As it turns out, the electronic ignition was not my problem, but apparently it was a faulty rotor, or cap contact. I changed the distributor because I ran out of ideas after broiling in the hot sun for an hour, and didn't have a new rotor or cap to try. It probably worked because the distributor I changed to had a different rotor. I am going to convert back to my electronic ignition very soon.
An electronic ignition is a great mod, because it eliminates two self destructing parts: the points and condenser. The points tend to pit, and the fiber block that contacts the cam tends to wear, throwing them out of adjustment (sometimes very quickly). Also, points tend to be thrown off by wear in the distributor shaft and bushing, while the electronic eye system on Crane ignitions is far less affected by this probem. The condenser breaks down with normal use. BTW, Lucas ignition systems are the best ego-deflaters on this car. You only THINK you are a "knowlegable voice" until you hook into one of these enigmatic beasts (I start therapy for ego-deflation tomorrow). What was it they called the Land Rover in the film "The Gods Must Be Crazy?. . . the Anti-Christ? And what kind of electricals did it have???
My electronic ignition is a Crane/Allison, and is nearly invisible. I mounted the central unit inside the firewall under the dash, and ran the wires thru one of the blanked rubber plugs on the RHS of the firewall to the coil, which is mounted on the firewall, and the distributor. There is a plug that disconnects so you can remove the distributor (and throw it down a deep well- - -just kidding). The bracket for the optical pickup which fits on the distributor allows you to adjust the timing about 30 degrees, so you have additional flexibility. This mod also rates the good housekeeping (or non-butcher) seal of approval, because it is reversable (as I demonstrated recently). Go for it- - - you won't be sorry (Right Jarrid?).
The only after-market distributor I've heard of for an Alpine is the Mallory dual-point model. Vicky Britt lists them for around $200 (cheaper than therapy). The specs look impressive, and you can adjust the advance curve without removing the distributor. I would hesitate to double my trouble with two sets of points, altho I once had a 1971 Datsun PU that had dual points and worked ok. I suppose you could convert one of these to electronic ignition. The mechanical design and materials sound like an improvement over the Lucas (a no-brainer), and I've seen some used on race engines. This is also a reversable (butcherless) mod. The downside is that you must buy proprietary caps, rotors, points and other parts from Mallory, and they are a little more than the Lucas parts. Your your auto parts store would problbly not carry them.
When I collect my thoughts, and finish my therapy, I will post a tech-tip (or battle strategy) about Lucas ignition systems. If you can slay this dragon (periodically), you're well on your way to civilizing the Alpine. As Jarrid said, entropy does happen, and never faster than in this area.
Rex Funk