What benefits does an electronic ignition give you? I am wanting to swap out my oe point style for an electronic ignition system and have to have some ammo to prove to the wife that it is worth the money.

Russell
1968 F250 LWB 300-6
FORD=First on Race Day
MOPAR=Mostly Old Parts and Rust

 

Points wear out and become a hinderance to ignition systems.

This would Never happen in our house.

She knows that I know,besides,she once worked for an auto parts distributor.

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So basically an electronic ignition would pay for itself over time by not having to replace the points? And trust me she knows that I know too. We discuss everything with the money. Saves on a lot of arguments.
Russell
1968 F250 LWB 300-6
FORD=First on Race Day
MOPAR=Mostly Old Parts and Rust

 

I dont think that an upgrade to electronic ignition would ever pay for itself in eliminating the regular replacement of points, IMHO. I mean a wild guess say $250-300 bucks for upgrade to distributor and ignition module. That would buy alot of points.
I think you may get more power from a more consistent spark, reduced time spent adjusting/replacing points and maybe a smoother running engine, to name a few advantages. I just dont think that dollar to dollar you would ever recover your initial cost of converting by not having to purchase points replacements.
Still it is an excellant upgrade, I may even do it to my truck some day

Sparky

 

Thanks Sparky. I read somewhere that they improve your fuel economy. I hear people on here talking a lot about fuel economy and it makes me wonder. If I was concerned about fuel economy I would have bought a Ford Focus, not an old truck.
Russell
1968 F250 LWB 300-6
FORD=First on Race Day
MOPAR=Mostly Old Parts and Rust

 

I cant see how it would improve fuel economy I mean the carb/valves etc have no idea what is firing the ignition system be it points or electronic. So the same amount of fuel/air mixture is dumped into the cylinder I can easily see how you may get a better spark, so a cleaner more thorough burn giving more power....but I cant see better economy.
Well I guess you could lean out the fuel, maybe smaller jets and keep the same power ???
Now switch to multiport fuel injection....along with the igniton upgrade then I can see better fuel milage.
Just my opinion not based on any proven facts

Sparky

 

Russell:

Convert it. There is a company by the name of Pertronix that manufactures a conversion kit that will drop right in to replace the points. Personally, I prefer staying with OEM components as I like being able to replace bad modules, etc. at the local auto parts store. However, when faced with the time, trouble, and expense of swapping in a Duraspark ignition system, the Pertronix kit is a no-brainer. You'll find them in just about all of the classic Mustang magazines, J.C. Whitney, and Summit for around $60 to $75. I hassled with points in my Mustang for years, setting them perfectly with a dwell meter, etc. Finally, I broke down and swapped in a conversion kit. I never believed the car could run that well. Following this, I ordered two more kits to convert two loaders at work. Same story. In your justification, you've got to figure in costs of time, trouble, and regular maintenance. And yes, fuel economy. The electronic ignition is not, per se, going to improve your MPG over a perfectly tuned points-type ignition. That said, how often are you going under the hood to file and reset your points? If you're not going to every month (add in appropriate down-time and labor figures here), then your engine is going to fall out of tune, which will begin to affect performance and fuel economy. Not so with the electronic, as it will continue to fire your engine as it should with no regular maintenance. Basically, over time without touching either system, the electronic will provide better MPG. At any rate, the other benefits (smoother running / better start up) will justify it alone. How high an RPM can you rev your engine, now, before it starts to miss and loses power (point bounce)? Maybe you don't have this problem, but I did. After the conversions, the miss was gone and the engines pulled much better in the mid to top end. I'd never think of going back.

 

Russ,
IRT The pertronix kit you are talking about, is it just the drop in item that I see on their webpage? Do I also need an external module like the MSD one? I have no experience with tuning points so this sounds like a good option for me. Do I use the same dizzy?

Later,
Russell
1968 F250 LWB 300-6
FORD=First on Race Day
MOPAR=Mostly Old Parts and Rust

 

That's the one. You retain your distributor, cap, and rotor. Your points and condensor come out, and the Pertronix unit bolts right back in using the same holes. No external module is required. There are two wires that exit the distributor in place of those that previously fed your points. I believe one connects to the coil, and the other to the starter solenoid (?). The instructions will give you all the details. You will need a voltmeter, as I recall, as you'll need to test for cranking voltage to be sure the wiring is being connected at the correct source. A very simple and slick job.

 

I have an 86 f150 with a carb...I am currently doing a conversion from an EFI 302 with an AOD tranny and an NP208 t/c...I pulled out the 302 the AOD and the NP208 and installed an 85' 302 with a and packed a C6 behind it....then to top it off and bullet proof it..I have an NP205 sitting under waiting to go in....do I have to convert my ignition? I had an EFI truck...what do I do??? some say pick an old distributor....buy this....get that....what is the process to do this cheap and right??? Are they all stock parts????

 

Around here, points were starting to get expensive so I converted mine to a Crane Cams system from Summit, works pretty well and don't have to mess with points anymore.

 

The fuel savings will not show up right a way. What happens to points is that the rubbibg bock wears down - this causes the timing to be retarted - retarted timing = poor fuel economy and preformance.

Though when you replace the points, the contacts looked burnt (sometimes) and sure look used - 9 of 10 times it is the rubbing block wear that causes you to change them.

The manufactures started useing breakerless ignitions about 74-75. This was done to meet emission standards over a 50,00 mile driving cycle. BTW poor emissions - especialy HC - usually indicates the amount of gas wasted - not burned.