Hello,

Looking for what people reccomend to replace a distributor and coil in a 78 280z.

They both need to be replaced anyway so might as well upgrade while I'm at it.

Thanks,Doug

convert to zx ignition and put in a msd blaster ss coil. both are cheap and reliable. or if you want to go hipo get a msd 6al and run it with your dist, and also get the blaster ss coil.

Alot of guys run a GM HEI distributer and coil setup. Alot of trouble for a minor increase in performance. There is also a Mallory distributor available. For normal street use, stick with the Z distributor.

What the car needs is a true capacitive discharge ignition (CD) system. I have had real good luck with the Jacobs Electronics street setup using an '83 Z distributor. Any CD system will improve the car's performance and drivability. Most of them will have an integral rev limiter. Make sure you use the same coil and CD ignition system (Jacobs with Jacobs or MSD with MSD).

All of the Z distrubutors are interchangable with the proper adapter. Go for the ones that have the ignition module attached to the distributor. ('81 on I think). Also check which module is used. Some are cheap to buy and some are impossible to find and expensive when you do.

If you want to go wild, take a look at some of the crank fired systems. They eliminate the distributor. (very pricey)

if you want the costs down just go to a pick and pull and get a dist and coil off of a 79-83 280zx with the e12-80 module. good reliable ignition for cheap.

a lot of poeple like the later zx dist with the external module, to me it's just one more part that can break, I ran a 78 dist on my N/A 240z with a msd 6T and jacobs coil, spark was never an issue and it saw 8k on a regular basis

sounds like you have more parts to break than having just a 280zx dist.