'Redtopping' a '79 HC, dizzy or coilpack?

[demon.dave]

Off to pick up the car tomorrow, but I have been gathering bits for a while now as i fully intend to transplant a C20XE into it.

I bought an XE engine a couple of years back an dismsntled it. The head was shot so i binned it whilst i concentrated on the bottom end. Now with that almost done, i need another head. Doing a bit of reading, i believe that when installing a redtop in a viva, you need to modify the bulk head or relocate the dizzy. Is that right?

If that is the case, would I be better off getting the head off a coilpack engine and do away with the dizzy?

Thanks guys

[pbottomley]

coilpack everytime....

[demon.dave]

coilpack everytime....

May I ask why, even though I thought this would be the answer.

Thanks

[rizzo]

my brother has a redtop in his rally car and if memory serves correctly dizzy is dumped in favour of coilpack, cuts out space issues, and makes more reliable.

[demon.dave]

Ok thanks gents. Can one head be converted to the other?

[pbottomley]

No ideas how to convert one, but if you have a dizzy then you need to start cutting the bulkhead away, seems a bit drastic when a dizzy less conversion is far far easier then getting the welder out

[chrismc]

Our Firenza came with the distributor bulkhead modification already done. It encroached into the heater space.



Luckily I have the original part to weld back in

[pbottomley]

Exactly my point, seems daft to go to all that welding and panel work, and loose a heater because one wanst to keep the dizzy and not fit a coilpack.

[demon.dave]

Ok thanks guys, that's made things a lot clearer. I'll try and source a decent coilpack head