I have a 428 FE that has been running a 1st Gen ready-to-run msd distributor. It worked okay but now it's crapped out and time to replace.

I'm ready to get away from the all in one units and frankly the reviews online of the new ones seem to reinforce my decision.

I'm thinking of going with a Msd 6al box because I'd like to have a built in rev limiter. The msd 8594 distributor has no vacuum advance which led me down a path of endless searching of pros and cons of not running a vacuum advance. Though the motor is fairly built (solid lifter crower cam, head work, f427 intake, headers, 750 holley) it's not a track car. It's a casual weekend pickup truck.

Any suggestions as to what reliable distributor would work for my situation with the 6al box? Should I go with the 8594 without vacuum advance? Thanks!

 

I like my GM style HEI made by CRT Performance. Their customer service is non existent but I have bought a lot of HEI's from them and they are all top notch.

 

Unless it's a racecar, and you already said it's not, I would keep the vacuum advance. That will keep it streetable

 

To me, vacuum advance is a personal preference. I like it on my FE, but other folks don't like it. I adjusted the mechanical only timing curve to suit my driving, tested it with some driving trials, and then connected the vacuum and used the timing light to get an idea how it affected my curve at idle and steady cruise. I tried ported vacuum but settled on full vacuum.

 

Summit has the Pertronix D333711 distributor with magnetic trigger and vacuum advance. Any reason this wouldn't work with the MSD 6al box?

 

Vacuum advance really does come down to personal preference. Although, for street applications, we typically recommend it.

The Pertronix PNX-D333711 distributor will work with the MSD 6AL ignition box. The violet and green wires from the 6AL connect to the orange and white wires of the Pertronix distributor. They both use a Molex connector so the two will connect to each other. If needed, MSD offers an extension harness for the magnetic pickup wires. That's part number MSD-8860. MSD has good wiring instructions for the 6AL.

Something to make sure of is the distributor gear. This Pertronix distributor has a hardened steel distributor gear. A hardened gear shouldn't be used with a billet camshaft. If you know your Crower cam doesn't use a billet core then you're good to go. If you're not sure then you will want to check with Crower to confirm.

While upgrading the ignition system it would be a good idea to look at the coil and plug wires as well. The Pertronix Flame Thrower II or MSD Blaster 2 coils are good options to go with. For plug wires, there are numerous options available. Here is a list for the 428 FE with a Male/HEI style distributor. You can narrow the search further by brand, wire size, ohms/ft., boot angle, etc. to get wires suited for your application.

 

Thank you, I went with the MSD 6al, Pertronix D333711 and the Pertronix 45111 coil.