So I successfully swapped a 12A out of an '83 into my '79. While everything bolted up nicely, it appears they have different distributors. Below are the distributors, top being the '83 with two 2-prong connectors and a single butt connector and bottom is the '79 with a single 2-prong and two butt connectors. Since the connections on the car are for the '79, will I need to swap distributors? Will the '79 distributor even work? Or is there something else I can do?

 

You'll want to use the newer distributor. The points-style distributor of the 79 takes more attention and maintanence.

 

So how do I use the 83 distributor with the 79 wiring?

 

Wiring diagrams for 79 and 82 are in the sticky at the top of the 1st gen forum. You might also want to consider going with a direct fire ignition. There are so many threads on it that it's easy to find the subject.

 

Grab the coil/distributor/altenator wiring harness from a 1981-1985 model and convert the points to electric distributor

 

That's a good idea. Should anyone else be interested, here is an excellent tutorial I found:

http://www.smbaker.com/sand-rail/maz...-rotary-engine

I will also be looking into doing this first and the direct fire later. Does the wiring harness just go between the coil, dizzy, and alternator? I was afraid it was going to be tied in somewhere difficult.

 

That harness also goes to the fusable link block on the strut tower block on the 81-85. This is where the alt wire connects. All the other wires just go to the coils I believe. When doing the conversion, you can then remove the ignitor box on the 79.