123 Distributor Upgrade

From the web-page of the manufacturer:

"The ignition-system in a classic car is often the source of many problems. After many years the mechanical system is worn, and replacement of the points with an optical or magnetical setup, does not make up for wear in the advance-mechanism, the shaft and bearings etc.

Well, 123ignition is different. It comes in a housing, that exactly looks like its mechanical counterpart on the outside, but that houses a lot of high-tech on the inside.

A 123ignition keeps the looks under the bonnet 'original', but makes the engine spin like a Japanese sewing-machine! Moreover : you don't have to sacrifice your mechanical distributor.

The 123\GB-4-R-V replaces most 4 cyl. Lucas-distributors for engines in Great-British (hence 'GB') cars, where the distributorshaft is turning in a CCW direction.

The unit offers 16 different advance-curves, that can be selected via a little switch. This is a great feature for easy fine-tuning your engine!

It also offers :

- vacuum-advance
- automatic dwell
- spark balancing
- automatic power cut after 1 second
- gearshift retard
- etc.etc.

Note that there are didicated 123-ignitions for Mini, MGA & MGB."

Picture from their web-page

Whereas EDIS offers an infinite number of advance curves, it downsides are:

• Does not look original under the bonnet
• More involved installation and set-up
• Requires a laptop to set the timing

However, EDIS does allow the return to normal operation if failure of the EDIS system occurs, whereas with the 123, it would take a few more minutes to switch the distributors over assuming that you carry the old unit as back-up.

Those that have fitted it report better starting and smoother running, perhaps something that would happen with a new distributor in any case, but the benefits normally associated with electronic ignition would include a better spark, but more importantly, minimal maintenance of the ignition system.

For those considering fitting this, this page includes a PDF file covering installation.

The photographs below are from Nicholas Argyrou of the MGOC: