ive been wanting an ignition upgrade and i think it will help i changed the sparkplugs along with the wires and beat up my knuckles along the way. my distributor looks pretty bad so i was wondering what i should do...get a new distributor, coil(i have the original yellow cap) any help with brands and parts would be appreciated! just wondering but what is this do http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=MSD%2D6200&N=700+400122+115&autoview=sku
Ok, now this is from a reformed drag racer so take it with a grain of salt...I like the MSD stuff. Yes it's not cheap, but the 6A you have the link to is a nice piece and it's been road proven for years. You won't have any trouble with that. The only upgrade you might want to make is to get the 6AL instead as it has the built in soft touch rev limiter...for safety of your motor should you ever race it or have a throttle stick. As for the distributor, go with a new one. What you've got in there if it's original has 30 year old bearings and no doubt has some rust and wear issues. Once again, in my opinion, I'd suggest the MSD billet distributor. Of course you can buy these new from Summit or Jegs, but you can also find them in good shape on the used market. I've seen a ton of them and even sold one myself. Usually they don't have a ton of miles on them when sold used. Make sure to get a new coil, (the MSD blaster is a nice piece) and some quality plug wires. So given my choice? I'd go with all MSD if you can afford it. You won't regret it and there is so much expansion you can do with the MSD stuff as far as two steps, advance boxes and rev limiters. Good luck!
Ill Ditto that, I just completed changing over to MSD a couple weeks ago. MSD small cap billet distributor, Coil, Wires and 6AL box and I must say the car is born again.
Ahhhh...we all have the limited funds issue...well let's see. I would expect you can find a distributor used on ebay for about $100. My son bought an MSD6AL (with the limiter) and a blaster 2 coil just today at a swap meet for $110. Now we were told it was good, but have no way of proving it until we hook it up. And he is long gone by then. But the pricing was about the same throughout the swap meet. I saw at least three of them there at that price. Uhm...plug wires, get them new...Taylors I think are about $50. So for less than $300 you can have a completely modern ignition system. Of course you can always cheap out and use the MSD6a (no limiter), along with your stock distributor and just add new wires. Eventually down the road, buy the distributor and coil as funds allow. Just my 2 cents...and I'm kinda cheap!
if your on a limited budget (who isnt anymore) you really cant go wrong with a Ford duraspark unit. simple,reliable and an easy upgrade to electronic ignition.
You will notice automatically that the car idles better. You will also notice a little more power with your "seat of the pants" dyno. You will probably gain a little gas mileage also, provided you keep your foot out of it. The obvious advantage is you no longer have the maintenance associated with points. I personally am running a Duraspark II distributor with a MSD 6AL box, and MSD TFI coil for Ford applications. If you want all out cheap (under $100) and VERY simple, get a junkyard Duraspark distributor, order an ignition module for a 1978 Chevy Camaro with a 350 (mount it on something that will act as a heat sink), and get a decent coil (preferably TFI, either MSD, or order one for a '89 F350 with a 460). I currently have this setup on my Fiat Spider with the 302 Ford engine, and it runs great. I have never had a problem with junkyard Duraspark distributors, just find one that spins freely and has very little or no play in the shaft. I'd recommend replacing the pickup in it, and replacing the heavy spring on the mechanical advance with a Mr. Gasket 925D spring.
so i was just at summitracing, and i was looking at distributors and there are so many options even when i tell them what year, make, engine the car is, any part numbers would be great
Here's another choice: Go buy a rebuilt distributor from your local parts house (Advance Auto sells these for about $55 with a core for exchange) Replace the points with a Pertronix unit ( $76 from Summit Racing) New Flamethrower coil ($28 Summit Racing) Small to large distributor cap and rotor (about $20-30 from your local parts house) New Ford Racing 9mm wires ($42 Summit Racing). This setup is good up to 7000 rpms and will work great on 90% of builds. An MSD system will net you nothing you'll feel over this or a Durspark system.
