I would never ditch a vacuum distirbutor for a 009 unless the vacuum unit was trashed.

If it's a dual vacuum distributor (advance on one side and retard on the other) just don't use the retard side of it.

Stock dual port.

His single port carbie may not have enough umph to fully advance the disto if he is running a 30/31 brosol / solex.

Looks like he has a dual port which I've heard the 009 won't work well with the dual port 34Pict/3. Everything I have heard is stay with the vacuum distributor.

I finally got the engine back into my Super Beetle. Stock dual port. Before installing the engine, while it was still on the motorcycle jack, it was tuned up and started and it ran like top after setting the timing and adjusting the carb. After installing it back into the car and taking it for a test drive, it ran like crap. Bogging down under a load like it was running on two cylinders. I was watching (really listening) to the Bug-me-video on general maintenance tonight while I was sanding on trophy parts and the guy talked about the dual vacuum distributor and the timing being different for it. His suggestion was if you have one of these distributors, throw it away and get a 009. Could my problem be the distributor? I have a 009 to replace it with if that would be the best thing to do.

What # is the carb ?   If it is a 34mm, they are very cranky with a 009. As far as using a dual vac dist, like Zen said USE ONLY the ADVANCE port outside (closest to you) plug off the retard port on the back and on the manifold/ carb if it has one. Set timing at 32 degrees TDC at about 1000 rpm or a little faster. You have to use a timing light with a advance degree knob on the back of the light. There is no way to set total advance without one. One other thing. How many timing marks do you have on the crank pulley ? Sometimes there are 4 on the inside rim and a round dimple on the outside rim. Count them and let me know how many and where they are. You may be using the wrong mark and under a load the engine would not run worth a crap.
 Of course we are taking for granted that the dist.is good. The timing light will tell us that.
  A old VW tech told me years ago that most of the fuel problems were electrical. Most of the time he was correct. I never forgot that

OK, You are up there  I'm down here.  This is what I would do. Just because it ran fine on the ground doesn't mean it would run fine in the the car. You beat ,bang ,push, pull to get the engine back in and you could have bent, broken, moved something in the process . vac. hoses, wires, knocked the dist. around. Go back and check everything over. I never test one on the ground, toss it in the car, slam the hood and expect it to run perfect .

You have to remember that comment comes from VW Techs most of the time. Ask me about computers and all will be revealed and then you will understand