60Patrol

hey guys, here is a site you might find interesting: http://www.emi.cc/hpv.htm This is the site of electromotive engine management systems. Alot of the import guys who want to build the ultimate machine use these peoples stuff. You can get kits that control only your ignition or ones that control ignition and fuel injection. We don't have to worry about the latter, unless someone gets real ambitious. The way they work, i believe, is that they use a crank angle sensor that can read the teeth of a sprocket looking thing you mount on the front of your driveshaft. Probably the hardest part of setting a system up like this would be getting the sensor mounted to your engine. Anyhow, this sensor relays information to a micrprocessor which controls the spark from the coils. This bypasses your traditional distrubutor and you could then remove the entire thing (old distributor). Most new cars use a system similar to this i think. Anyhow, that would be pretty trick. Only problem I can think of is that the sensor might get wet when fording a river and might cease to work. Also, these sytems are quite expensive I believe. Just an idea. Also, I am sure that Nissan must have made an electronic distributor for the model P engine because it was put in some of the later model mq patrols after 1980. To have a distributor with points after 1980 would have been really archaic. Another thing you guys might want to check out is Z cars, 810's and early maximas. These are the only straight sixes that nissan sold here (US) other than the patrol. Any z after 1975 should have electronic ignition and all 810's and maximas should also have electronic ignition. 280zx's are showing up like crazy in junkyards, so maybe one of you might want to yank a distributor off of one and see what gives. anyways hope these ideas keep your wheels turning.dav

The coil pack system works really well if you can set it up right. Toyota uses a similar system using a crank position sensor and coils for eack plug. As for using a dissy out of a Z or anything else with the "L" series engine will not work. The drive is different as the "P" motor runs directly of the cam and the "L" runs diagonal on the front of the motor and has a different oil pump drive and housing. You may be able to gut the newer dissy and put the internals in the old housing but will it fire at the right times. Belive it or not but Nissan in all their wisdom still ran points in the Patrols up untill the Y60 or GQ model. Hows that with keeping up?? Darren.