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I'm trying to finish up our crap can endurance racer '82 320i (US spec) and have hit some road blocks. I scrounged a better cam out of a 2002 and fitted up an appropriate distributor from the same year ('69). For whatever reason the thing won't run well at all, it fried the points in short order and the coil overheats. I am using a stock 320i coil. It's wired up as simply as possible with power going directly from the master kill switch to the coil. Does anyone know if I need an 02 coil? RealOem lists the same coil for both motors so I'm scratching my head.

a 82 320i (1.8ltr) should have electronic ignition as standard .Both coil and distributor would be different to 1969 points setup .I would use either the 2002 coil (as long as it is not a ballast coil) or use a coil off a 12v vw beetle as i am almost sure they did not use a ballast coil...edd

Weren't the early M10 ignition dizzies running in the opposite direction causing some kind of mismatch here?

Jeroen wrote:Weren't the early M10 ignition dizzies running in the opposite direction causing some kind of mismatch here?

Yes and yes.

The cam spins the opposite direction requiring a different distributor. I've the gear from a '69 2002.

I've recieved a few PM's regading the ballast resistor. I'll throw one in and see if that does the trick. The question then becomes whether or not I need a resistor if I install a Pertronix unit.