View Poll Results: What electronic ignition for 352/390 FE?
Davis Unified Ignition(DUI)
1
6.67%
PerTronix Flame Thrower 2
7
46.67%
Other (List below)
7
46.67%
Voters: 15. You may not vote on this poll
Electronic Ignition for FE
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,522
Likes: 11
From: Townsend, MT
Since we have so much hood room, I just ran a spacer.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,182
Likes: 1
Do you want a performance upgrade, or do you just want to get rid of the points?
Pertronix gets rid of the points, but that's about it.
Duraspark does the same, but requires a brain box, and a new distributor.
If you want performance, you need something that can handle battery voltage (no more resistor), and run a bigger spark plug gap, like-
DUI units look like Chevy HEI and some people don't like the way they look under the hood.
MSD can be triggered using your points, but then you still have points (although they no longer carry voltage, so they never wear out).
I don't run any of the above, but my "dream setup" would be a Duraspark distributor triggering a MSD box. no points, max performance.
Pertronix gets rid of the points, but that's about it.
Duraspark does the same, but requires a brain box, and a new distributor.
If you want performance, you need something that can handle battery voltage (no more resistor), and run a bigger spark plug gap, like-
DUI units look like Chevy HEI and some people don't like the way they look under the hood.
MSD can be triggered using your points, but then you still have points (although they no longer carry voltage, so they never wear out).
I don't run any of the above, but my "dream setup" would be a Duraspark distributor triggering a MSD box. no points, max performance.
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 354
Likes: 1
what about the old tried and true ford duraspark? I have swapped out many a ford and have above average success with the installations and the performance upgrade vs points. you can probably find a direct fit dizzy for your engine as well. I am a kinda old guy I know how to set points and still have a old dwell meter somewhere.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 19,311
Likes: 97
From: Waterloo, Iowa
High mileage worn out distributors, and el-cheapo imported contact points and condensers sell a LOT of replacement ignitions I bet. A serviceable distributor with good old Autolite or Echlin parts will give no trouble. Yes, they need adjustment every 10k miles. What is that, every ten years or something? This is lost on a lot of people today.
Points are a mechanical system, everything needs to be in good shape to work. The points themselves can't be made from old beer cans. And I like the simplicity and backwards compatibility of the stock Ford distributor. The downside to this is the ease of setting up the advance curve.
Can replace the points with a module, and the distributor itself but if the ignition curve is wrong it will not run well no matter how hot the spark. Modern distributors make adjusting the curve a lot easier. $400 to $600 seems a little bit spendy to me though.
The key to a hotter spark overall than stock is to ditch the ballast, there isn't any magic about that. Wires, cap, plugs, etc have to be in good shape or crossfire/arcing will result. The Ignitor (or points for that matter) don't care about voltage per se, but it does care about current. Keep it under 8 amps.
Points are a mechanical system, everything needs to be in good shape to work. The points themselves can't be made from old beer cans. And I like the simplicity and backwards compatibility of the stock Ford distributor. The downside to this is the ease of setting up the advance curve.
Can replace the points with a module, and the distributor itself but if the ignition curve is wrong it will not run well no matter how hot the spark. Modern distributors make adjusting the curve a lot easier. $400 to $600 seems a little bit spendy to me though.
The key to a hotter spark overall than stock is to ditch the ballast, there isn't any magic about that. Wires, cap, plugs, etc have to be in good shape or crossfire/arcing will result. The Ignitor (or points for that matter) don't care about voltage per se, but it does care about current. Keep it under 8 amps.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,014
Likes: 91
From: Concord, CA
Interesting. With five older cars and trucks I use Pertronix in all of them. Have the Ignitor I in three of them and the Ignitor II in the other two for comparison. All have the ballast or resistor wire bypassed for 12 volts with the appropriate coil. Can't see any reason for an Ignitor III in any of these engines.
Oh, and two of the Ignitor I engines have had that system since the early days of Pertronix and still running fine. Best of all I have the OEM stock looking Autolite and Mopar distributors in place.
Oh, and two of the Ignitor I engines have had that system since the early days of Pertronix and still running fine. Best of all I have the OEM stock looking Autolite and Mopar distributors in place.
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