MSD new ignition system

[cattleFEeder]

MSD has come out with a direct ignition system with coil on plug setup. Nothing for the Fe yet.
https://www.fordmuscle.com/news/msd-upgrades-vintage-engines-to-modern-coil-per-cylinder-ignition/

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/msd-601523

[Rory428]

I can certainly think of better ways to spend $1200.+ on a car.At least it would be (slightly) less ugly that those HEI monstrocities.

[cammerfe]

The next engine I'm planning might well use most of such a kit. I plan to be distributorless and use a crank trigger such as Jay has been using. I've always found MSD to be a very good company to work with 'customer-service-wise'.

KS

[driveamerican]

Looks like nice stuff but my problem with it is where is it made? If you are charging this kind of money in my opinion it should have big made in USA stamped on the ad it might be made here but the Holley stuff I bought recently has no markings that makes me think China.

[Rory428]

Looks like nice stuff but my problem with it is where is it made? If you are charging this kind of money in my opinion it should have big made in USA stamped on the ad it might be made here but the Holley stuff I bought recently has no markings that makes me think China.

Good point, on my Fairmont, I have been running the same MSD 6T box for 30 years, never had a problem. This was before the 6ALs were available, the 6T required a separate "soft touch" Rev limiter, but it does have a plug for it. When I was building my Stocker Mustang, I went with a 6AL box, and over a period of less than 10 years, had 2 of them fail. It seems the quality and reliability  has suffered in recent years.

[machoneman]

I usually use the "$ per hp gain" standard for most engine parts yet recognize a reliable igntion system does nothing for power. Put another way, for zero hp gain and an ugly look to my valve covers, that's a ton of cash for sure for little if any gain.

One more thing: should my Unilite fail on the road (one could say the same for a points ditzy) I can swap in a new module and get going again. Should my MSD box fail, I can even more quickly disconnect the box's wiring at the coil, restart and run it home.

This system? Not so much.

[Tommy-T]

If you are trying to fit an ignition system underneath a 6-71 or 8-71 roots style blower, this looks like a neat wat to go.

I ran a Electromotive crank trigger with wasted spark in my blown 427. It is still going strong. I think I had to replace a crank sensor once in 10 years.

You can spend a ton of dough on ignition stuff with very little return for the money over what you already have.

[cjshaker]

I usually use the "$ per hp gain" standard for most engine parts yet recognize a reliable igntion system does nothing for power. Put another way, for zero hp gain and an ugly look to my valve covers, that's a ton of cash for sure for little if any gain.

One more thing: should my Unilite fail on the road (one could say the same for a points ditzy) I can swap in a new module and get going again. Should my MSD box fail, I can even more quickly disconnect the box's wiring at the coil, restart and run it home.

This system? Not so much.

To be fair, this is not really aimed at your average 'street car'. It has programmable timing, a 2 step limiter, retard and data acquisition. Obviously designed for more of a racing environment. And a good ignition will produce more power over your standard points system. Add in the programmable timing and, with some testing, you'd likely find power and a little ET on the track as well, even over a standard CD ignition. Although it would take a really good tuner and someone with a lot of patience to document, read plugs etc. As for ugly valve covers, the coils could easily be placed on fenderwells.

Having said all that, would I buy it? No. It costs way too much

[Yellow Truck]

The next engine I'm planning might well use most of such a kit. I plan to be distributorless and use a crank trigger such as Jay has been using. I've always found MSD to be a very good company to work with 'customer-service-wise'.

KS

cammerfe - you must have a secret number to call for support. My experience with both a series of failed "ready to run" distributors and a series of pretty much psychotic support responses is well documented here so I won't repeat it. It was truly like speaking to insane people who kept saying completely different things each time I spoke to them or the wrote to me.

[RustyCrankshaft]

While not a plug n play setup, Megasquirt Pro has supported COP and CNP for a long time in either wasted spark or fuel sequential. I think BigStuff now allows individual cylinder timing control as well.

The MSD kit is an easier install, but I haven't had or seen a lot from MSD in recent years for durability, quality or warranty help or customer service in general. 

[Joey120373]

Take a look at Jay’s dyno mule, he has built a coil near plug ignition already.

With just a little wiring, one could use a much cheaper ECU, like the microsquirt, or even cheaper yet, a speeduino controller or similar. Jay sells a crank trigger and the coil brackets.
The crank trigger is better, and you could probably put it all together for half the price.

[pbf777]

     We worked with a company called FIREPOWER back in the eighties fabricating a individual "coil-on-valve cover" system for our S.B.F. road race program; it proved to be an over complication attempting to solve a problem that really didn't exist, and it was just to early in the electronics era for confidence in the durability; not to mention with the wasted spark program (probably not a concern with more modern systems) one must pay attention to the position of the intake valve of the cylinder of the routed to "wasted" spark!     

     Scott. 

[cammerfe]

The engine in my ECTA car/record holder makes use of a coil-on-plug system. The coils are about the size of my thumb and are a known failure point. I switched to Accel coils and they worked well for me, but I long-ago decided to, from now on, use a coil-near-plug system. Ideally I'll make use of nothing more than six inches of plug wire.

Complete control of the ignition will be built into the EEC system. I was actually thinking of the coils themselves when I made my comment above.

I've found, at each project I've ever been involved in, that connecting to someone who actually has the answers at a manufacturing concern is critical to a 'happy' result. (As a kid, I used to be able to go over to Mallory in Detroit, and go in the side door. They ALWAYS treated me well. I've followed the same sort of activity all my car-connected life.)

KS