Hi, just thought I’d share this with you guys and see if anyone has had similar experiences…

My 312 (.030 over with ported ECZ-C heads, Ford ECZ 9425B intake, mild cam (270/.423"), B/G 575 speed demon carb) has a dual-point YH Mallory distributor I bought new from Concours Parts a couple years back: the overall dwell is at 32, the advance adjustment plate is set for maximum allowable advance of 26 degrees. I bought the advance spring kit from Mallory and after much testing I set the advance curve spring combination (1 purple + 1 pink if you’re familiar with these) for quick advance response. OK, fine. The car runs good, however the points of course need regular adjustment, and overall the car is still kind of lopey as it accelerates off the low end.

The other thing is, this distributor has gone through several condensers pretty quick, which isn’t that big a deal in itself unless you get stuck on the side of the road like I did a while ago and not know exactly why. In trying to isolate the problem I replaced the still-pretty-new condenser that was on the distrib with a new-in-box replacement Mallory condenser, figuring I was safe and could then move on to check other issues. Wrong. Little did I realize BOTH new Mallory condensers were defective out of the box. Car would run for a while, sometimes ten minutes, sometimes an hour, then die. Sometimes it would restart after a few minutes, sometimes not. I had a heck of a time trying to identify the source and was getting frustrated. When, as a shot in the dark, I slapped on an old Echlin condenser that I had lying around from a Ford truck, the car immediately ran reliably.

I went on the Internet and found I wasn’t alone. I read where a couple years back Mallory had a problem with their condenser supplier and reportedly about 25,000 condensers were delivered defective, but as they had both been installed on new units and also been sold as replacement parts, Mallory couldn’t pull the faulty condensers off the market. They didn’t publicize this, but the place I talked to agreed to send replacement condensers rather than hear you make a stink. Still, you don't know if they are reliable.

Not only that, but I also read that in general today’s Mallory distributors are known to eat up condensers regularly--whether they’re Mallory condensers or other types. Heat can be one culprit, and I guess another can be the mixing and matching people do when they combine aftermarket or performance distributors, coils, etc. Because my wife drives this car sometimes, I want to head off the problems before they happen, especially if it’s only a $6 condenser we’re talking about.

So…I plan to avoid using the modern Mallory condensors. I do have an old "brass" Mallory condenser from a used Mallory YC distributor from about 1960. These are somewhat rare and I have read where some people feel they are much more dependable. Is this a good idea? I'd have to make up a new bracket. But is it really important, as I have read, to match condenser/distrib in terms of manufacturer? Or, I could just run down to the store and buy a couple of Echlin or Accel condensers. Small issues I realize, but I wanted to know if anyone here has any insight.

I am also thinking of mounting the condenser somewhere else to try to avoid heat. Will the resulting longer pigtail affect the electrical value of the condenser?

Or, should I consider Pertronix? That's supposed to deliver better performance, but I have heard both success stories and horror stories. What have your experiences been? I'd like to know.

Thanks, Joe