[Michael Mayben]

Here is a pair of virtually identical Holley/IH aluminum distributors, both originally equipped with breaker points.

The one on the left is a typical "A-1 Cardone" remanufactured unit. These are usually high quality remans and many times include a NEW vacuum advance can. However, they use a media blasting process to clean the cores which usually obliterates the identification/part numbers on the boss under the cap retainer spring. That's the case here, though sometimes with some careful work with a magnifying glass and Dykem, the p/n can be brought out.

The unit on the right is one of my own reconditioned Holley units, did that one yesterday. It will be converted to either a Crane XR3000 optical trigger system or a Pertronix trigger, depending upon who's motor it ends up sparkin'. I don't run points in any distributor anymore EXCEPT the one on the left. It's my "dead dawg recovery" distributor and gets stuck in any dead dawg IH crapball I may need to "make run" in an emergency in order to load onna trailer or move around a lot.

These distributors were OEM with a "female" terminal-type cap. The cap and the shape of the vacuum advance can is completely different as compared to a Prestolite unit, which makes for the primary identification notes. And a breaker point Holley will have ONLY ONE WIRE from the coil negative terminal to the distributor/breaker point terminal.

A Pertronix-converted breaker point Holley will have TWO wires exiting the body which lead to the coil.