distributor and msd box question

[juddoats]

got my motor and tranny about ready to put back in....360/518 and have a question about what distributor to put in...there are a million on the market...what is the difference and what should someone go with...i made my motor alittle hotter than stock but never a racing truck....i notice summit has one with the little orange box that comes with it...also...MSD box...worth the money for the hotter spark and better burning of fuel? is the summit brand or another brand just as good and cheaper? any feedback is welcome and thanks
judd

[Rodger]

Judd

What is wrong with the unit the engine came with ???


Rodger & Gabby
COS

[chilort]

Depending on the year of the dizzy they can have a ton of mechanical advance in them that modern fuels cannot handle. You need to keep the total timing down to avoid detonation and associated problems (bearing wear, crank failure, etc -- DAMHIK). But to get the total low enough to be in the safe range for the total you may have nearly no initial at all.

I've never built a small block. For my big block the Mopar Performance dizzy is one of the least expensive out there and is highly regarded. They are fully adjustable in just about anyway you'd want to fool with one. You can buy the big block version as a kit that comes with the box.

I use an MSD 6 and have had a lot of luck with it (no black goo from the melted Mopar box, no more balast resistor, etc). If I would have known they were going to come out with a reasonably priced all digital version I probably would have held off buying my 6. I like my MSD. They get a lot of bad press. I've had one fail over the years of using them though but that was in a more modern car and I'm pretty sure it was a problem with the car itself that caused the box failure. In my '68 it hums right along (oh, and they do hum, so you might not want to put it in the cab of the truck like I did).

[juddoats]

the original i dont have anymore....so going with the mopar performance distributor and a msd box would be a good investment? thanks
Judd

[Cageman]

I just use a stock dist that I recurve by welding the slots so it has like 18 degrees initial, and I wire in a used HEI module from a gm.

[mopardwh]

Judd

What is wrong with the unit the engine came with ???


Rodger & Gabby
COS

Umm.... Well for starters, it requires maintenance, adjusting and replacing points and electronic ignition does NOT. Second, EI is more reliable hands down. And furthermore it adds POWER!!!

juddoats, I beleive the summit version is the same as the Mopar brand. The orange box is better than the blue. MSD is of course even a little better than that, but usually kind of pricey. Ponies for dollars, I doubt it's worth it for your application, if it were me I would spend the extra on MSD unless it were used.

[juddoats]

mopar..you meant to say you wouldnt spend the money unless it was used right? so go with the summit brand and orange box and should be good and if i wanna get crazy with money use msd box instead of orange box?
thanks a million

[chilort]

I think it is worth it to spend the extra cash to get rid of the balast resistor and the Mopar boxes that fail and spit goo out of them. Summit sells a fake MSD that would do this too. If that's what you're talking about, I've never used one though I've been tempted.

[juddoats]

summit sells a summit mopar performance distributor and they also sell a summit brand MSD box....that is what i was talking about the MSD box takes place of the orange box correct?

[tapakah]

that was what i understood when i read it too. I dont have much experience with MSD but i know the orange box from mopar is plenty good for me.

[MountainMoparRobin]

summit sells a summit mopar performance distributor and they also sell a summit brand MSD box....that is what i was talking about the MSD box takes place of the orange box correct?

I have to agree with Chiliort, get rid of the ballast resistor and all that vodoo that will make you spend countless time wondering with electronic part went out this time? ballast resistor, ECU, or coil or distributor. I run a MSD 6AL and as chiliort says you get rid of all that other guessing, I put mine in the cab and don't hear a sound out of it, unless I open the glove box door and put my ear their and keep the world quite while I try to hear it ANY electronic distributor will work with it I've had mine on and running since 2001 never had a problem and it FIRES not a small spark you have to wait unitl its dark to see, but in broad daylight a BIG YELLOW spark, It will fire those plugs until the diode is burnt completly out of the spark plug, and it will jump spark with the plug outside the engine hell its almost impossible to stop the box from fireing.
Whether you go MSD or one of the cheaper units ANY ONE is a an improvement over the factory electronic orange chrome, or any other system.
and they are so easy to hook up you'll think you've done something wrong cause "IT CAN'T BE THAT SIMPLE!"

[hevyspeed]

The MSD 6Al and MSD distributor is by far the best combo for simplicity and adjustability. Very simple installation instructions and hookups. The MSD distributor is amazing in the ease of adjustability for the desired advance rate and how much. It will be a must on any future projects

[712edf]

My usual sermon on this subject: Vertex magneto

http://www.donzig.com/

Bucky

[juddoats]

if i go with the MSD box...they sell a analog and a digital...which should i use...looking at summit there are both of these and a kit that has distributor and msd together...if i go with both then this looks the way to go...thanks for all the help

[MountainMoparRobin]

if i go with the MSD box...they sell a analog and a digital...which should i use...looking at summit there are both of these and a kit that has distributor and msd together...if i go with both then this looks the way to go...thanks for all the help

You don't have to do both, but as mentioned the MSD distributor will give you another advantage of adjustment, go digital

[juddoats]

tell me this...the difference between the MSD-6A and MSD-6AL shows a rev control....for $30 what is this and is it necessary on a street truck that i wont be racing with?

[chilort]

I use the 6a because I don't need the chip (they sometimes fail) and can use the $30 for other projects.

[mopardwh]

tell me this...the difference between the MSD-6A and MSD-6AL shows a rev control....for $30 what is this and is it necessary on a street truck that i wont be racing with?

No you defenitely don't need it. It is a rev limiter that controls your engine from exceeding a designated rpm. There are different chips; 5000, 6000, etc.

[juddoats]

yea i dont plan on going 5000,6000 rpm anyways...i can save that $30 for a burger and fries a couple times lol thanks guys

[MountainMoparRobin]

I have the MSD6AL and it came with the rev limiters for different RPM, but I don't use any of them, she goes until she blows