Specifically is there a difference between a 1275 distributor, and a 998 for example? Can they be physically swapped? I am finishing parting out a 93 Mayfair, and am on the fence about whether to take the distributor or not. I have pulled the full harness, except for the sump drain plug (auto is electrical, low level light maybe?).

 

DIstributors are different from A series to A+ series motors.

The advance curves are different between engine displacements also.

 

Trying to figure out if I should grab the distributor or not because its electronic ignition.

 

what exactly is the difference between A and A+ series motors? i hear that they are pretty similar except for the A+ being more powerful

 

Not sure what this means exactly, but there IS a difference based on the year and model of your Mini.

The stock distributer on the non-injected Mini (not sure if this applied to SPI or MPI models) was a standard condenser-type with points. Fairly reliable and not too difficult to service if you burned out a point, but less reliable than the more modern electronic-type ignition. there are multiple reports from people that put in the Petronix ignition kit and used it without issue for 10-15 years or more, with never a re-timing adjustment needed. That's awesome, and much more convenient than carrying around replacement points all the time just in case you break down beside the road IMHO.

Minimania sells several kits for various distributors - the electronic module sits inside the stock cap and replaces the mechanical assembly, so there's no black box to have to hide. I called Minimania and told them the make and model of my Mini (a '92 Mini Sprite in my case) and they ID'd the right Petronix kit and replacement coil for my car - just give them a ring, tell them what you have and they can suggest the right part(s) for your model of distributor.

It's not too expensive an upgrade to go electronic - the Petronix kit is about $100-$120 and an upgraded coil is usually less than $50. You'll need to have the car re-timed after installing the electronic ignition as well, but I heear that's not too difficult a job if you know how to do it or have access to someone with those skills.

 

The car it came out of is a 93 Mayfair 1275 carb'd Auto, the car I am keeping and working on is a 78 pickup with a 850 4 speed, soon to be converted to a 1100 4 speed. I have removed the entire harness and components from the donor vehicle. I just wasnt sure if I could use the entire distributor, or pieces of it to convert another distributor to electronic on stock parts (i.e. saving my broke a$$ some money). Not really broke, just about to dump a lot of money into the truck to bring it up to a nice quality ride.