Denhamt1983 Posted February 5, 2022 Report Share Posted February 5, 2022 I recently acquired a 1980 510 wagon from a family member, but need some advice on getting it running again. The radiator went out while driving on the interstate a few years ago, causing a serious overheat and warping the original head. The previous owner couldn't find a single spark plug Z20 head to replace it with, so he used a dual plug Z20 head under the advice that that all he needed to complete the conversion would be a dual plug distributor. I know it will also need a second coil and the related wiring fabbed up, but is there anything else I don't know about that's needed to complete the retrofit? Also, would I just be better off leaving the original single spark ignition intact and just running one bank of spark plugs? Thanks in advance, really want this survivor back on the road! Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 5, 2022 Report Share Posted February 5, 2022 Just fill the exhaust side holes with old plugs that are along for the ride. Later, if you get a deal on the later dual plug distributor and find a second coil connect it up. The new timing will be around 5 degrees BTDC because the dual ignition points drastically shortens the burn time, the spark needs to be later. Quote Link to comment
Denhamt1983 Posted February 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2022 Sweet, thank you! The previous owner had basically done all you described, just never got to attempt to crank it up like that due to a massive stroke cutting his tinkering days short 😔 good to know it will run with just one bank, tho, drastically cuts down on initial expenses getting her back on the road 😎 my wife's grandfather was the original owner, and it's gonna be her daily driver. One more question, is 5° BTDC going to be the timing with just one bank, or is that just if I add the second bank in? I believe stock timing is 9° BTDC, right? Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted February 5, 2022 Report Share Posted February 5, 2022 1 hour ago, datzenmike said: The new timing will be around 5 degrees BTDC because the dual ignition points drastically shortens the burn time, the spark needs to be later. 9 degrees for single plug sounds about right. Quote Link to comment
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