sheikman

Looking for some info....
I have a Thunderbolt electronic dist. ing system
The advance is 24Degrees.
Can I use this system on my 540 ?
Full advance is at 34 degrees according to my dyno specs
The distributor came of a 454mag gen IV block.
If not, what is a good distributor that I should be using

Thanks
Sheikman

KCHOTBOAT

I use my stock dist. from a 7.4 on my 540. It has the rev. limiter set at 5100.

TomR

You could use it, although depending on your cam it may not allow you to run enough initial advance for smoothe idle, without running too much total advance. There isn't any adjustment in the thunderbolt system.
I would recommend the Davis Unified Ignition by Performance Distributors.
I have a buddy that put it in his 540 ci and it has worked out great! In fact I just got one for my 502.
They set the advance in the distributor for your motor based on cam etc.
It is a nice compact set up, the coil and module part of the distributor. Two wires is all that feeds your whole ignition.
The best part is the coil puts out over 50,000 volts allowing you to run .055 plug gap.
The system is USCG approved for marine use. I only paid a little over $300. for it.

KCHOTBOAT

Tom
Where did you but it? I may have try one.

TomR

KCHOTBOAT,
I bought it direct from Performance Distributors. I got the info on the web and then had them send me a catalog. I called to order and after talking to the tech and deciding how I wanted it set up, I gave them the order. I had it in less than a week!
You can find them on the web:
www.performancedistributors.com.
I had mine set up with 22degrees in the distributor with all the advance in by 3000rpm. This will allow me to run initial around 10-12 with the total advance of 32-34 degrees. With the hotter spark the motor should idle great and be very responsive under acceleration.
You even get to choose what color cap you want!

Mbam

Sheikman,

The advance is controlled by the ignition amplifier so your distributor will work OK. You just need to change the module to get the curve you want (assuming you want to stay with the Tbolt). There was a thread recently.