i know k codes came with dual point distributors but was wondering if they came in A codes and if not could you use one and what would it do to add any performance?
Don't know if A codes came with them but yes you could use one. i am pretty sure you can put them on anything with points. it was a performace upgrade back then because it produced more spark and hotter spark to the plugs. this causes everything to burn or explode better in the cylinder. I don't know if it really makes much of a difference or not. Personally i would change out the points for something like the pertronix ignitor or electronic ignition rather than putting in dual points.
Don't know if A codes came with them but yes you could use one. i am pretty sure you can put them on anything with points. it was a performace upgrade back then because it produced more spark and hotter spark to the plugs. this causes everything to burn or explode better in the cylinder. I don't know if it really makes much of a difference or not. Personally i would change out the points for something like the pertronix ignitor or electronic ignition rather than putting in dual points.
Agree also... I swapped my points out with pertronix ignitor and all runs amazing. I also swapped out plugs, cap, rotor and cables while I was at it.
if ur not going for a resto look in to a MSD ingition system. First thing i got for my 64 iv never had a problem getting it started. Im pretty sure MSD system push around 40,000Volts.
Hello. The dual point distributors were used on the K codes because of a condition called point float. When you're cruising along at around 7000 rpms, the points have a tendency to just sort of flutter on the outer edge of their travel instead of opening and closing cleanly. Having the dual points eliminated that. The only place that you would notice the differences would be at extremely high rpms. Ford never put the dual point distributors in an A code car, but it would drop right in.
Hi Schomell It is my understanding that the dual point distributors were intended to provide a longer spark duration for higher performance engines with high lift, long duration cams. The CJ's for example. I dont know anything about point chatter or float but then I dont know anyone who Cruises at 7000rpm either.
Hi again. That's exactly what the K codes were designed to do. They took a motor that was already pretty much bullet-proof, beefed up the bottom end with bigger main bearing caps, connecting rods and rod caps, put a bigger balancer on it, added an extra counterweight to the crank, redesigned the heads to have screw-in rocker studs instead of press-in, machined little pockets for the valve springs to sit down in to keep them from scooting around, put stronger valve springs for quicker, snappier return, put in solid lifters instead of the mushy hydraulic lifters, all sorts of stuff. They also wouldn't put any accessory on a K code in the 65/66 model years that required a drive belt, because of the off-balance load that stuff puts on the crank, and in 67 the only K codes they put A/C or power steering on were the Shelby GT-350s. And all of that stuff was intended to do one thing. Keep the motor from flying apart at extremely high RPMs. That's why the K codes got an 8K tach with the rally pack, instead of the 6K tach that everything else got, and you could get one of the 9K tachs that they put on the GT-350s over the counter. That 271 HP rating was taken at 5400 RPMs, and a K code would buzz along like that aaaaaall day long, and could stay up around 8K for quite a while without breaking. A lot of folks don't realize what a screamer those things were. And still are. The last K code that I had, I used to flog that thing, and it still had it's original, 40 year old motor in it. The coil generates the spark, the points just tell the spark when to fire. The longer the points are open, the weaker the spark will be, because the coil builds the charge when the points are closed. That's what dwell angle is all about. The dual point was to make sure that the points were closed long enough for a decent charge to build in the coil. You also have the function of time to contend with. The dwell angle can be perfect, but the points are only closed half as long at 8K RPMs as they are at 4K. The dual point distributors went a long way towards eliminating those issues.
That 271 HP rating was taken at 5400 RPMs, and a K code would buzz along like that aaaaaall day long, and could stay up around 8K for quite a while without breaking...
That's why the Ford warranty on that engine was a whole 90 days!
The dwell for the HiPo dual point is essentially the same as for the regular V8s. At low RPM it makes no difference which distributor you use. As Veronica explained rather well, at high RPM the dual point system still has a usable dwell long after the single point system stops firing the plugs.
Hi again. That's exactly what the K codes were designed to do. They took a motor that was already pretty much bullet-proof, beefed up the bottom end with bigger main bearing caps, connecting rods and rod caps, put a bigger balancer on it, added an extra counterweight to the crank, redesigned the heads to have screw-in rocker studs instead of press-in, machined little pockets for the valve springs to sit down in to keep them from scooting around, put stronger valve springs for quicker, snappier return, put in solid lifters instead of the mushy hydraulic lifters, all sorts of stuff. They also wouldn't put any accessory on a K code in the 65/66 model years that required a drive belt, because of the off-balance load that stuff puts on the crank, and in 67 the only K codes they put A/C or power steering on were the Shelby GT-350s. And all of that stuff was intended to do one thing. Keep the motor from flying apart at extremely high RPMs. That's why the K codes got an 8K tach with the rally pack, instead of the 6K tach that everything else got, and you could get one of the 9K tachs that they put on the GT-350s over the counter. That 271 HP rating was taken at 5400 RPMs, and a K code would buzz along like that aaaaaall day long, and could stay up around 8K for quite a while without breaking. A lot of folks don't realize what a screamer those things were. And still are. The last K code that I had, I used to flog that thing, and it still had it's original, 40 year old motor in it. The coil generates the spark, the points just tell the spark when to fire. The longer the points are open, the weaker the spark will be, because the coil builds the charge when the points are closed. That's what dwell angle is all about. The dual point was to make sure that the points were closed long enough for a decent charge to build in the coil. You also have the function of time to contend with. The dwell angle can be perfect, but the points are only closed half as long at 8K RPMs as they are at 4K. The dual point distributors went a long way towards eliminating those issues.
You go girl. Great explanation of how the systen works. I have a 71 Boss 351 C in my 56 F-100 and it still has the original dual point distributor in it. I usually shift it at about 7000 to 72 hundred RPM when the need comes around.
Actually, the dwell is set at 28 degrees for each set of points. Since the overlap occurs between the opening of the second set and the closing of the first set the coil continues to saturate as if the points were closed for a longer time. The reason they didn't just adjust the single points to do this is that a single set of points would bounce severely at mild rpms if they were adjusted that way. (even if they had very strong springs that would cause eccessive wear of the rubbing block and cam.
Since electronic triggers have become common dwell isn't an issue because of the circuitry used to fire the coil. Thus the dual point distributor died from neglect.
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dual point distributors... 
with bluehorse
The dual point distributors were used on the K codes because of a condition called point float. When you're cruising along at around 7000 rpms, the points have a tendency to just sort of flutter on the outer edge of their travel instead of opening and closing cleanly. Having the dual points eliminated that. The only place that you would notice the differences would be at extremely high rpms. Ford never put the dual point distributors in an A code car, but it would drop right in. 
They took a motor that was already pretty much bullet-proof, beefed up the bottom end with bigger main bearing caps, connecting rods and rod caps, put a bigger balancer on it, added an extra counterweight to the crank, redesigned the heads to have screw-in rocker studs instead of press-in, machined little pockets for the valve springs to sit down in to keep them from scooting around, put stronger valve springs for quicker, snappier return, put in solid lifters instead of the mushy hydraulic lifters, all sorts of stuff. They also wouldn't put any accessory on a K code in the 65/66 model years that required a drive belt, because of the off-balance load that stuff puts on the crank, and in 67 the only K codes they put A/C or power steering on were the Shelby GT-350s. And all of that stuff was intended to do one thing. Keep the motor from flying apart at extremely high RPMs. That's why the K codes got an 8K tach with the rally pack, instead of the 6K tach that everything else got, and you could get one of the 9K tachs that they put on the GT-350s over the counter. That 271 HP rating was taken at 5400 RPMs, and a K code would buzz along like that aaaaaall day long, and could stay up around 8K for quite a while without breaking. A lot of folks don't realize what a screamer those things were. And still are. The last K code that I had, I used to flog that thing, and it still had it's original, 40 year old motor in it. The coil generates the spark, the points just tell the spark when to fire. The longer the points are open, the weaker the spark will be, because the coil builds the charge when the points are closed. That's what dwell angle is all about. The dual point was to make sure that the points were closed long enough for a decent charge to build in the coil. You also have the function of time to contend with. The dwell angle can be perfect, but the points are only closed half as long at 8K RPMs as they are at 4K. The dual point distributors went a long way towards eliminating those issues. 
