points, or electric ignition?

[Toronado]

I have an old points distributer on my car, and every one tells me, ah points
I hate those. You have to tune them all the time and they wear out, get an electronic ignition conversion.
So my question is an electronic ignition all that much better, or only a small improvement.
They average from a 100$ and up and they claim to do every thing but clean your car, they claim to improve starting, idle, high rpm performance, improved gas mileage, sounds impressive.
But is it all true, I heard that they do help starting, but my car starts well already with its points distributer, and whats the difference between an electronic ignition kit that goes in the dist cap, and a msd unit that sits outside of the dist? I have ran MSD 6al in other car i've owned with little to no performance or gas mileage improvement it started faster,
and they are not cheap. The electric ign. kits Im looking at are the Petronix 2 kit.

[Schurkey]

SOME electronic ignitions can produce additional spark voltage/current/duration.  IF (big IF) you are having misfire problems due to insufficient spark, one of these ignitions might make the engine run better.  If you are NOT having misfire problems; there will be zero improvement due to having more available spark energy.

Other electronic ignition systems offer NO improvement in spark energy; using one does nothing but eliminate points replacement and dwell/timing change due to wear at the points rubbing block.

My first choice for an electronic ignition is to drop-in a complete GM HEI from a newer vehicle.   The desirable units were installed from '74 (mid-year) until approximately 1980.  The defining characteristics are that they have a vacuum advance on the side; and a 4-pin module inside.  Vacuum advance and 5-pin module is not nearly so useful unless you're seriously into playing around with your timing.  7- and 8-pin modules will not be in a distributor with a vacuum advance; they're out unless you want full computer control of your timing.

If this is going into an early Toronado, however, you'll also need a Toronado air cleaner from the donor vehicle you're getting the distributor from--again, '74--'77 would probably be best.  The Toronado air cleaner has an offset to the rear for hood clearance; but then it has to be formed to fit around the big-diameter HEI unit.  A stock air cleaner for an early Toro will interfere with the bigger distributor.

That is the direction I went on MY '66 Toro.  Works great, does not look "stock" but it's all OEM parts--just from a different year.

IF you install a complete distributor rather than a conversion kit for your present distributor, the new distributor may have different vacuum or centrifugal advance curves.  Depending on the curve, the engine may respond better--or worse--to the new distributor based on the ignition timing the advance curve generates.

ANY distributor should be curved to the vehicle's needs--including the stock one.

[slicer87]

 I read somewhere thy did a test and found points make more power but only a little. For something I drive everyday I rather have electronic ignition so I do not have the hassle of points.

[Toronado]

Thanks for responses,
I also heard that if I add the electronic unit
like petronix that i can increase my pulg
gap making for more efficient fuel burn.
The factory gap of .30 seems like
a little spark size? Since its old I want a good
powerful spark to prevent fouling and increase
performance, Im running platinum plugs with new set poits wires and high end
coil, they help but allways looking for that edge, I ran
6al msd on other cars with minimal improvement so im not going that way.
Petronix is close to best choose that i can find, hei would be good also.
Im looking to  have 50,000v or more available, instead of the points at
a much lower volt output.