Upgraded Ignition System

[corvettenoob66]

I was just wondering what you guys would recommend for upgrading the ignition system. I have a 327 w/ 3 speed powerglide. Everything else is stock, but I may possibly change the exhaust. Does MSD have a good setup? Thanks for any advice...

 

[1KULC7]

You can buy electronic modules that take the place of points...they are the only way to fly. The MSD ignition systems enhances the sparking..so in a sense you better have a good distributor. I used the electronic system for a while and it was excellent. Going back to points because of NCRS judging, but highly recommend these units. You can buy them from ZIP, Corvette America etc. Takes about three minutes to install.

 

[BarryK]

Collin

I was considering converting my distributor to electronic instead of the points.
I saw info on the Lectric Limited unit and it looks easy enough but I've also heard a lot of people use the Pertronix unit.
Which did you use? any recommendations?

Barry

 

[1KULC7]

Barry.


I used the Breakerless SE Ignition Kit...cost 157.00. If you are willing to wait a month I will sell you mine for $80.00. It has a total of 300 miles on it, almost new. Because I am a purist, I just got a new distributer for the 340 with advance vacuum can...so I really won't need it.

It worked great....let me know. Collin

 

[BarryK]

Collin

I might be very interested.
Let me know when you are ready - no rush though.
Is that one of the "1-wire" kits?

I had the distributor completely rebuilt last summer but I still had some issues with timing and vacumn. than I had the carb rebuilt.........still same problems. Basically the car didn't want to idle correctly a lot of the time and to get iit to idle without stalling we had to go with a higher idle than normal plus it gets difficult to start when it's warmed up. setting it up via proper timing settings made it worst. we played around a lot with the timing and vacumn but the best way we got it to run was simply by just rotating the distributor and listening for a smooth idle and a lot of trial and error. I was hoping that maybe going to electronic on the distributor might help cure some of these problems.
maybe i'm barking up the wrong tree though.

i'd rather keep it all stock, but since it's a driver, i'd rather have reliability as a priority but at the same time still keep it looking as stock as possible which is why i don't just jump into a full MSD type system.

Barry

 

[OLDCHEV]

One of my neighbors installed a Pertronix unit on the stock distributor on a 66 Mustang and a high output coil. Boy, did it wake that little 289 up!

I have a friend at work that installed the Crane unit on a 327 and he swears by it.

I recently removed a MSD 6AL unit from my 1966 (496 big block) and installed a HEI unit with a high output coil. Did not notice any difference in performance. I could not stand all the extra wiring that a MSD unit requires.

 

[Firemist1]

I put a Pertronix unit and high voltage coil on my '67 Corvette and saw a dramatic difference. Better idle, more power and quick starts. It has been on the car now for 8 years without any problems. I change plugs, cap & rotor every 3 years.

 

[critchie]

Save your money. You don't need to do this. It won't make the car run any better. The improvements people have seen are because the work done corrected other things. If your distributor needs work, the Pertronix won't fix it. Although when you install the Pertronix, you'll probably do the repair work in the course of installing the Pertronix.

The Pertronix system and the others only save you from replacing and adjusting the points. How often do you do that? And how long does it take? It's not a bad thing to get rid of points maintenance. It's just that it's not a big deal.

When the Pertronix or a similar system breaks, and it will someday, will you have a spare? How long will it take you to get a spare? Will you break down at a place and time where it's convenient to get a spare and replace it? If your points break, you can replace them at the side of the road in the dark in the rain in the freezing cold in traffic in 10 minutes with a screwdriver. You can buy spare points for under $10 and carry them in your glove compartment.

If you want a super duper killer spark that'll light up small towns, JC Whitney probably carries something that'll do the trick. You don't need it. Chevrolet ignition systems work just fine.

 

[JohnZ]

If you want a super duper killer spark that'll light up small towns, JC Whitney probably carries something that'll do the trick. You don't need it. Chevrolet ignition systems work just fine.

I agree - there's no "magic" with any of the electronic conversions (Pertronix, Crane, Breakerless SE, etc.); they do NOT give you a "hotter spark" - that comes from the coil, not the distributor. All they do is replace an electro-mechanical switch for the coil (the points) with an electronic switch. Period. Folks who "notice a difference" do so because they replaced an old set of points and condenser with a new electronic switch; they would have noticed the same difference had they installed a new set of points and condenser - when you replace anything "old" with something "new", an improvement is predictable.

A properly maintained Delco points distributor will run forever, with 5-10 minutes per year of simple maintenance, and won't leave you stranded with a dead "module" that no retail parts store carries. I rebuild my distributors correctly once when I get the car, and never touch them again except to set dwell once a year; I've been doing this for 40 years, and have never had any kind of ignition failure. If you don't want to set dwell once a year, go ahead and install a $100-$150 conversion - but don't forget to carry a spare $8.00 set of points and a screwdriver in your road box for the day the "module" fails without warning in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Firemist1]

OK. I hear your side of the equation, but I had been changing points and plugs in the Corvette for 20+ years and the engine would run great for a month and gradually go down hill the next 11 months until it was time for another tune up. I agree the module only triggers the field current to drop across the coil windings, so the coil is a key ingredient here. But when I put the Pertronix in, I got a 10% increase in my speed at the end of my measured road distance that I never achieved with any point set up even right after it was tuned. And I changed nothing else. Plugs, cap & rotor were not replaced. The car also ran much better when cold - no hesitation or stalling. Perhaps in theory, there should be no difference, but my experience convinced me it was well worth the money.

 

[vettefinderjim]

GM TI ignition

I used a GM TI set up with a MSD box hidden under the dash. Picked up two seconds a lap with my 64 Fuel Injection race car. I called MSD when I di this. They said that the original Delco Remy distributor used on Transitor Ignition cars was the best distributor when designed, and still one of the best today.Only difference in the MSD box and the original amphlier, is 40kv of voltage for a hotter spark. And of course, modern electronix to make it work better.