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Ready to Run
Pontiac V8 Ready to Run
No Box Required — Ready to Run for Pontiac V8s
A ready to run distributor is the middle ground on a Pontiac V8: a CNC billet housing with the ignition module built inside it, so you get billet accuracy and a hot spark without hanging a CD box on the firewall. Three wires and an external coil finish the job.
Butler stocks the MSD 8528 for 301-455 with a built-in rev limiter, Top Street Performance Pro Series ready-to-run units with digital tach output, the Pertronix billet distributor with an Ignitor III module, and the Edelbrock Pro Tuner for Pro-Flo and EZ Street EFI.
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More About Ready to Run
1. What You Get and What You Still Need
The module lives under the cap. That removes the box from the shopping list but not the coil.
| MSD 8528 | Fits Pontiac 301-455 except Super Duty, with a simple three-wire hookup, a built-in module producing a 7.5 amp single spark through high rpm, an adjustable mechanical advance with supplied springs and stop bushings, a vacuum advance canister that can be locked out, and a built-in rev limiter. It is CARB E.O. approved and works with or without an MSD box. |
| TSP Pro Series | Billet body, hardened shaft on a sealed ball bearing and sintered bushing, fully adjustable mechanical advance, a non-adjustable vacuum advance, and a circuit board module with digital tach output. Shipped with bushings, springs, a vacuum advance block-off plate, a power extension cable and a tach output cable. |
| Pertronix billet | A 6061-T6 billet housing with an Ignitor III multi-spark rev limiting module, no vacuum canister, and male plug wire connectors in the cap. |
| Edelbrock Pro Tuner | A short-tooth Hall effect unit for Edelbrock Pro-Flo and EZ Street EFI systems on 326-455, with a melonized steel gear. |
| Coil | None of these include one. TSP recommends 35,000 volts or better. |
2. Shaft Size Splits This Group in Half
This is the detail that decides which gear you order, and it is not consistent across the category.
| .491" shaft | The TSP Pro Series ready-to-run units use the stock Pontiac shaft size. |
| .500" shaft | The MSD 8528 and the Pertronix billet unit use the larger aftermarket size. |
| Then match the cam | Shaft size gets you to the right family of gears. Camshaft material decides between steel, bronze and composite within that family. |
3. Wiring and Timing Setup
Two things stop a ready-to-run install cold.
| Full 12 volts | Cars originally equipped with points used a resistor or a resistor wire to limit voltage. That has to be replaced so the distributor sees a full 12 volts or more. |
| System type | These are designed for a 12-volt system with an alternator. A TSP unit is not compatible with a generator and cannot be run through a ballast resistor. |
| Curve | The supplied springs and bushings are how you set the rate and the total of the mechanical advance, and on Pontiacs that is worth the afternoon it takes. |
Butler also sells these distributors as complete kits with wires, a coil and separators if you would rather not assemble the order yourself.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.