Hello everyone. I'm a new FSJ owner, picked up a 1979 Wagoneer with the 360cid. I've mainly been lurking and learning from the rest of you, lots of great info in these forums, thanks to all for sharing your knowledge!
Anyway, I thought I'd share the knowledge too. I recently decided to change out the factory distributor, and after seeing a few people recommending it in the forums I went with an HEI-style unit from CRT Performance. Based on the reviews and the very reasonable price, it seemed like it was worth a try.
THE REVIEW: Installation was a breeze. Probably took about an hour, really easy. Gapped the plugs at about .050. Set my initial timing at 14d and the centrifugal advance kicks in about 20d so I'm at 34d total. Vacuum advance brings in another 24d or so (total of 58d) - which seems a bit high, but I did not adjust the can yet; I figured I'd get some driving done and see how everything works. I also went to manifold vacuum for the vacuum advance. I have only put a few miles on it so far - just a good test-beating - but it seems like it starts, idles and accelerates smoother and stronger right off the bat. So, at this point I definitely recommend it.
https://crtperformance.com/shop/ols/products/amcjeep-v8
Here's a tip I discovered too late: CRT sells these on eBay as well, and I could've saved $20 that way.
Thanks again! And if anyone needs my old distributor, original Duraspark box along with brand new cap-rotor-wires, let me know - it'll be super cheap