So I was chatting with a local auto electronics guru who has done some work on my Valiant. He's pretty bright with cars and I trust his opinion, but I'm curious as to how many rocks get thrown at me when I say the words "Ford Electronic Ignition."

He's done it on several cars in the past with great success. He showed me where he's doing it right now on a 1970 MG. He said he likes the Ford system over the HEI or Chrysler because it's simpler, uses a single pole ballast, and automatically retards the spark (or something like that) on startup. According to him, it's cheaper, tougher and (from what I've seen of the parts) better looking than the HEI setup.

I'm going to print out the HEI conversion diagrams for him to check out because he's interested in seeing how so many on this board have done it. I'm halfway tempted to try it because I haven't seen it done before.

I'm also interested in seeing how many people here spontaneously combust when they read this.

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Chuck and the Flying Valiant

I'm all for better parts, when they work. I don't know about the Ford system. It seems just as clunky as the Mopar system, and lacks the compactness and simplicity of the HEI system. If there is a performance difference then it might be worth it. Otherwise, HEI looks like the easiest and cleanest option.

My HEI setup is at least as good looking as a Ford setup with the same style coil, uses no ballast resistor and only one connection to the original wiring harness. The ballast resistor was replaced with a simple jumper.

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Joshua

So he knows the ford system is better and simpler but does not know how the HEI system is set up? It could not be any simpler.

If you are going to have a ballast resister, I would use the Chrysler setup and stay away from the orange boxs.

We used to have a couple of Ford bobtails, the ignitions worked but I would never have considered using them as a retrofit or upgrade to a chrysler or GM system. I actually thought about switching them to the HEI if the ignitions failed again, but they were running when we got rid of them.

He knows how the HEI is set up, he's just interested in the method that slant sixers are using. He's always used a ballast of some kind. I'm running your tutorial and Slant Six Dan's how-to over to him tomorrow and he's going to check it out.

Also, for reference, he's recommending the older 70's style module over the little chip type so it has a more vintage look.



Of course, going with the oil-free coil will ruin a lot of that look, so I guess it's a moot point anyway.

I was just intrigued by the Ford idea since I hadn't heard it used before. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.

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Chuck and the Flying Valiant

Use the tried and true and you will be happy, UNLESS you want to fidget with it, or explore new territory (always in a true Slanter's mind).

I prefer to break new ground in engine combos and suspension/driveline, and leave the ign stuff simple.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

I am not a big fan of the Ford "duraspark". It is "clunkier" than it needs to be. It is not cheaper, it is not simplier, and why would you want to retard the spark, with the ign box, when cranking?

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

I am not a big fan of the Ford "duraspark". It is "clunkier" than it needs to be. It is not cheaper, it is not simplier, and why would you want to retard the spark, with the ign box, when cranking?

If you want the original look, go with the Mopar electronic. If you want "best bang for the buck" go HEI.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

No idea why you'd want to retard the spark. That's why I'm bringing it up.

Sounds like HEI is still my best bet. Thanks for the insight.

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Chuck and the Flying Valiant

I have to say that I have never been happy with the Duraspark ignition on my 84 Ford van. It has always given me trouble. I plan on repalcing it with an HEI system. http://www.bronco.com/cms/node/25

I've worked with the old Duraspark and Mopar ignition modules; in practice, I've seen very little to recommend one over the other. I've had a Duraspark die while driving down the road and a Mopar die when cranking; so reliability seems similar. The connectors on the Duraspark seem much clumsier. Both expect a single ballast (the Mopars haven't used the 5 ohm side in 20+ years, Fords are usually part of the harness); both use an inductive pickup; both basically are a current switch and lack any very clever dwell system as far as I can see. Both are potted & hence difficult to examine inside, but I'd be surprised if there's much difference. On my ign scope things looked similar too.

The most dramatic ignition improvement I've seen was using an MSD5+points over just points in an old AMC; I saw no improvement using and MSD5+Duraspark over just the Duraspark.

Hmm. Both very valid points. This is why I come here! There's a lot of brilliant people here with the experience to help those of us wandering in the dark.

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Chuck and the Flying Valiant

I haven't had a huge amount of firsthand experience with Ford's Duraspark, but the experience I have had, and that I've heard of secondhand, tells me to "just say no". Module failures seem much more common than with the Mopar system. HEI's better, but if you don't want to use it, just use the Mopar system with a thoughtfully-picked module.

I think your mechanic/friend/whatever just happens to have played with Ford ignition for whatever reason, so he's advocating what he's most familiar with, not what works best.

"Uses a single-pole ballast" is not an advantage, it's a disadvantage compared to "uses no ballast resistor" (HEI).

"Looks better"?! That's dumb. Is this guy a mechanic or is he a fanboi? If he comes up with more spurious "reasons" why you should put Ford junk on your car instead of one of the setups known to work well, just smile and nod, politely excuse yourself, and find a different mechanic.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Done and done. I've already made my shopping list for the HEI conversion.

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Chuck and the Flying Valiant

I am going to try Josh's all-in-one coil/HEImount/heatsink trick when I convert my 5th Ave. THe upside to lean burn is it is a one wire hookup and the HEI installation is done.