installing a new distributor and 1 wire alt.

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motorhead446

motorhead446

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I am currently running an mallory unilite dist with an msd 6al with an other wise stock ignition and charging system in my 70 duster with 440. This is a drag car with limitd street use. The battery is in the trunk with a two post cut off switch. I have a msd pro billet dist, msd suggested coil, powermaster 8172 one wire alt to install. I plan to to pick up a dpst (4post) cut off switch as well. All lights, wipers turn signals work properly. Any suggestions or diagrams as to how to wire this charging system? Thanks
 
You can use the starter relay stud for a junction. Wiring depends on how the car is wired now. If you have not bypassed the ammeter, I would seriously consider doing so. If you do that, you can run the alternator directly to the relay stud, and run a jumper wire (no 4 starter cable) from the relay down to the starter, and from the starter to the rear.

(Some cars are already wired with a jumper up to the relay)

Obviously, break the battery hot lead with the big switch terminals.

Run the two small terminals forward with no14 wire. Break your blue "ignition run" where it comes out of the bulkhead.

Hook the bulkhead side of "ignition run" (fused) to one of the no 14 wires, hook the the other no 14 to key a good quality relay. You can either ground the relay, or run an additional switch in series to ground for anti-theft

Hook one relay contact to (fused) to the starter relay, and use the output contact to operate your ignition.

FOR MSD ignition using the small red trigger wire, you can eliminate the added relay. In this case, just tap into your blue "ignition run," run a small fuse to one of your no 14's, and hook the remaining no 14 to the red trigger wire.

A similar thread:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=235916
 
I bypassed the ammeter years ago, I have #2 welding ground cable as my battery lead from battery to master switch and then to starter. I have #4 lead from start relay to starter post. The rest I will have to dig in and see what I cobbled together 10 yrs ago. I did add autometer gauges to the stock dash bezel and used an painless gauge harness. Thanks for the info. What brand 4 post master switch do you use?
 
Any well known brand name, there aren't that many Cole-Hearse is one
 
Heres what im looking at,

J3 14 BR, ign 2 from key to msd ign feed.
S5 12 BR from st relay to solenoid
S4 16 BR from neutral safety switch to st relay
S2 18 YELLOW from key to st relay
A1B fuse link from st relay STRAIGHT to key as J1 12R
8 gauge lead from small lug on run side of master switch to feed MSD
8 gauge lead from small lug on run side of master switch to feed 1 wire alternator.

If you have any suggestions, complaints, ideas or corrections, feel free to add. All other accessories are powered by a stand alone fuse block with its own ign or battery controlled feed
 
Forget rear battery and disconnect for a moment

You say "msd ignition feed"

This is confusing. The MSD has a large red / other for main power feed to the box, but the box must be "enabled" by hooking the small red to switched ignition.

So you take "where the ballast was" which has

dark blue "ignition run" and junctioned to blue feeding other underhood "stuff" like alternator field, regulator on one ballast terminal

other terminal of ballast has brown bypass circuit, junctioned to original coil PLUS wire.

So with a "one wire" and an MSD, you don't need the blue feed to alternator field/ regulator, and you don't need the original coil PLUS wire, or the ballast.

So this leaves the brown and the blue wires which come out of the bulkhead together. You want to connect these two together This is because "in start" the blue is "cold" and the only "start" voltage comes from the brown.

THIS JUNCTION of the brown/ blue now also must feed the MSD "small red" power wire.

The LARGE gauge MSD power wires need to go directly (fused) to the starter relay stud, as that is a "handy" battery source.

Your "one wire" needs to have a nice "great big" no6 wire directly from the alternator to the starter relay.

Now, let's add the disconnect.

In your case, all you need to do is break the ignition "enable" line (small red) from the key to the MSD.

So run two no 14s forward from the small terminals of the disconnect and unhook the brown/ blue combo from the MSD "small red" Hook one no 14 to the small red, and the other no. 14 to the brown/ blue combo coming out of the bulkhead

Leave the alternator permanently connected to the start relay. Run a nice big no4 from the start relay to the starter, and run your "main" cable from the disconnect to the starter.
 
ok, im starting to see the light, lol. I have plenty on #4 sow cord available to me so I think I will use it from the alt to the relay. My 4 lug master switch is in so I should have this together this weekend. thanks for the help.:burnout:
 
so ive been working on this wiring and have a question. Can I just run a #6 wire from the alt to the starter for battery power? Its really more "handy" than using the starter relay. The alt is a low mount with the lug under the alt. I really dont have anything running to the relay other than the start wire and nuetral safety wire.
 
Well I don't like to see so much weight coming off the starter. If you are not using the relay, how are you integrating it into the neutral safety?

In order to utilize the neutral safety, you need the start wire to one, and the NSS to the other, of the two push on terminals. The contacts of the relay are the big battery stud, which is designed to be used for a junction point, and the "square" screw terminal, which feeds solenoid power back down to the starter.

You COULD run the alternator to the starter, but this adds more weight. This moves some with engine movement, unless you are using solid mounts / motor plate
 
I decided to run the number 4 from the relay to starter and the number 6 from the alt to the relay. I do have the solenoid, nss and ignition wires connected as they should be on the relay. I dont know why im overthinking this. I suppose Im looking for some simplicity in the wiring. Should be re starting in a day or so. I hope to get to the track sunday for some testing before monster mopar next weekend. I havenot raced this car in ten years, hopefully not much has changed with how it runs.

Thanks for the replies.
 
With an alternator and battery in trunk with a master kill switch....while engine is running ....turn the master kit switch to off....to pass tech the engine must die...
 
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