Hey guys, need some advice on which distributor to go with. My 77 LM1 is only mildly upgraded; better 64cc 2.02 heads, high energy .468 cam and performer manifold, but the distributor is the stock 30 year old HEI unit.

Without going too crazy, and spending $300 bucks, what's a good choice for a replacement? I'd like to stay with one that looks relatively the same as my stock HEI unit too, and is a straight swap with no further mods.

Also, this replacement should be a no brainer correct? Meaning, mark where my rotor is pointing on the old distributor, pull it out, and replace it with the new one, ensuring the rotor is pointing the exact same way. Adjust my timing and enjoy the improvement.

Thanks guys.

Keep what you have if you're only a mild motor. I would go through the HEI and make sure that everything is up to snuff. The HEI is an excellent maintenance free ignition. I wouldnt change a thing.

30 year old HEIs can get worn out in ways that aren't easy to fix (worn weights and pins in the centrifugal advance mechanism comes immediately to mind). Accell makes a perfectly acceptable replacement as does Summit under their own house brand name (although the Summit unit supplies very little centrifugal advance with the supplied weights and centerplate). Both can be had for maybe $125 complete and ready to install.

But if there's nothing wrong with your current HEI there probably isn't much performance to be gained (with another HEI or ANY other ignition system).

http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88987&highlight=distributor

You might find this survey and the replied useful