> Hi, folks. Is there a general concensus on the most reliable, highest
> performing brand of electronic ignition?
Terry, I don't think you'll find a consensus on anything so technical, we
can't even agree on what fluif to use in dashpots !
However, I'd like to put in my vote for an unusual unit, the MSD 6A. This
is a racing type ignition, and does not come with a conversion to eliminate
the points. However, I ran one for many years on my TR3A, triggered by
points, and I was very happy with it (after some initial sorting). I used
the same points, condensor, rotor, cap & wires for almost 10 years, and it
was still working fine when I foolishly embarked on a conversion to a Crane
XR3000 with an optical pickup. Since the points carry essentially no
current, the contacts will last forever and the lifetime is determined only
by the rubbing block. The MSD puts out an incredibly hot spark, which
always goes somewhere. I plan to switch back as soon as I deal with more
important things, since the Crane just doesn't start as easily and lets the
engine stumble more when the mixture isn't just right (like when it's cold
or in a hard corner).
I did have to change the carbon brush in the distributor cap to one that
with less resistance (salvaged from a flashlight battery as I recall), and
switch to colder plugs when I ran conventional plugs. The platinum plugs I
use now seemed to work OK tho. Oh, you'll need a "6 volt" coil, too, I
think mine was $15 at K-mart.
Another nice thing, since the inside of the distributor stays absolutely
stock, it's trivial to switch back to points if the need arises. You just
pull off 4 wires at the coil, and replace them with two jumpers (supplied
with the MSD). However, I never had a problem with the MSD itself, so I
never needed to do this.
http://www.msdignition.com/ignition_4.htm
NFI, etc. Note that some performance shops offer deep discounts on MSD
parts, it pays to shop around.
Randall
59 TR3A TS39781LO daily driver (back on the road, woo hoo!)
63 Sports 6 HB7826LCV rustoration project
71 Stag LE1473L daily driver wanna be
57 TR3 TS21731L rusting quietly
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