Electronic Ignition Control Units

[jmortensen]

I don't think wiring a E12-80 distributor into a 75-78 would be that hard. I think you'd just pull the distributor and install the new one, get rid of the old module, then wire the E12-80 just the same way you do in a 240. Easy.

There might be issues with the tach, but I thought they got rid of the funky tach wiring with the 280 as well, so that also wouldn't be an issue. That's what I seem to remember anyway.

The 280Z distributor has one sensor and a trigger wheel. From my limited experience I think this is fairly similar to the Pertronix setup for the 240 distributor. I think the ZX system is better in that the stator sits all the way around the reluctor. I had a friend once at an autox who had his 510 die out of the blue after a run. Turned out the sensor had vibrated loose and had hit the reluctor and knocked the gap between the two way out of spec. On the ZX distributor the vacuum advance fails and this can cause the stator and reluctor to hit each other as well, but if the vacuum advance is in good condition or if it is completely disabled and immobilized then the gap remains consistent and the possibility of failure is lessened.

So basically if you have a good condition Z and good condition ZX distributor I believe the ZX to be the more reliable design.

[sblake01]

I've never had any problems with my 280Z distributor in the 9+ years I've had the car.

[jmortensen]

No doubt we are splitting hairs, plus the E12-80 has the crappy vacuum advance mech which is almost guaranteed broken. I don't know about the 280Z vacuum advance, but I haven't heard complaints.

One other hair to be split is the mech advance curve. IIRC the 280Z has a curve similar to the 240, so that would be another gnat's arse of an advantage to the ZX if someone were inclined towards racing.