Where to stick a MSD Control box?

[LlanoBill]

I need help finding a place inside the engine bay on a 96 LT4 to physically hang an MSD 6AL box. Any one with experience? :confused

 

[WhalePirot]

I had mounted one forward of the left front wheel, then decided that I didn't need it and didn't want to deal with problems I'd heard of, so I sold it. I had to change the mounting of an existing relay bracket, but it all fit nicely.

 

[LlanoBill]

I had mounted one forward of the left front wheel, then decided that I didn't need it and didn't want to deal with problems I'd heard of, so I sold it. I had to change the mounting of an existing relay bracket, but it all fit nicely.

WhalePirot, thanks for the response. I have to ask what problems you have heard re: MSD box? I have been on the border as to install in a street car/daily
driver, and would appreciate your insight. Thanks

 

[nelson84]

Mount it in the garbage can. I heard those MSD boxes do nothing for performance, just a gimmick. Just what I read and have seen on TV. But don't take my word for it, I personally never used one.

 

[Robertwav1]

Mount it in the garbage can. I heard those MSD boxes do nothing for performance, just a gimmick. Just what I read and have seen on TV. But don't take my word for it, I personally never used one.

I agree with you here. I use to work on these for a race fan, he always had two as one would crap out. Electronic junk! Reminds me of the multi electrode spark plug...LOL!

 

[Black Bart]

Modern cars have a pretty good ignition system on them so unless you have done considerable mods you may not benefit from a aftermarket system.

I ran a MSD 6al for 3 years with no problems until I switched blowers and went from 7lbs of boost to 20 lbs.

The stock HEI would not fire properly with 7 lbs and the 6AL would not fire with 20 lbs.

Last four years I have been running a MSD digital-7 this is the box like is used in endurance racing.

It should be noted that some CD boxes are for drag race only.
They deliver a hot spark but are not intended to be used for long duration.

That is why I choose the one that I did.

Blanket statement's like MSD is junk makes me wonder just what the poster was using and under what circumstances.

You should not compare a $169.00 box to a $800.00 one

MSD did not become the dominate ignition system in racing by selling junk but in some cases if they are improperly installed or the wrong system is used for the application Problems will occur.

I have used MSD for years and have yet to have a problem.

 

[Robertwav1]

Hey, that could be. I don't know why they would junk out on a heavy modified drag car. I just could never understand why someone would go through so much trouble with an ignition system. I myself have never had one so, what you say I'm sure is true. Don't mean to knock MSD. It's only what Ive seen and probably isn't fair to judge by that. Didn't mean to offend.

 

[Black Bart]

Hey, that could be. I don't know why they would junk out on a heavy modified drag car. I just could never understand why someone would go through so much trouble with an ignition system. I myself have never had one so, what you say I'm sure is true. Don't mean to knock MSD. It's only what Ive seen and probably isn't fair to judge by that. Didn't mean to offend.

I'm not offended but I keep reading posts about how bad MSD products are and yet I have several friends that run Fuel Dragster's in NHRA and MSD is all that they will use.

One poster on Corvette Forum was having trouble with a 6a but after some questions it was reveled that he had it installed wrong.
Here is a link to article about my friends car.
Check it out and then you will see what I'm talking about.
I have had him help me work on my car he knows his Sheet

Like I said in earlier post unless you have really high cylinder pressure the stock ignition is fine.
That is why people will say they tried A MSD and it did not help.
They did not need it in the first place.

On my engine if I tried to run it on a stock OEM system it would not pull 4000 rpm without severe missing due to high cylinder pressure from boost..

How well it works depends on whether you needed it in the first place.
The muti-fire feature made so much difference that I had to re-tune the engine to bring the A\F ratio back in line with what it was before installing the muti-fire.
Here is a link to article of my friends car check it out.
http://www.steveschmidtracing.com/our-team-6.html

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

I'll agree with Black Bart, in racing where they try to shave every ounce of weight so that they can put it where they want it, from oval tracks to drag strips, if MSD boxes were a gimmick part, nobody would be bolting on one of these...they aint lite! lol

I can also speak from experience of running one on an oval track and having one go out so that I had to just run off of the coil for the rest of the night. There was definitely a difference in with and without it. I will say this too though, when it did go out, MSD was very good about rebuilding it and getting it back to me, their customer support for me has always been above and beyond what would be expected.

I do have a 6AL box in my 92 LT1 and noticed two things, smoother idle and almost a 1mpg difference in fuel mileage. As for where to mount it at, mine is under the passenger side headlight down near where the horn is at. I think the easiest way to put it there is to fabricate an L shaped bracket that will bolt on where the horn does.

 

[Black Bart]

My Digital-7 is larger than a 6al box but it is not as high so I mounted it in the passenger wheel wheel also.
I used four rubber mounts and bolted it to the bottom of that panel.

I ran a 10 gauge wire from the battery to the box don't want to have a poor voltage supply.

The two wires that run from the box to the coil should be twisted to reduce EMI.

TO be sure that I had NO RFI or EMI I used a really small copper wire and wound it around the two twisted coil leads and grounded the copper wire at both ends then I put convoluted plastic tubing over it so you can't tell it from the factory wiring..

Most people mount them under the hood but where I mounted mine it receives cool air rather than all that engine heat.

Instruction say not to put it where it will be exposed to heat.
People ignore the instruction and then ***** when it fails.

 

[2X4's 60]

Just what I read and have seen on TV. But don't take my word for it, I personally never used one.

I won't take your word for it. I've been using MSD products for over 20 years and have never had a problem. Sure there have been some documented failures but consider this, MSD sells 100 times more ignition products than all the others combined.

 

[WhalePirot]

I did not have a failure; just that on a normally aspirated car, the HEI is fine.

I rarely seek complexity and never seek wasting money.