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Custom Distributor .. mashup?

Austin

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I want to add all the tech to an old ass motor, specifically Holly Sniper EFI system. Adding their distributors, according to the YouTubes reviews, seems to be a big help when adding blow through turbos.

They don't make a distributor for my application, so my newb question is .... can I, in rough terms, cut the shaft from another inline 6 application and weld it to the bottom what that works with my engine? Seems the bottom is just the housing with a shaft inside. From what I've look at there doesn't seem to be a gear reduction or anything like that so I'm assuming all distributors have a 1:1 ratio from the bottom gear through the top.

My distributor:
DSC01542-600x337.jpg


A 6cyl EFI distributor:
565-30018143.jpg



Anybody try cutting and welding distributor shafts like that?
 
seems like it would work in lines with your thinking? Warping might be a concern. I'm not a engine guy though.
 
I can picture those ... are they universal?
I mean, you have to make the sensor mount and manage to tie the toothed wheel to the crank pulley soooo, in a sense, yeah

AR402DM-Medium.jpg
 
I mean, you have to make the sensor mount and manage to tie the toothed wheel to the crank pulley soooo, in a sense, yeah
How well do those work for offroad rigs? Dust, mud ... water crossings?

Edit: either way, I don't see those available for Holley's EFI system
 
I mean... cutting a dual sync in half and trying to line it up sounds like more problematic than that.

And it's all "custom" stuff. You won't get that in a kit ready to bolt in a Holley. Gonna have to wire it and program it yourself.

Probably not the right deal for you.
 
How well do those work for offroad rigs? Dust, mud ... water crossings?

Edit: either way, I don't see those available for Holley's EFI system
can the holly efi timing be ran from a trigger wire? I think that is what this kind of setup would be called, if it works on a LS style system it should work here just have a different input from a distributor.
 
The VR sensor is the least of your concerns here. It will tolerate the teeth being out of plane and the tooth to sensor distance changing over the course of a rotation far more than the bushings in the distributor and the oil pump drive engagement will tolerate a shaft that's bent that much.

I see no problem with your cut-n-weld so long as you true up the shaft afterwards.

External tone ring with a VR sensor is pretty damn reliable. All the OEMs run it. It DGAF about water crossings any more than any other sensor would.
 

These guys might be able to help, they make a modern style distributor for that engine
 
Pretty cool but no output usable for a Sniper. Holley pretty much locks you in their product line. unless you do some custom shit like pictured above.

Austin There is nothing preventing you to run a Sniper for the fueling only with no ignition control and keep running the factory system. But here is some more info on what I was suggesting to do : Adding a camshaft position sensor and a crankshaft position sensor to an older engine

Holley has some stuff too : Holley EFI 556-113 Holley EFI Crank Trigger System - BBC
But I'm not sure the Sniper accepts a 36-1 wheel. It seems to me it's a 60-2 or a 4x.

More info here, you can do some digging if you're interested Trigger Wheel Settings

Some Sniper relevant info : Demystifying Holley Terminator and Sniper Ignition Hookup





I'm not super knowledgeable about Snipers in particular (I'm more of a Terminator / HP / Dominator guy), so make sure to do some good digging, but there definintely is a way to get rid of your distributor all together.
 
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Austin There is nothing preventing you to run a Sniper for the fueling only with no ignition control and keep running the factory system.
Yes, should be able to use points style or other distributor. Even if you want to use Sniper timing control, just lock out mechanical advance and done.

No need for a holley distributor. I run a duraspark just for the mag pickup.

The distributor triggers the sniper so it knows the engine RPM. The sniper then triggers the coil, not the distributor. If Sniper controls timing, it just delays the signal to coil as needed.
 
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There is nothing preventing you to run a Sniper for the fueling only with no ignition control and keep running the factory system.
Right, I went down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos and what I liked was the cold weather and boost control it provided. Thats the biggest reason to move away from my propane setup. Once the engine is back in place the distributor is a real PIA to adjust, could be why it never felt 100% with my propane setup.

the distributor triggers the sniper so it knows the engine RPM. The sniper then triggers the coil, not the distributor. If Sniper controls timing, it just delays the signal to coil as needed.
:confused: I don't think I'm getting that .... how does the coil send spark to multiple cylinders?
 
Bebop I've only seen a crankshaft positioner on a track type car. Do they continue to work when playing in mud or in water?
 
Bebop I've only seen a crankshaft positioner on a track type car. Do they continue to work when playing in mud or in water?
Yes. Mud and water has nothing to do with magnetic field. The same sensors are internal in a more modern engine and are bathing in oil at 250 degrees all day.

arse_sidewards is 100% correct.

If you mash it against a rock, of course it won't work very well after that.

/https://data.irate4x4.com/assets/smilies/confused.gif I don't think I'm getting that .... how does the coil send spark to multiple cylinders?

Use the stock distributor, lock the advance system, set spark at 34 degree (I think, or wherever the ECU wants, see instructions) then the ECU will send the spark signal to the coil whenever the spark should happen.
 
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Right, I went down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos and what I liked was the cold weather and boost control it provided. Thats the biggest reason to move away from my propane setup. Once the engine is back in place the distributor is a real PIA to adjust, could be why it never felt 100% with my propane setup.


:confused: I don't think I'm getting that .... how does the coil send spark to multiple cylinders?
The distributor can only send spark to one cylinder at a time not multiple even with 'MSD' box.
There is only one 'trigger' per cylinder fire. The MSD box (or sniper or EFI names on the same thing) then does multiple spark discharge (aka MSD) only at lower RPMs where there is available time to do repeated charge discharge cycles of coil.

Hope this helps.
 
Also the sniper doesn't do individual timing control of each cylinder, it just adjusts base timing like the mechanical/vac advance would, by electrically delaying trigger to coil. Nor does it time the fuel injectors, so it doesn't know or care about individual cylinders. It does not know firing order.
 
The distributor can only send spark to one cylinder at a time not multiple even with 'MSD' box.
There is only one 'trigger' per cylinder fire. The MSD box (or sniper or EFI names on the same thing) then does multiple spark discharge (aka MSD) only at lower RPMs where there is available time to do repeated charge discharge cycles of coil.

Hope this helps.
Also the sniper doesn't do individual timing control of each cylinder, it just adjusts base timing like the mechanical/vac advance would, by electrically delaying trigger to coil. Nor does it time the fuel injectors, so it doesn't know or care about individual cylinders. It does not know firing order.
That helped, and the coffee has kicked in. :cool:cool

When you said the it triggers the coil, not the distributor I was picturing no wires out of the distributor and all going to the coil. :homer:
 
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