I need to change my DS2 distributor and don't trust the rebuilt ones. I've been handed new A1 Cardone rebuilts in AZ and I could wobble the rotor with my hand! If I go with a quality Davis dizzy they cost $267, and I could run my msd 6a through it. But! I just experienced magnetic module failure that left me stranded. I would like to eliminate that source of future probs.

Yes, the 4pin in the DUI can fail. But, replacement is $17 and I have one, $50 for the Davis hp one. Plus, it is an easy swap. I've never heard of the Hall type sensor failing. By going with the DUI I'd get the dizzy I need, curved to my engine, and only spend $100 more for full ignition. I'm also getting nervous about the msd failing.

Opinions?

 

Faron Rhodes specializes in rebuilding and recurving Ford distributors, including Duraspark


TotalPerfEntofPa@aol.com


He is well recommended on two FE forums

 

I had a dui with my 460. I have nothing but good things to say about that distributer.

 

I've had my eyes set on a DUI for a long time, and let's just say that if my other ignition idea that I'm doing purely for fun doesn't work out, a DUI is what I'll be using. Not sure if you know or not, but they custom tune it to your specific application making for the best performance possible, and should it ever fail you can use standard GM HEI replacement parts on it. They are larger though and look quite silly on V8 engines, but the I6 models aren't as massive and look like a nice size.

 

Faron does a performance rebuild and I think Tim Rossel does a restoration rebuild. Id use either.

When I had my tunnel rammed 289 with the dual 660's I needed a distributor and was looking aftermarket or possibly a dual I had, my chassis builder buddy and my FE buddy said just go to O'Reillys and get a Duraspark and replace the gear for the solid roller. Car ran 11.0s, only problem I ever had was a busted roll pin at WFC, used a 16p nail from the bed of a pickup, cut it long and peened the end.

 

Hi Kevin, I'll second the recommendation for Faron Rhoads, he can set you up!

By the way, I hate A-1 Crapdone, err, I mean Cardone. As far as I'm concerned they're a cleaning service, not a rebuilder.

Sam

 

A GM-styled H.E.I. distributor on a Ford? Not only do those HUGE distrubtors look ugly up front and center on a Ford engine, the stock air cleaner usually won't clear it.

Performance Distributors (makers of the D.U.I.) offers a completely rebuilt and custom-calibrated Duraspark distributor for your engine.

Ford Duraspark « Performance Distributors Performance Distributors

 

OP has an inline six.

 

They offer the Duraspark distributor for an inline six engine.

 

Personally, I've never been blue blood. And by that I mean that everything has to be FORD. I take the lead from Ford themselves, who use or used in the best engineered product available, from companies like Holley, Bendix, Dana, ZF, Borg Warner, Taylor wires, Pennzoil, and Rochester Quadrajet, to name a few, all of which have been on GM and Ford alike.

I agree with you that the DUI V8 model does look funny on a V8. Fortunately, I have an I6, and it seems to complement that engine, and is out of the way. The reason I am considering it is this: The Duraspark2 uses a magnetic p/u, which is inferior to the Hall system the DUI uses. Research will confirm that. Also, the DS part is obsolete, and 99% of replacements, even Napa ones, are made in the China, and highest quality cheap crap. Replacement of that part is also much more labor than replacing the 4 pin module on a DUI. On a dark road in the middle of the night that is appreciated should it fail. Replacements for the DUI 4 pin module run $17, $49 for the hp one. Another reason is that the DUI is designed to have 50k running through the cap. I run a msd with a hp coil through my DS2 and I go through the expensive rotor and cap every 6 months. My final reason is the ease of recurving the DUI. It is a major PIA to do a DS2 recurve, and the springs are impossible to find. But the DUI is right there, and the springs are everywhere and inexpensive.

Just as Ford did/does, I find the best quality parts for my engine.

 

For all these reasons, I have no problem suggesting a DUI to you. I know that there are a lot of Pertronix and Duraspark diehards out there, and that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with those systems, but there is something better out there and it's a DUI.

 

I was looking around for an alternative to the DUI, and realized I could use one of the $50 DUI 4 pin modules, triggered by the DS2 dizzy, into a 50k coil, and, in essence have the same system as the DUI. (That is what I have ready in case my msd fails.)

But, I have my recurve done by a guy out of his garage. That is what I have to keep with should I retain my DS2. I've never gotten the mpg I think I should and don't trust the curve with one spring and a stop welded in. With the DUI I would get a custom curve for my engine, and new bushings, and a system that is much easier to work on, that uses the superior Hall trigger as opposed to the magnetic module used in the DS2.

It is only the price that is holding me back.

 

Is anything really all that special about the DUI HEI module itself? I dunno, I've heard mixed things about them. If it were me I'd just buy a good one from the parts store. I've had real good luck with Standard Motor Products for everything and Echlin is always good. Just avoid any of the cheap grades or anything Wells (cheap or premium) like the plague. Autozone uses them and Carquest has had them for a while, but they should be switching over to BWD fairly soon.

If you want, you can get distributor bushings, shafts and breaker plates NOS and rebuild yourself a duraspark, it sounds like something right up your alley!

Sam

 

Hello, Rusty, Sam: Thanks for the reply and feedback. You know, I'm weary of rebuilding and studying the minutia of so much. My butt is kicked. I know the DUI is not FORD, but ... one wire greatly appeals to me. It is the pre custom advance curve that sells it for me. DS2 springs are obsolete, as is the mag. module, now only made in the evil turd-out-in-two-years empire of China.

Right now I'm trying the msd hp coil with 45k volts, with the ds2. I should know soon if happy with it. If not, I'm going to the DUI in a heartbeat. kevin.

 

I will say that with the dui my 460 never started so easy before. As well as it could keep her running at way too low of an rpm when I was setting up the new edelbrock. For the money, the ease of finding emergency replacement parts if ever needed it was well spent.