Has anyone had any experience with Davis unified ingitions. Looking to get a new distributor. Get rid of pertronix kit nightmare. Just not sure what to buy. If this link works, heres the D.U.I. web site. Performancedistibutors.com
DUI is a good source, from what I have gathered. One point though, is that their HEI's are basically a rebuilt HEI with a high perf module and coil, and a recurved advance. You can do this yourself (like I did recently) for much less $$. I went with an Accell "Brute Thunder" coil and their top end HEI module. My $.02
In all fairness to Davis, their stuff is a bunch of things: They do not rebuild distributors, they are a new distributor manufacturer. Their parts are supposed to be all U.S. made, but this is of some dubious question, as some of their parts look EXACTLY like offshore parts, but they deny that (NO CONFIRMATION OF THIS EITHER WAY)(also understand some of their parts are made in Canada, so much for all U.S. made if this is accurate, not confirmed either). Their HEI stuff is NOT rebuilt. That said, their "DUI" stuff is NOTHING a person cannot duplicate with over the counter parts for a dead stock distributor, on a used HEI obtained from a reputable used source (garage sale, wrecking yard, swap meet), and a little sweat equity, for far less money. One change even their stuff needs (ANY large diameter, coil-in-cap HEI), is a remote mounted oil filled coil, getting rid of the junker in-cap epoxy filled coils, both stock and aftermarket. That in-cap coil trash only makes for up to 50 more undercap temps, and in a short time, loss of modules from layer shorting within the epoxy filled coil, from the added heat they produce. Get that epoxy filled coil nioghtmare OUT of the cap on any and all large cap HEI's. Also, with the in cap coils, don't rush right off and buy stock in the 50,000 volts coil stocks, they don't make any more voltage then a stock in cap coil when they get to their operating heat, and hear is resistance, resistance is loss ov voltage, simple electronics vs heat physics. My scopes show down between 22,000 and 24,000 volts when temps are up to running specs. Contraty to popular belief, Accel modules are made by the exact same people that make Echlin, Borg-Warner, Neihoff, Sorenson, Mallory, other quality modules, and even the vaunted GM 990 series modules. Next time you see one of the newer design EFI feedback Accel modules in person, feel under the sticker on the raised area, that is the GM logo under there, and it will have a dot matrix ident manufacture on the bottom, either Singapore or Hong Kong, exactly like the dead stock GM feedback modules, so they ain't so special after all, just decal'd up and priced higher. This also applies to the 4 prong standard early HEI modules Accel vends as well, nothing special at all, just a darned good module, same-same as NAPA TP45. Also, Accel just got bought away frm Dana Corporation eariler this year. Dana was owned by Echlin, whom also owned Borg-Warner, Neihoff, Sorenson, Mr. Gasket/Accel/Mallory. The new owners immediately moved the coil production from the U.S.A., to Taiwan, causing massive problems in Accel coil performance. More info on new HEI's, Pro-Form, a mainland Chinese company, builds all their own HEI distributors, vends them to places like Summit, Jeg's, PerTronix, and just about any other new low cost HEI vendors, distributors, sellers they can, and through their own distributorship here in this country. Mediocre stuff, large cap Pro-Form HEI's, brand new, complete, offered to me through a vendor in Australia this summer, with cap, coil, complete, for $52.50 each, including shipping to my door and import tarriffs, no quantity limit. Sample showed their regular mediocre product, Pro-Form labelled, sold direct out the back door of Pro-Form to further flood the HEI market, passed on them, as a lot of others did too. If you want an HEI for your Buick, do it one of two ways, used HEI, refurbish, remote coil it, or (NOT MEANT TO BE A BLATANT OR OTHERWISE ADVERTIZMENT), have me convert your stock points dist to HEI or MSD trigger, and get the right, good stuff without the hassles/costs the other stuff will bring. Sorry for the long post, but I just get irritated beyond belief when I see over-hype advertizing of products in magazine and TV ads, internet as well, just to sell something for more money than a person can do it for themselves. It's a personal honesty thing with me.
Thank for all the info. I'll be doing a little work on the ol gal in a few weeks. I think I going shoot Dave an e-mail.
Please keep this in mind, I only do small body HEI conversion into stock points distributors, I designed the small body HEI in late 1974, just when the HEI and F o r d electronic systems became available. I don't work on the large cap HEI distributors.
Dave, what i have is a pertronix conversion in my original points distr. I'm just not pleased with the performance of this unit. Hard start problems. Runs fine from 1000 rpms and up. Timing is good. Had this problem from the first crank on this engine. One way or the other I'm going to cure it this fall when I do a little work on my car. Gears, ta212, shift kit, head and intake porting, and a little detailing. I just love to spend money on my Buick.:grin:
