I'm sure I'm going to catch flak on this one, but I'm asking anyways.

Summit has their version of an ignition box that is comparable to a MSD6A box. The specs for both can be found here.

Summit:
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?CP=1&part=SUM-850600&N=700%200&Ntt=SUM~850600%20or%20SUM~850602& Ntk=&rsview=sku&Ns=P_SRE_DisplayPrice|0

MSD:
MSD Ignition 6200 - MSD 6A CD Ignitions - summitracing.com

The specs for the summit box are actually better and cheaper than the MSD box. I've never heard of anybody using the summit box though. You think it'd be worth giving it a try?

 

I've used lots of the Summit brand parts on past projects and never had any problems. Alot of their stuff is made by the big brand name companies.

Hope this helps.

Trevor

 

If I'm not mistaken, and I may be.. that Summit box is built for Summit by Mallory. I have ordered lots of Summit brand stuff, and never been disappointed.

 

The other nice thing about this deal is they both come with their own harness for Ford TFI which makes wiring much easier. I'll sleep on it and think about it.

EDIT: a quick comparison between a mallory equivalent and the summit box shows the exact same specs. It may be a mallory with the summit name on it. But time to sleep now.

 

If you decide to go that route, let us know how it works out. I'm quite interested to know.

 

I'm seriously thinking about giving it a try. Summit even has the splice kit that goes between the coil harness and coil to splice this box in just like MSD offers. The cost for the summit box and splice is about $175 vs $230 for the same setup in a MSD. The summit even comes with an adjustable rev limiter where the MSD 6A doesn't.

 

I've got an MSD6A box that came on a parts truck already wired for Ford I will let you have it for $100 plus shipping if you would rather go that way. I tested it on my truck and it works just fine but my ol' Six doesn't need anything like that.

 

Hello guys. For more than 8 years I ran an MSD 6A. When it failed I wanted to try something different and found the Summit boxes. There were two to choose from. The one for about $150, according to the numbers, was a bit below the MSD box, so I went with the $200 Summit 850611 I believe. The numbers with it seemed a bit above the MSD, more spark energy, etc., so I was excited to try it.

It took about half a day to remove The MSD and wire in the Summit. I was quite surprised to find my timing jumped from 8btdc, to being off the indicator, which I assumed/calculated to be 16-18*btdc. That was without touching/moving the distributor. Yes, I checked that the trigger wires were correct.

Now, If I back it down it runs poorly. If I leave it there it pings on hard acceleration.

My general opinion/findings: I'm disappointed. Although the numbers show this box to be a step above the MSD 6A, reality is that it performs a large step down from the MSD. So much so that I am removing it, getting a refund, and sending my MSD back and having it refurbished $25-$85). I want that power, that peppiness I had with the MSD and lost with the Summit box.

Note: when the MSD failed, as a temporary measure I keep a GM 4 pin module fastened to my inner fender. It cost about $20, and ran real close to the Summit box. Ouch.