Best cheap rev limiter set-up for original points + coil set-up

Just wondering what you use for a Rev Limiter , 

will probably be using the original points and 12v coil ,  but would also be interested in other options if  I use "electronic" points

This is For a VW  Bosch distributor and one cheap option is an RPM limiter rotor that were on some cars stock !

Or is there something cheap I can buy from China on Ebay that is just a knob and a digital  read out for the RPM :)

thanks for your ideas

californiamilleghia said:

Just wondering what you use for a Rev Limiter , 

will probably be using the original points and 12v coil ,  but would also be interested in other options if  I use "electronic" points

This is For a VW  Bosch distributor and one cheap option is an RPM limiter rotor that were on some cars stock !

Or is there something cheap I can buy from China on Ebay that is just a knob and a digital  read out for the RPM :)

thanks for your ideas

My boss put one of these in his kid's GTi after the first over-rev killed the head. Only he didn't tell him about it. Took a long time for him to figure it out. We had a good laugh over that one. 

I’ve got an MSD unit that does what you’re describing. Don’t remember the name, but they’re available at Summit and all the usual places. 

I have Pertronix rev limiter on the mini. 

Cheapest I've seen was one that pulled power to the coil using the shift light on a tach. 

weaken the point spring so they float and don't make contact.   AKA;point bounce.

I used to work renting VW Dune Buggies. Our cars all had the RPM limiting rotor. They work well in that application.

RPM limiting rotors work OK , but they just make it fall flat on its face , 

I am sure there are more modern ways to kill one plug , then 2 , then 3 so you can feel the lose and let off the gas......

I have used the Lucas rev limiting distributor rotor - developed for the Lotus Cortina and pretty foolproof.

More modern rev limiters are electronic and can omit every other spark ('soft touch' limiting) or as an alternative some simply cut power to the injection pump and the fire goes out until you lift.  I prefer the fuel cut method.

californiamilleghia said:

RPM limiting rotors work OK , but they just make it fall flat on its face , 

I am sure there are more modern ways to kill one plug , then 2 , then 3 so you can feel the lose and let off the gas......

Yeah, newer cars retard timing a hefty amount, usually like 10deg, for maybe 500~800rpm leading up to the rev limit. This gives a "soft limiter" that you can "ride" rather than a full spark cut which without a fuel cut, is extremely violent and loud. Some also cut fuel injection pulses on cylinder groups. This is done with ECU-fired ignition (and fuel) though, which is about as different from your setup as possible.

If you want to try to recreate this kind of limiter with your dieselpunk ignition system perhaps a governor mechanism could be used to retard the ignition timing as you approach the limit, similarly to how a vacuum advance does (but in the other direction)?

wspohn said:

I have used the Lucas rev limiting distributor rotor - developed for the Lotus Cortina and pretty foolproof.

did the Cortina ones have a range of RPMs you could buy ?

And do those rotors work on BMC cars like Minis ?

Thanks for the info

I was just looking up how these rev limiting rotors work. They limit revs by cutting spark (meaning it will be violent and loud) using a centrifugal spark-grounding mechanism, and they're usually available with different RPM limits. You can also adjust their limits within a few hundred RPM by bending a metal tab that holds the spring in the centrifugal mechanism.