Slim- not sure how you could backwards hook a ignitor, it is two wires to the coil and they say not to have any resistor in place so there isnt any real way to protect against surge. I was afraid of the key on problem so I made sure that I never left it on so I know that wasnt the problem. I have heard of people loving the ignitor and having them for years without any problem but I have heard of them taking a crap for no reason at all and that scares me. I am just wondering if anybody has run the MSD 8383 distributor and had these type of problems. Is it also proan to surge problems or hooking, and do you have to worry about leave the key in the on position for too long?

 

you can go to msd's website thay have a tech fourm and will know the answer

 

I have heard that some pertronix models need the ballast resister and others don't. I hope that the counter guy is giving you good info.

My buddy installed a new after-market dizzy on his 289. His friend who was helping him told him that the ballast resister was optional. It ran great for a year without the BR then the module fried. After paying $100 for a new module, he installed a ballast resister and 2 years later, it is still going strong.

Good luck, Jag

 

I ran the 8353 I believe in my 351C. It ran really good but like I said before, make sure that your alternator is putting out 12V or better, anything under and it doesn't run right. My alternator was a little weak on mine but it kept the battery charged so I never gave it any thought when the MSD was acting up which I later replaced the alternator for a Powermaster and it cured it. The MSD comes with a alternate gear also so make sure you put the right one on it. It also had the built in electronics also, just drop in, set timing and your done.