Distributor height

[Cwright99]

I have an EM cobra with a 429SCJ. My current distributor does not have vacuum advance so I am considering replacing the distributor. My issue is that I only have 7 1/4 to 7 1/2 inches to hood. My current distributor (Ford SVO Motorsports made by MSD) is 7 1/4 inches to the top of the plug wires.


Looking for suggestions on a distributor that would fit the 7 1/4 height or rebuild options to make the car more street drive able under 3000 rpm.

Thanks.

[blykins]

Adding vac advance to the distributor will not make the engine more streetable. If it has streetability issues below 3000 rpm, it is most likely a carb or camshaft issue.

[Cwright99]

Thanks for the info. To narrow down one item at a time. What would cause the carb to not run smooth below 2500 rpm. Jetting, air/fuel? I've been making adjustments, but I can't get it to to work together. I have a Holley 770 Street Avenger. I just changed he jets to 77 primary and secondary. The air/fuel is turned out 1 full turn.

[FWB]

i just got done refreshing a 429 SCJ, and if your is a stock 70-71 429SCJ
the 77 jets in the primary are probably too big, 77 -80 in the secondary is probably fine. i would be in the 72 territory for the primary.

FWIW, we changed out the aftermarket distributor for a factory ford duraspark application for a late 70's lincoln witha 460........they are lower and fine distributors for the street, they have vac advance also. they will play nice with a MSD box too

the jets, carb adjustment, plugs and their gap, all will contribute to low RPM drivability

[blykins]

How is it behaving? Bucking? Stumbling?

[Rick Parker]

MSD makes a VERY low profile distributor but it requires a crank fired mechanism to trigger the spark and a programable MSD box so the advance curve could be tailored to your specific application. Once done it would be very dependable and would allow for many tuning options.