link to comment
Stoffregen Motorsports Posted June 24, 2021 Report Share Posted June 24, 2021 Mallory also sells a dual point with or without vacuum advance as a Lucas replacement. I have a non-vacuum advance Mallory for my Sprite race car that I am modifying to use an MSD pickup. 1 Quote Link to comment
yenpit Posted June 29, 2021 Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 Another choice is from 123distributor. They are NOT cheap, but you install & plug into your computer to dial in. We have used a couple in some vintage race cars.........VERY COOL technology! 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted June 29, 2021 Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 How long has 123 been in business? Are parts readily available? What is the expected life of the 123 system? Quote Link to comment
yenpit Posted June 29, 2021 Report Share Posted June 29, 2021 15 minutes ago, Charlie69 said: How long has 123 been in business? Are parts readily available? What is the expected life of the 123 system? Pulled off of their website! They are today's electronic technology, so hopefully long term & NOT "planned obsolescence" like TV's, computers etc etc! 😒 How it all started 123ignition has been active in the field of classic cars for more than 15 years and through this became a respected brand. The company started in 1992 and from 2001 fully focused on electronic ignition systems. The first prototype ignition was born out of passion a couple of years before. A project was started to provide an electronic ignition for a Citroën 2CV. This turned out to be such a great success that the project was turned into a product. Meanwhile, the assortment expanded more and more, and we can now offer a suitable product for many old timers. 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 Still does not address availability of parts. Is the manufacturer the only place to get parts if needed or can you go to a local parts house and order or even pickup the parts. What I look at when I buy specialty parts is parts availability say 5 years down the road. There have been many times in the past when I have purchase a specialty product and a year later found out there is no availability of parts, rendering the expensive specialty product useless. Quote Link to comment
Crashtd420 Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 5 hours ago, Charlie69 said: Still does not address availability of parts. Is the manufacturer the only place to get parts if needed or can you go to a local parts house and order or even pickup the parts. What I look at when I buy specialty parts is parts availability say 5 years down the road. There have been many times in the past when I have purchase a specialty product and a year later found out there is no availability of parts, rendering the expensive specialty product useless. I have been using one for I think 4 years now and they are extremely well built units.. As far as parts you can't really buy anything anywhere other then from them.... The only thing I was able to trace was a replacement for was the distributor cap..... the rotor that matches the cap is just slightly different and didnt fit properly... I would recommend ordering a spare rotor if you purchased one of these distributors, the shipping for just one rotor was more than the rotor.... I ordered 2 afterwards so it was worth the cost of shipping.... The only other thing I ever had an issue with was the bluetooth connection, but i think It was a problem with the app so that seems better now after some updates... when I purchased mine I believe the android app was still being developed verse the apple app that was already out.... There tech support and sales guys are really helpful and great to deal with if you need to .... I do think it's a little overkill for a stock motor though for the money but it is a quality unit... remember you have to program your mechanical ignition curve and the vacuum.... they give some basic tunes but thats as far as that goes, you will definitely have to make adjustments to the needs of your motor.... 1 Quote Link to comment
Crashtd420 Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 After all that I looked up 123 ignition and it doesnt look like they have the 4cyl version anymore... I only seen one available for datsun and it's for the 6cyl z cars..... Probably didnt sell enough 4cyl versions to keep producing.... 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 Thank you Crashtd420. Sounds like it is a shame they do not produce the 4 cylinder model. Does this mean that you can not get the cap and rotor for your 4 cylinder model or are these parts still available? Quote Link to comment
Crashtd420 Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Charlie69 said: Thank you Crashtd420. Sounds like it is a shame they do not produce the 4 cylinder model. Does this mean that you can not get the cap and rotor for your 4 cylinder model or are these parts still available? I'm not sure at this point, I only looked quickly... I might email them to see what's up.... like i said the guy you talk to there is awesome.... As I have said I crossreferenced it all pretty extensively and you can get the cap anywhere, I even bough a cap from bmw just trying to get a better quality one.... so the cap isn't really an issue.... The rotor is, I have 3 .. 1 used, 1 new and the one I'm using.... Only reason i figured the caps out and why i have 3 rotors is I was chasing a missfire which ended up being a fuel issue... go figure.... I hope they would still service it if the day ever came.... Edited June 30, 2021 by Crashtd420 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 By the way the J13/15 engines distributor is different ten an L Motor distributor. I believe the E1 and J13 have the same distributors. I believe Mike Klotz retrofitted a matchbox to fit an E1 engine. Quote Link to comment
chukar Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 I see a couple options available from 123ignition. I don't have any experience with them but I remember reading some negative reviews. Maybe they have fixed the issue? https://123ignitionusa.com/datsun/ 1 Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 I saw the price and didn't go any further. The J13 ain't no rocket ship, points are way good enough for it. Mrbigtankers like expensive stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment
Crashtd420 Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 9 hours ago, chukar said: I see a couple options available from 123ignition. I don't have any experience with them but I remember reading some negative reviews. Maybe they have fixed the issue? https://123ignitionusa.com/datsun/ That makes me feel better, not sure where I was looking now.... 1 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 Check With Mike Klotz I believe he converted a Lmotor matchbox distributor to an E! engine that I believe uses the same distributor as the J13.. And Wayno ibeliev uses MG distributors in the Datsun engine. The J13 and a MG engine are real close to the same. You might also find info here, scroll through. J13 Engine after market parts and all other 520 521 cross over parts with MG also 1 Quote Link to comment
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