ok so got my ute back from the clutch shop (spigot bearing had destroyed itself) the car is driving a bit better but still falls on its face at that 4500rpm mark, im going to have a look at the dizzy as rallytwit said.. what exactly should i be looking for? how much is too much shaft slop?

is it easier to replace the dizzy or the parts? (sorry never had to pull one apart before)

I wouldn't pull the distributor apart.

Rallytwit said:
Quote:Yes, remove the distributor cap and look. Wiggle the shaft (the rotor) back and forth -- it should have NO play in it. If you rotate it back and forth, it will have some play normally. And if you pull it up and push it down it may have a little play


Quote:Too much advance can cause that. Check the spark timing to see if it is set to 5-7 degrees BTDC

see Ignition Timing

Not sure if this would result in your symptoms, but I just had a 60a 5-speed installed behind my a12 in my ute - We needed to use a combination of the different clutch, flywheel and throw out bearing from the a14 and the a12. (Luckily I have an a14 ready to go in soon) The gap between them was too great for the clutch to disengage fully using the a12 flywheel/clutch combo, and then needed the shorter bearing carrier - maybe your clutch isn't engaging properly?
Especially since you said you can free-rev it easily??

The check for that is easy: use pinky finger to push on clutch pedal. Normal play in the pedal is 1", less than 5mm is also a problem

The clutch pressure plate & disc are the same 56 and 60 series, however the flywheel & throwout bearing sleeve combos differ. The wrong combo can prevent engagement or it can prevent disenagagement. See Release Bearing Combos

Hi RockOn, im sure it not the clutch set up, because all the issues i was having with it in that respect are gone, dont get me wrong, it was a major headache and i was certain that it was limiting the engine some how but its not.. at least now it shifts smooth as silk haha

i did free rev it all the way out once but the problem sort of comes and goes, especially if i leave it in gear from low rpm and drive it through the rev range (worst in 3rd)

cheers ddgonzal, ill have a check of the dizzy when i get some time and daylight, is it worth marking the outside of the cap to the body so i don't put it back on crooked?

once ive got all this fixed i think im going to look into upgrading the whole ignition system, ive heard putting the work into the spark side helps a lot on dead cold starts also

The cap only goes on one way. Marking it won't help prevent getting it crooked, but making sure it is seated properly will. If you can get both clips on, then it's not crooked

Changing to electronic ignition won't help starting or power compared to a properly adjusted points ignition. So start by making sure it is properly adjusted (both initial timing, and using correct points gap). The gap wears during normal use, so it must be adjusted every so often and points replaced

it already has an electronic dizzy, i meant upgrading to something that can be mapped on a computer

so i had a look at the dizzy, small amount of shaft play when pulled up and down and next to nothing when stationary, the points inside the cap look well worn tho.. ill try and upload a picture

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Looks like the carbon button is missing from the middle, if it is it's surprising it runs at all!

here is 2 other pics to help clear it all up

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