MGB Register Forum

To me ,£30 for an electronic ignition system Iis ominously cheap. My 1977 MGB GT has a distributor rebuilt by the Distributor Doctor and fitted with Lumenition Optronic and a Lumenition ballast resistor coil.

My £30 distributor is still going strong Vic. After another 2000 miles.

I''ve had bad experiences with cheapo parts and I now always buy the best. This applies to both MG and Land Rover parts.
How come a copy carburettor for a Land Rover retails here at about £50 when it comes from China.? It was utter rubbish.
Some parts for older Land Rovers are still available from the manufacturer and parts suppliers as genuine parts. Since the Chinese lot have no interest in the history of a once revered name, no MG parts are "genuine" now and as such are very hit and miss.

I fitted a 123 electronic distributor to my friends BGT. I selected advance curve 2 which is the standard pre72 (40897) curve. I always set timing to 20 deg BTDC at 1000 rpm (vacuum disconnected), there the engine runs smoothly (avoids fluttering about). He was tickled pink with it. The car pulled well and smoothly with no pinking. The 123 does both the centrifugal and vacuum advance electronically which has to be a step forward. As said above they are expensive (circa £230 when we did this) - too much for me. I'm running a 25D distributor with Luminition magnetronic to replace the points. With a car that owns up to having done 140,000 miles its likely that the distributor bearings are quite worn so its better to have a non contacting system. Once set up you can forget having to set timing and dwell ever again. Of course, if the electronics let you down you are in trouble. I carry a spare backplate with the points already set up on there just in case. On the MGCC Midland Centre Buxton Peaks Rallye (touring assembly) earlier this year those driving modern TF's and a MINI remarked they struggled to keep up with me on the hills. My secret weapon - 3rd overdrive.
I enquired about those cheaper distributors with electronics to replace the points some have mentioned above, however the suppliers couldn't tell me what the advance curves they had so I rejected them. Likewise David Manners was selling an electronic version of the 25D distributor.

I had a disastrous experience with a 123: on my Series 3 Land Rover. Power was down despite setting it up per the book. The engine developed a misfire so I removed the 123;, contacted the supplier who told me to return it. As a stopgap I fitted a standard correct distributor with Charles Kettering's antiquated points and condenser and power was immediately restored. The 123 ""got lost" and I was refunded the purchase price which I spent on a rebuilt correct distributor by the Distributor Doctor. It was fitted with Pertronix electronic ignition and I fitted it, timed the engine by ear and all I've done to the distributor in the past 12 years is the occasional drop of oil and a new cap because the carbon brush was wearing. Even now the engine pulls strongly and climbs a nearby 1 in 7 hill in top gear.