dustertogo
Well-Known Member
Solved the problem on my 70 Dart!
Going back to Chrysler ignition
- Thread starter DusterDaddy
- Start date
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What about garbage coils?
Newbomb Turk
Well-Known Member
I've been doing this pretty regular since 1974. I've done a ton of street stuff. A good bit of racing early on. Ran some 9.90s. ....and yes, with factory electronic ignition and a chrome box. Ran all kinda hot street stuff and I never used MSD. It was always some form of factory type ignition whether it was Mopar, GM or Ford and I never had all these screwball problems.
Hellrats
Just another dumbass
LOL that is what I said about not being a Mopar part. I have used it for years and ever one busted my ball because it was a GM setup.
This is the easiest and best setup. Most of you piled on me because it's a GM module. So who is running a Mopar camshaft? Or a factory set of pistons? Or factory connecting rods? Or even heads? HEI one wire and done. You can use the factory dizzy and if you want just bypass the stupid ballast resistor block form behind so it looks correct.
I've had the factory style GM big cap HEI distributor in my 75 Ford truck for over ten years and it hasn't hiccuped once. Not once.
Since I had it all apart, I just put my HEI module back in just to make sure it wasn’t the distributor or anything else with the motor. I popped this back in hit the key and she fired right up. This really is the simplest form of ignition to use in my opinion.
Don’t remember why I decided to get away from it, but I think this is what it’s gonna be…
Don’t remember why I decided to get away from it, but I think this is what it’s gonna be…
Here we go again.
Here's some of the issues with the factory ignition (and distributor)
- Recurving the distributor if you need a good amount of advance at idle means welding and filing the advance slots, or one of those silly add on plates. Both are a PITA.
- I haven't encountered an "orange box" from ANY manufacturer in the last decade plus that didn't break up over about 4,500 rpm, and I've tried more than a few. The "chrome" boxes seem better, but some of those aren't great either. Mopar ignition box quality sucks.
- A Mopar ignition box can **** the bed just as easily as any electronic ignition, and has the added bonus of needing a ballast resistor that can also **** the bed at a moments notice
I have Pertronix "plug and play" distributors in my Duster, Challenger, and my '71 F100. Dialing in the advance curves is easy and everything you need comes with it. There's only two wires and there's no ballast resistor. Yes, if the Pertronix unit ***** the bed you're SOL unless you get another one, but that's absolutely no different than a Mopar ignition box and I would wager your odds of finding a Pertronix unit on the shelf at a local parts shop is, at the very least, no worse than your odds of finding a mopar ignition box. The nice thing about buying the Pertronix ready to run distributors is that regardless of make all the v8 ones at any rate use the same ignition module. So, the FE 390 in my '71 F100 has the same ignition module as my Duster's 340, my Challengers old 318, or the 440 that will probably be in it next. So I can have one spare pertronix unit for all of them (that's only true if you use the Pertronix "plug and play" distributor, not just a conversion unit in a factory distributor).
Do I believe the Pertronix puts out better spark or makes more power or any of that nonsense? No. But the "plug and play" distributors are easier to tune/recurve, there's no wire harness that has to go in to use them, and I've only had one go dead in the last decade and that was probably my fault because I left a key on for too long while I was troubleshooting something else. I've tossed at least half a dozen mopar ignition boxes for various reasons in a much shorter period of time before going to Pertronix.
Same benefits apply to most of the aftermarket HEI distributors too, I'm definitely not gonna argue that the Pertronix is better than any of those. The ability to tune most the aftermarket distributors is just better than the factory distributor.
Here's some of the issues with the factory ignition (and distributor)
- Recurving the distributor if you need a good amount of advance at idle means welding and filing the advance slots, or one of those silly add on plates. Both are a PITA.
- I haven't encountered an "orange box" from ANY manufacturer in the last decade plus that didn't break up over about 4,500 rpm, and I've tried more than a few. The "chrome" boxes seem better, but some of those aren't great either. Mopar ignition box quality sucks.
- A Mopar ignition box can **** the bed just as easily as any electronic ignition, and has the added bonus of needing a ballast resistor that can also **** the bed at a moments notice
I have Pertronix "plug and play" distributors in my Duster, Challenger, and my '71 F100. Dialing in the advance curves is easy and everything you need comes with it. There's only two wires and there's no ballast resistor. Yes, if the Pertronix unit ***** the bed you're SOL unless you get another one, but that's absolutely no different than a Mopar ignition box and I would wager your odds of finding a Pertronix unit on the shelf at a local parts shop is, at the very least, no worse than your odds of finding a mopar ignition box. The nice thing about buying the Pertronix ready to run distributors is that regardless of make all the v8 ones at any rate use the same ignition module. So, the FE 390 in my '71 F100 has the same ignition module as my Duster's 340, my Challengers old 318, or the 440 that will probably be in it next. So I can have one spare pertronix unit for all of them (that's only true if you use the Pertronix "plug and play" distributor, not just a conversion unit in a factory distributor).
Do I believe the Pertronix puts out better spark or makes more power or any of that nonsense? No. But the "plug and play" distributors are easier to tune/recurve, there's no wire harness that has to go in to use them, and I've only had one go dead in the last decade and that was probably my fault because I left a key on for too long while I was troubleshooting something else. I've tossed at least half a dozen mopar ignition boxes for various reasons in a much shorter period of time before going to Pertronix.
Same benefits apply to most of the aftermarket HEI distributors too, I'm definitely not gonna argue that the Pertronix is better than any of those. The ability to tune most the aftermarket distributors is just better than the factory distributor.
Not at all there is another company that make one out there that is the stuff. Think he is a member also.
LOL, I have no problem using factory pistons, rods, heads, camshaft, valve springs, Carbs, or intake manifolds. I'm still running the same Mopar conversion setup with a Chrome box for the last 40+ years with no problems. Engine flys up to 7,000 rpm and starts in less than a full turn. Sorry, I used to work on Chevies. You can run an HEI module, not for me.
factory
Factory distributor, and everything under tin and aluminum covers.. never had any of of any issues
As far as i can conclude, this engine swapped in that i've been putting brutal hours on, and hours before me was used @ 100k miles back in 1980's, late 1960's cast#, and no issues yet. The current swap doesn't use miles, it uses hours. and that was broken before the swap. So i cannot speak for that.
It's been sitting a few years. New wires, plugs, condenser, cap/rotor, and some sandpaper.
I need to plumb a radiator and transmission cooler before i whip it over.
I'm excited to see what I have!!
oh coil too.
It had a serious dent in it like a piece of iron fell on it. Probably from muscling the hood off and got away from me, so i just sent it to the ground with ease.
So spent $35 on that.
its a 1.5ohm on primary, but specs say 12v. i'll use a 5 amp fuse and see where the bullshit is.
Damn autozone garbage.
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All I’m gonna say is if you ever need to buy a new Mopar ignition box, best of luck. Their quality has definitely gone downhill, I wouldn’t buy an MP branded box at all anymore.
Sounds like a bone stock, low horsepower engine.
Which is fine, but you have to understand that the factory ignition, and even more so the mechanical parts in the factory distributor have limits when it comes to tuning the ignition curve to an engine that is not bone stock.
I ran a factory electronic distributor in my 340 for awhile, it runs a bigger cam, ported heads, etc, etc. I had to weld the mechanical advance slots and file them to set the advance at idle where I needed it and limit the total mechanical advance to what my engine needed. If your engine idles at 10° advance because it’s bone stock that’s great, if it idles at 20° advance the stock distributor has to be modified. And aftermarket distributors don’t require that, they’re made to be tuned.
My engine works better with the Pertronix distributor and ignition than it did with the factory system, and the Pertronix is MUCH easier to tune. But hey, if you never need to tune the advance curve then the factory system is fine. Lotsa different engine builds here, and the factory system is not right for all of them.
I absolutely loved all the factory Mopar Performance stuff when it was made by companies that actually made QUALITY. I'd still run the MP Purple cams if someone made them worth a darn. And I'm not takin about the "nobody knows who" Mancini Purple cams, either. Besides, they don't offer them for slant sixes.
At least the Napa TP45 HEI module I bought yesterday is made in the US
Newbomb Turk
Well-Known Member
Wait until you see your video. There is nothing wrong with the new boxes if you understand them.
needed the torque and didn't want to get over 35GPM on the pump. 2800 RPM. Stock passed and could care less beyond that.
everything in the 70's from everyone fell on it's face after they dropped CR.
wasn't there some oil shortage bullshit? make the gas cheaper, drop cr, problem solved.
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What’s to understand? Nothing on the orange or chrome MP ignition boxes is adjustable. They need a good ground and solid wiring, send them the correct voltage and a good signal. If something is wrong with them beyond that it’s internal electronics and they’re sealed units.
Seems to me if they were so great everybody that drives distances with that ignition system wouldn’t have a spare box and a ballast in their glove box, and yet that seems to be the common thing to do.
A 2,800 rpm pump. Yeah, wow, there’s a build to copy for a muscle car. Totally relevant to the conversation.
I mean, the faulty orange boxes that would break up above 4,500 rpm would work fine for that, defective as they all were.
Newbomb Turk
Well-Known Member
You’ll have to watch the video after Rusty posts it.
I don’t feel like typing it out again for the kabillionth time.
Have you sent it yet? I haven't seen it if you have.
Newbomb Turk
Well-Known Member
I did a third shot. It’s ok. I just need to finger out how to send it to you lol. I’m working on it now.
Aight den.
Newbomb Turk
Well-Known Member
I can’t send it Rob. I’m so done with this Apple bullshit.
I started with apple because it didn’t update every ******* week.
My phone and iPad updated last night and I can’t even get my email.
So I have to call apple care again in the morning so I can unfuck this junk so I can return the iPad.
I’ll send your box back Tuesday.
I’m done with YouTube, videos and all the **** that goes with it.
It’s just not worth it.
I will send you a PM in the morning with the details of your ignition so you can tune for it.
I’m out
I started with apple because it didn’t update every ******* week.
My phone and iPad updated last night and I can’t even get my email.
So I have to call apple care again in the morning so I can unfuck this junk so I can return the iPad.
I’ll send your box back Tuesday.
I’m done with YouTube, videos and all the **** that goes with it.
It’s just not worth it.
I will send you a PM in the morning with the details of your ignition so you can tune for it.
I’m out
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