Hey everyone! I've got an 86 F-150 with the 300 six. It has the feedback carburetor and I'm going to replace it with something else. From what I have learned from some of you on here is that I need to put a different ignition in. The Duraspark II was recommended. What year of vehicle should I look for to find this ignition? What is entailed to do this swap?

Any info is greatly appreciated! Thanks again! This is a great website!

 

I'd like some information on this subject also,

thanxs

 

you need the distributor, coil, ignition module, carburetor and engine wiring harness off of a 1976?-1983 ford with a 300. From there it's just unplugging all of the feedback junk and taking it out (the feedback harness is 100% independent of the ignition harness and slides right out the firewall in one piece) and plugging the DSII components into the truck harness. All of teh connectors are teh same, so it really is just a plug and go.

Justin

 

Hello I am wanting to do this to my 65. Is it the same ? And do I have to have the carb r can I use the one I have ?

 

This thread sure has helped me a bunch.Suspected that it was a plug and play.
You fine folks just confirmed it.THANKS.
Leo

 

Look on www.therangerstation.com in the tech section of two excellent articles on the switch to Duraspark II - you might also look at www.gofastforless.com for the GM HEI / DSII combo.

I have done both swaps and it's easy ; but, you have to get all the correct parts.

 

Make sure (like Oscar Meier said) to get all of the parts. The distributor must be for a 300, but the rest; harness & module can come from any engine. The easiest way is to just go to a junk yard & pull everything. If you have doubts about the dizzy or module the parts store will have them right off the shelf. The 86 might actually have the connections to just simply plug in the DSII (my 84 did), the 65 will need a 12v power source from the battery. I did this conversion on my 65 falcon, but unfortunately I'm currently not at home (for a while actually) & can't take a picture for you or describe in better detail for you. I can say that it only took about half a day to do the conversion (& most of that was re-timing).
Edwin

 

Thanks for all your help everyone! It is really appreciated! I do have one more ? for you though. I have a tach in this pickup and would like to still use it. It is curently attached to the green negative wire on my coil. I know there will still be a negative wire, but will it have a resistor inline somewhere on it to keep from damaging my tach?

 

No problem - the tach stays the same - green off coil negative post.

 

On later models with the Duraspark II the "ballast resistor" for the ignition system is actually a piece of resistive wire made into the wiring harness up inside the steering column. The ignition switch is wired to bypass the resistor and provide full voltage during startup [cranking], then roughly -2 volt lower with the engine runing.

 

I used an 86 300 in my 79 bronco. It required a DS distributor. I chose vacuum advance non egr from 76 when ordering. (because I went non egr) Secondly, I left the 351M's module and harness in there, which worked fine. Third, I ordered a pigtail assembly to splice the coil wires to my tfi coil(you shouldn't worry about this in your swap). This had a second green wire for tach. Also, what 83van says, holds true, so I could bypass the voltage reduction that the tfi coil could handle, but I chose not to.(why fix what ain't broke)

 

Thnks again for all the info. So if I am understanding this right, all vehicles from Duraspark II era and later have the resistor wire in the steering column right? My pickup is an 86 with the feedback carb so I would assume its got the TFI coil? Also, does TFI stand for "thick film integrated" or something like that? ALso, how well did the feedback carb setup actually work in these vehicles when they were new?
Thanks again everyone!

 

If I may: at a junkyard, grab the DS2 distributor. Attached to that is a wiring harness that goes along the valve cover, which splices down to the coil. Cut those 2 wires next to the coil, or use the DS2 coil...your choice. Your TFI coil has the same color wires. The red w/green wire is your positive, the green w/yellow is your negative(also the wire your tach. would connect to.) The rest of that harness goes to the ignition bograb that) up on the driver side of the fenderwell.(cars may be in a different location). from that harness are 2 wires back by the firewall that goes to your oil and temp sensors. Keep them if you want. The harness then ends up by the fenderwell, like I said, 4 wires in a plug go to the ign. box, 3 other wires go to another plug, we'll label this plug B. From the ign. box are 6 wires, 4 go to the harness, and two go to another plug, label this plug C. So you now have 9 total wires up by the fenderwell/firewall/master cyl. Or if the plugs are the same shape as yours, then just connect them. Plug C has a red w/blue and a white wire. Plug B has a red w/white a white w/red, and a red wire. Plug B is for your oil and water temp. sensors. Plug C is your ignition. You really don't need to worry about Plug B and its wires if you keep your own wires for this. But it will mean ripping apart the harness to fit all the wires together for a clean look.

 

I did the same thing to my 1984 F150 I pulled the dist., ignition box and all the wiring between the two outa a 1981 F150. Plugged right in just gotta adjust timing and it works fine.

 

ohh yeah and the coil too