electronic ignition

After reading Ryan's post on his electronic ignition problems, I got to thinking. My daughters boyfriend has got into old cars and bought a "67 Mustang. I know not the best thing but it beats a Toyota. He was asking me about some things he should do to it and I suggested Pertronix ignition system so they wont get stranded. After reading Ryan's post, it look like some people have problems with pertronix.
This brings me to my question, Does anyone or has anyone put a GM HEI system in a FORD dist? Cant be too hard. any ideas?

 

Davis Unified Ignition. They make HEI's for several makes. Will set up advance curve to work best with your combo,

 

i own a 45 gmc, i have a chevy 250 in it, when i built the truck i put a used HEI in it, yes it was used but in good shape, looked almost new, driveing one day my truck just shut off, no fire, i hitchhiked home and dug out my points dist. cleaned up the old points and hitchhiked back, 15 min later i was back on the road, came home and flattened the HEI

 

install a good quality set of points and don't worry about it

 

Install a Boyer Bransden transisterized ignition and it's easy to go back to points if it ever fails.

http://www.boyerbransden.com/

 

retrofit a ford duraspark electronic ignition into the mustang. dead nuts reliable

 

I hear you all about the points, Thats what I got thinking about with points you can allways just clean them up and get going again. I just thought the pertronix system was a reliable system, then after reading Ryan's post, I guess not. But the GM HEI system is reliable. so I thought about putting the HEI in the FORD dist.

I guess I will just have to teach her boyfriend how to lean and maintain points.

 

Anything electrical can lay down on you. Hell anything can lay down on you period. It is just a matter of knowing that you can repair it and have the pieces on hand to do so.

Easier or cheaper to carry points and condensor or so is the basic understanding. HEIs also lay down, so even though you can buy an HEI for the ford from any number of manufacturers isn't going to make it not lay down it will just be an HEI instead of a whatever else. That will make no difference in the world when you are walking to the nearest autozone from just the other side of Pig Snarf.

You still have to carry extra parts such as points and condensor or pickup coil or ????? or if not a cell phone and a triple A card is your next best bet.

 

Revkev6, Is that system , Duraspark the one with the box that was mounted on the fender? Back in the 80's?

 

yep, here's the result of a quick google search of a guy who put one in an early falcon with a 289

http://www.michellesfords.com/FalconTechPage4.html

 

Most of the problems folks have with Pertronix is the old "if all else fails read the directions" too late, if you use the wrong coil, it'll crispy- depends on whether you have primary resistance in your vehicle or not. Read and follow the directions and they're pretty bulletproof
Now why would you want to adapt an HEI dizzy in, when you can just bolt in a Duraspark? Actually the Duraspark dizzy has advantages, while the HEI module also has advantages- so many are using the Duraspark dizzy with the HEI module with a heat sink, in some cases mounting the HEI mod inside a gutted DS mod, using it's case for a heat sink. You can get both at most any parts store for cheep

 

Beaner, you know, I think you are right Keep It Simple Stupid, as they say. just carry extra points and teach the young man how to deal with it.

 

Hey pork'n'beaner! Where exactly is Pig Snarf? Hell, I may have been there.
X2, if ya don't understand the DuraSpark/HEI system, go with points. Easier for nubies to learn.

 

In the 'early '80s the duraspark had the control mod mounted on the fender but they went to a self contained unit at some point. Gene probably has the answer to that one I just don't remember when.

The early ones the control mod would start to go bad and overheat. When I was living in mexico the fellas that ran Fords usually carried an extra control mod. But in a pinch a wet rag wrapped around a weak one would get you home.

WWE traveled about 150 miles on a weak one in an '84 pickup in the middle of the nite with the wet rag trick. it would overheat about every 20-30 miles and shut down. We would have to rewet the rag to cool it down and then back on the road for another streatch.

 

It's not that I wanted to adapt a HEI into the ford dist. I just did not think about the ford duraspark system. And I was just tring to come up with a very common dependable ignition system, and I would think that would mean some type of OEM system.

RevKev6 that helps alot! the motor in his Mustang IS the 289. I will print out the info you sent and check it out, Infact we are going to fight the rain in Carlisle Pa. tomorrow so maybe we could pick up some parts cheap. But like Beaner said get extras for the trunk.

 

Another option is my buddy who's a dizzy guru, who will send you a fresh Duraspark, custom curved for your car/engine combination, and with an adapter harness to hook it up to an MSD6AL, for about $200- so you get the multispark and rev control. He is very good with the custom curves, and drags his own '67 Mustang with a blown 390
I have also used a Pertonix kit with an MSD, also works well- but the Duraspark dizzy can be found in stock most anywhere "just in case"

 

Put the Ignitor II from PerTronix in it. #91281, about $100 from Summit or Jeg's. It works perfect and they are the leader in points replacement modules, Over 3.5 million sold over the last 35+ years.
The Ford is about a 15 minute install and then just throw the old points and condenser in the glovebox. If it ever should fail, it will take 15 minutes to replace and you are on your way. I put one in my 66 Mustang daily driver back in 81 and it is still running great with well over 100,000 Miles on it. Have used many of them since and 4 years ago went to work for them (in the exhaust division)

 

They only list motorcycles on their website ?!?!?!?!?!

 

I'm with Hotroddon on this one....Have been running Pertronix for 13 years in my Chevy 250...keep the points plate assy in the trunk in case of a failed module....engine runs SOO much better than with points....also had one in a '73 Pontiac in the 70s when they were made by the Perlux light Co.

 

yep, everything will fail for one reason or another-take a good look at info/parts on Pertronix site-take a look at distributors at summitracing.com and other sites.

 

The Duraspark is the same system that AMC used on the early 80's jeeps. Not a bad system....it got convaluted when the hooked up a computer and tried to control the timing and BBD carb with it as well.

I think points are highly over rated....yes, simple....but I've been stranded more often because of points or a condenser than I have because of a bad HEI module....wait a min, I've never had an HEI fail.....even had one on my jeep....

The most common cause of an HEI failure is someone removing the module on the dist plate, wiping the grease off and re-installing it without putting on new thermal compound. Hence, the module runs hotter than it should and eventually fails.

If your really concerned about failures....carry a spare module....it's about half the size of a cell phone and quicker to change.

On a side note....I now have an SBC TBI.....I will never go back to carbs.....unless it's a really old car that only gets weekend use.

 

It is about 30 miles east of Stale Sandwich. Most states have one or both. The most famouse of the two cities in question are on Oklahoma and Arkansas. That would be Stale Sandwhich, Oklahoma and Pig Snarf, Arkansas.

Stale Sandwhich is so small it doesn't have a stop light and Pig Snarf doesn't even have a stop sign.

But I degrees. Of the Dura Spark or the HEI neither is any better than the other. A lot of it depends on which one you like the best. Both have inherent weaknesses.

 

Here's an idea. Run the Pertronix ignition and toss the points in the glove box. If the electronics ever randomly fail on you, its an easy swap on the side of the road.

 

If you read Ryan's post it was a Mallory Unilite, not Petronix. Doesn't make much matter to me but may to the Petronix people.

 

One nice thing about the duraspark distributor is you can use a points distributor cap and rotor to make it look like a points system,I done that when I put a 351-W in my 55 sunliner and hid the module under the battery box. Just got done installing one in my 65 custom 500 daily driver and just left the big ugly cap on since it kind of looks like a mid 80s mustang motor since it has the dual snorkel aircleaner and aluminum valve covers.

 

I like using the factory electronic ignition systems. They are pretty reliable and if you ever do have a problem you can find most replacement parts at any parts store or maybe even a Wal-Mart.

 

Go with the Pertonix,...Easy, maint free, and it works ! I've had a couple of them in my trucks , one for over 15 years. 4TTRUK

 

Yep, the hold up well and work well and parts are easy to find.

There are some vendors selling drop in Hei distributors for Fords too. They use all regular early series HEI pieces that are available at most any parts house.

I'm sure that some of this aftermarket stuff is great and a lot of guys seem to love it but what happens when you are half way to Roundup or Pileup and running great down the road and an ignition piece craps out you want to be able to go to the closest available parts house and easily buy the pieces you need stick them in and get on the road again with the least delay and expense.

The guys who think you have to have one of the tricky slicky aftermarket ignition setups and swear by them will beat me up on that but one of these days they will probably be digging in their notes to find Denise's Cell number in hopes that she can post what little podunk wide spot they are stuck in with a failed ignition and hoping that someone lives close by or can figure out a solution. As for myself I really don't want to spend my road trip time waiting in some side of the road motel for the Fedex or Brown truck to show up with a next day air package so I can get back on the road because the part that that crapped out was made out of unobtainium and no parts house within 100 miles had even heard of it before. Just something to think about along with making sure that there is a tow strap in the trunk.

 

I ran a HEI hybrid dist (like the Davis Unified Ignition, but off brand) on the SBF that was in the Model A in my avatar, in the driving rain, at freeway speeds, with no hood.

Worked like a charm, not even a hicup.

Even if the HEI is an eyesore.

 

I bought a truck to get a 460 for my 66 F250 and it had a mallory unilte and after I got it home it would just shut off when it wanted to,cant say if it was the installation or the distributor itself but it got yanked when the motor went in the 66 and got a durspark system. It would have been pulled out anyway since it did not have a vacumn advance since I wanted a distributor with one to see if I could sweeze a little more gas mileage out of that big motor.