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about MSD ignition systems. These are the small red boxes that plug in
between your distributor/ignition trigger and connect to the coil to give
you a hotter, longer, better spark. That little red box figures out when to
fire the spark plugs, and courtesy of some well-designed electronics, they
put a lot more power into each spark. That means more complete
combustion and a better running engine. You need one of these - the only
question is which specific model and how are you going to hook it up.
The graphics on the right are from the installation manual for an MSD 6AL
and are provided for technical information only. All credit for this very
nicely laid out information goes to the fine folks over at Autotronic
Controls Corporation, who build the MSD equipment. If this information isn't
everything you need, or you have questions - contact Autotronic Controls
Corporation for more information. I'm only trying to whet your appetite here
and help those who already know most of what they need to know. Use this
information at your own risk. These are high-powered ignition systems that
put out a very high voltage through the spark plug wires - obey the warnings
and use quality plug wires. The shock you can get from one of these things
is non trivial and will teach you a thing or two about respecting the power
of high voltage equipment - I know first-hand how bad it hurts, so believe
me when I tell you to be careful! This is not your father's points ignition
system! If you haven't already, go buy your own MSD box so you can get
started installing it! :-)
If you need to figure out how to install an MSD ignition system, start by
looking at the wiring diagrams to the right and work from there - as you can
see you can easily install an MSD Ignition system on almost anything
imaginable with very little effort. Some hookups methods are better
than others - the key to getting the most power and most reliability out of
an MSD Ignition system is to get the most reliable and accurate triggering
system. Points can work, but they generally suck for reliability and
accuracy. A magnetic trigger is much better - later model HEI or factory
"electronic" ignition systems already have this, or you can use an
aftermarket conversion kit such as a
Pertronix Ignitor or Mallory
Unilite to replace your points and fit inside your stock distributor cap. My
first install will be using the
Pertronix Ignitor as a points-replacement, so check out the
1964 Valiant page for more
details on how this goes.
Don't forget that many of the MSD boxes will take a special plug in
"chip" to perform rev-limiting functionality. You can either purchase these
chips from someplace like MSD, or build your own using the
information found here.
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