Hey y'all,

Thinking of doing this on my ole F-350 warhorse and wondering if anyone here's tried it.

Saw a buddy's Plymouth Valiant with a slant-6 and he said when he installed the MSD it was like adding another cylinder, his engine perked up so much.

He also installed some kind of pointless distributor module (forgot what he called it) right inside his original distributor. Says it made the engine start ever so much better. Got if from Pertronix.

Did a search here but could find nothing specific to my model.

Thanx for the width...

 

To my knowledge MSD has never made a product to specifically support the 223. I always take an interest in the 223 because I run them and never seen an MSD on one. That's not to say someone hasn't made something work. The 223 was used up into the early 60's and MSD doesn't show an application. Frankly, the stock setup with new points/condenser/coil usually works fine. I have had MSD units on newer trucks and they have issues at times too.

Here is a link from awhile back:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...n-a-223-a.html

 

Hey thanx tdt for responding so promptly.

Feared that as I ain't heard anything back from MSD when I queried their site.

And your note reminded me: I ain't swapped out my coil in years. Points'n plugs every couple of years--but that coil's been in there at least a decade.

Thanx for the nudge on that. And hey I'm glad I ain't the only fordster out here that thinks this 223 is a peach of an engine. Read somewhere--probly here--that this engine actually outperformed the small block V8 Ford touted in those days.

Best to you... (Now lemme go check out that link you referenced).

 

http://www.google.com/search?q=msd+6+cyl&rls=p,com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ACEW_en#hl=en&rls=p%2Ccom.microsoft:en-us%3AIE-Address&rlz=1I7ACEW_en&sclient=psy-ab&q=%226+cyl%22+electronic+ignition&oq=%226+cyl%22+electronic+ignition&gs_l=serp.12...0.0.0.10324.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1c..7.psy-ab.85DupHRBCM0&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&fp=ac59688375ef158a&biw=1280&bih=574

http://www.autokrafters.com/p-9244-i...-cyl-ford.aspx

 

Hey Dick, you're spoiling me! Was about to respond "should I just google 6 cyl electronic ignition" when zowie, you did it for me. Thanx.

Yep, this looks like what my friend with the Valiant must have installed on his slant-6--and Pertronix was definitely the company name.

Now I just gotta take a crowbar to my wallet . . .

 

The Pertronix units are worth their price, which isn't bad really. They are simple to install, and eliminate some stock wiring headaches.

 

Is your distributor a Load-a-Matic, or the type with centrifugal advance via weights? If you can get to a system that has centrifugal advance and vacuum advance, plus electronic "points", that's where you really get a bump in economy and driveability. I don't know if they ever abandoned the LoadACrapic on the 6's, on the V8's they went the right way for the TBird Y-blocks.

 

Ross, all 215/223/262 engines had the cr@p-o-matic distributor. I have seen where guys have adapted a 240/300 six distributor........looks fairly simple. That's what I plan to do with my 262.

IMO, adding electronic ignition to a loadamatic dist is like putting lipstick on a pig.....it's still a pig.

 

Thanx for the heads-up on the stock distributor. Mine's undoubtedly the crapOmatic. Did have to replace the vacuum diaphragm last year and was grateful the local shop stocks such things and doesn't have to custom-order them from some antique warehouse on Pluto.

Got a nice techy from MSD online and he said their Digital 6AL with Rev Limiter works on my engine--but he warned me straight up they do NOT have a replacement distributor--so I'd still be trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

PerTronix touts their Ignitor II and 45,000 volt coil--but till I get a good distributor I should prob'ly put this electronic ignition obsession away awhile.

Don't say it enough but I'm so grateful to have found this forum. Y'all are a generous bunch of folks and you've saved me oodles of headaches and money.

 

I run Pertronix igniter and coil in my 215 with the stock LOM dizzy. So far, no problems. Instant improvement over the stock points and coil. Click on the link and read up on how to convert a late 70s dizzy to work with your engine and also how to get a Mallory dizzy for your engine. Help with 215 OHV I6 2x1 set up - The Ford Barn

 

Hey PanelMan, thanx for the encouragement. Nice to know their claims about improvement are actually true. Looking at a pretty sweet deal on the PerTronix Ignitor II and Flame-Thrower coil, both for $137 shipped.

Curious: keep reading of folks changing their sparkplug gaps to .045 after this install; did you do that? (Perhaps this is covered in the installation manual).

Thanx again,
g

 

I didn't change the spark plug gap.

 

Here I go again responding to years-old threads--and I posted this on another pertronix thread so I hope that's kosher...

Installed a pertronix in my '56 223 back in the summer and though it did seem to run smoother and faster, come the cold damp days of winter it actually starts worse than with my old original points.

Also sprang for the dynamite or volcano or whatever their fancy coil is.

After the third week of having to boost the battery to get my truck to start I decided to pull out the pertronix and re-install my original points and condenser.

Figured I'd leave in the new coil (I know: you're all cringing) but noticed it ran very rough and so I pulled it and put my oldcoil back on. Then it was that I read the warning on the new coil's instructions about not using it with conventional points in the distributor.

As the engine only ran this way (hotter coil but original points) a few minutes I'm hoping I didn't do too much damage.

Now I'm sweating over the ignition ballast--which the new coil's instructions said to bipass. Had spliced around this for the new install and once again I ran the engine awhile this way with the old coil reinstalled before I realized I now also needed to reinstall the old ballast.

Again only a few minutes running without ballast so fingers crossed I ain't burned up my old coil.

Will keep you posted on my progress but I gotta say Albuq F1: you were so right about that crappy load-a-matic dizzy: installing the pertronix was like lipstick on a pig.

In hopes someone's still reading this thread,
m

 

Points need the ballast resistor to keep from being burnt up by excessive voltage over time. It would not hurt your coil to be run a short time without it, and the points are probably OK too.
You have it all hooked back up to stock form now?
Your truck should not have been hard to start with the pertronix unit. Did you change anything else, like the timing, at that time?
How does it start now?

 

It was Tinman who made that memorable quote about lipstick, absolutely correct. I imagine Bubba (Bubba's Garage) can make a 223 dizzy that will do the right things. Also read this about coils: The Ford Barn - View Single Post - Coil help ?

But I tend to believe (as I believe Tinman is saying) that ignition is not your problem.