FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => FE Technical Forum => Topic started by: FElony on March 08, 2020, 10:44:00 PM
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Anyone here try these? Looks neat. Not a fan of the built-in HEI look, but seems like a lot of adjustability. Feel free to insult me vociferously if this has been discussed within the last year. Warden gave me little online time.
https://progressionignition.com/shop?olsPage=products%2Fford-fe-v8-hei-distributor
Edit: Aha, I found the regular cap version. https://progressionignition.com/shop?olsPage=products%2Fford-fe-v8-small-cap-distributor&page=2
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I was thinking this distributor is a great idea. But on second though, I was thinking it has been about three years since I set up my distributor; advance rate, limit, vacuum advance, and initial. Haven't touched it since.
No doubt doing everything digitally is super easy -well, easy to the point parameters can be adjusted, not that you'll do it right. But after everything is set up, how do you continue to benefit from the technology? You don't. Maybe you do if you get a tank of bad gas and you can remap your distributor to cope with it. I have gotten a tank of bad gas a total of ZERO times in nearly 50 years of driving.
I'm not afraid of technology, but I want to know the technology isn't going to crap out on me a day's drive from home. In that regard, you can carry a spare set of points and condenser and put a failed points distributor back on the road. Even with a Duraspark, you can carry a spare pickup and module. I don't know on this one, though. Maybe you just don't worry, be happy. Just deal with life's problems as they come to you.
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They look good, similar appearance to the MSD Pro-Billet dist. I didn't see any vac advance canisters on them; how would you electronically simulate the vac advance behavior?
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They look good, similar appearance to the MSD Pro-Billet dist. I didn't see any vac advance canisters on them; how would you electronically simulate the vac advance behavior?
The distributor has to use a MAP sensor. It is a purely electronic distributor. Seriously, if I were doing this, I would go full electronic and eliminate the distributor all together and just use a crank sensor with a cam sensor and have a computer drive coil-on-plug. A cam-driven distributor with a rotor and cap is an anachronism. This distributor is just one foot in the future, the other in the past.
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I think Gerry has it. Big $$$, some nice features though. Be a selection for a daily or mild performance deal. Anything more, time to go coil-near-plug. I run a crank trigger on the dragster, so the distributor just spins the oil pump and sends fire to a plug. Only adjustment is rotor phase and I'd love to ditch that.
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I was just going to do this with our Cougar. Installing a Sniper on it, the Sniper has the same type of functionality with computer controlled timing.
https://www.holley.com/products/fuel_systems/fuel_injection/dual_sync_distributors/parts/565-205
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How about using it as a dyno dizzy to dial in numbers, and duplicating those settings on a standard distributor as each engine ships out?
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Yeah, I was think that, but then the market shrinks to nearly nothing.
This distributor isn't a bad thing. I'm not saying that. Again, once you have found your ideal tune, you aren't going to be fiddling with it again until you make some change that requires further tuning.
Consumers spend a lot of money on things like this. An easy one is those Fumoto oil drain plugs. I see those are popular but wonder why? Is it hard getting the oil drain plug out? Is it too messy using a drain plug and the oil is getting into their mouth? Are they changing their oil weekly and need that level of convenience? For me, I see them as having a valve that could fail and an appendage hanging somewhere it shouldn't and being exposed to a well-placed rock hit.
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Consumers spend a lot of money on things like this. An easy one is those Fumoto oil drain plugs. I see those are popular but wonder why? Is it hard getting the oil drain plug out? Is it too messy using a drain plug and the oil is getting into their mouth? Are they changing their oil weekly and need that level of convenience? For me, I see them as having a valve that could fail and an appendage hanging somewhere it shouldn't and being exposed to a well-placed rock hit.
In certain applications its the best money Ive spent. Some drain plugs on heavy truck engines become damn near seized in place (C15's) then when you do get it broke loose then fumblerooskie the plug into the pan its a 1" diameter hole for hot oil to coat the shop floor right quick and in a hurry when changing buckets. With the valve simply shut it off switch your 5 gallon bucket out and turn it back on. I put one on my pickup (2003 7.3) as sometimes its a royal pain in the butt without a lift. Told myself the same thing "what a waste of money" I wouldn't go back now. But that's only one of my 5 trucks, they have their place.
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Yeah, I was think that, but then the market shrinks to nearly nothing.
This distributor isn't a bad thing. I'm not saying that. Again, once you have found your ideal tune, you aren't going to be fiddling with it again until you make some change that requires further tuning.
I live in a hot climate. My daily drivers ('05 F-150 and '06 CVPI) run fine most of the time on 87 and 89 octane, respectively. Once into the triple digits, I have to bump up a grade to retain performance. If the truck is towing in the heat, I have to use 91 or it will ping. So, even "modern" compu will not adjust for yearly temp cycles.
So let's look at an early truck as an example. Ambient temps from 40 to 120 degrees, cooling system efficiency, advance curve changes to accommodate for bed load and/or towing weight, et cetera all play a part. Personally I don't think there is a one-size fits all tune, unless it's so conservative that all-around power is lower than it could be. When I moved out here with an E-250, I had one tank with regular grade gas for the empty return trips, and one tank with premium with the inside loaded and a car/trailer out back.
High compression street car? Sometimes you got high-point gas, sometimes you got pump puke. How nice would it be to be able to change tuning on the fly as needed?
Yes, this piece is a tad pricey, but it beats the cost of a complete EFI system. You can still keep your points distributor in the trunk just in case. I would.
Just thinkin'.
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...When I moved out here with an E-250, I had one tank with regular grade gas for the empty return trips, and one tank with premium with the inside loaded and a car/trailer out back.
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Things haven't changed much over the years. Here's an excerpt from the '18 Super Duty owner's manual for gasser octane:
Your vehicle is designed to operate on regular unleaded gasoline with a minimum pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87 or regular unleaded gasoline blended with a maximum of 85% ethanol (E85). ...For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer.
I tend to tune for the fuel. But I think most people do that.
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Well, you said you don't change your tune. If it's safe enough to run hot and under load, then I would say it's leaving hp on the proverbial table in better conditions, especially in adv curve and total. No?
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I have never heard of these. I suppose the advantage is timing control would be independent of rpm or vacuum, unlike a regular distributor.
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I have never heard of these. I suppose the advantage is timing control would be independent of rpm or vacuum, unlike a regular distributor.
Here, check these out. I have not watched any yet. Post some opinions. I have errands to run right now, but I'll be back this evening.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=progression+distributor
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Well, you said you don't change your tune. If it's safe enough to run hot and under load, then I would say it's leaving hp on the proverbial table in better conditions, especially in adv curve and total. No?
I don't change my tune. I'm not hiding anything. I have no concern whatsoever that there's five horsepower I'm not getting from cold to hot weather. Feel free to change the power loss to whatever you feel comfortable with. Again, I'm more of a don't worry, be happy kind of person.
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Well, you said you don't change your tune. If it's safe enough to run hot and under load, then I would say it's leaving hp on the proverbial table in better conditions, especially in adv curve and total. No?
... Again, I'm more of a don't worry, be happy kind of person.
OK, fair enough. Remind me when your next birthday is coming up so I can buy you a Bobby McFerrin t-shirt. ;)
Evidently nobody else here cares about new products for the FE, either, so I guess I'll move on. :P
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I think Jay may not agree with that statement .
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I think Jay may not agree with that statement .
The silence is deafening. And you can be sure Jay doesn't mind me moving on.
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I am not sure how many FE enthusiasts are in love with the new cellphone technology (bluetooth....)?
Bells and whistles and new apps certainly do not appeal to me in the least - but I am not a millennial or Gen Z.
Having an electronic distributor that I "tune" with my cell phone? really?
I still see "kids" these days at car shows or at drag races spending a hell of a lot of time screwing around with their laptops attached to
the engine management. I was under the impression that engine management would be a "set it and forget it" scenario. Perhaps the fun of adjusting things is still there?
Each to his own. Some like the latest in gadgetry - without knowing how reliable the new tech will be.
Not sure any of my street cruising and drag race friends would be impressed by my cell phone distributor. I would surely get laughed at.
Perhaps I am a Luddite.
Cheers.
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Looks pretty cool to me, but way out of my price range.
The one video I watched it appeared the settings could be changed on the fly which is a must, otherwise wouldn't be interested.
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Modern day computer control is def not set and forget unless. Just like a carb and distributor if you make changes, add different cam, change amount of air the engine is receiving, change gears, etc.. the parameters will need to be adjusted in the computer data tables to optimize. Even a bone stock situation may be optimized. The manufactures, old tech or new, try to make autos fuel efficient and meat the current emission standards while trying to satisfy the buyer. Thus their configurations are in the safe zone.
I am not sure how many FE enthusiasts are in love with the new cellphone technology (bluetooth....)?
Bells and whistles and new apps certainly do not appeal to me in the least - but I am not a millennial or Gen Z.
Having an electronic distributor that I "tune" with my cell phone? really?
I still see "kids" these days at car shows or at drag races spending a hell of a lot of time screwing around with their laptops attached to
the engine management. I was under the impression that engine management would be a "set it and forget it" scenario. Perhaps the fun of adjusting things is still there?
Each to his own. Some like the latest in gadgetry - without knowing how reliable the new tech will be.
Not sure any of my street cruising and drag race friends would be impressed by my cell phone distributor. I would surely get laughed at.
Perhaps I am a Luddite.
Cheers.
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That first distributor, with the GM HEI unit, I would absolutely avoid. I spent a lot of time repairing those pieces of s#!t in the 80s, replacing burnt thru dist. caps, bad modules, and dead coils . Then add the hideous HUGE distributor cap, which usually means you need a smaller diameter air cleaner to clear its ugliness, plus the fact that its right there, in plain sight, no way I could ever make a FE look so ugly! The only possible reason I could possibly imagine anybody putting such a monstrosity on a Ford is that the "one wire" hookup is about the limit of their mechanical skills. You certainly do not ever see these GM HEI distributors on any Fords at the dragstrip, at least on any Fords that perform well. The second distributor looks a lot like the Pertronix Flamethrower my boss has on the 427 FE in his ERA Cobra. It seems to work OK, but personally, I really like the Ford Duraspark distributor (looks original, if that is important to you), reasonably priced, and very reliable, either when used with a "blue" Duraspark box, or as in the case of my Fairmont and old 85 Mustang, with a MSD box. The MSD billet distributor seems to be pretty good too, which interestingly enough, uses the GM style mechanical advance setup (easy to access and adjust), but rather than use the GM ignition pickup design, MSD chose the Ford Duraspark design.
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This distributor isn't a bad thing. I'm not saying that. Again, once you have found your ideal tune, you aren't going to be fiddling with it again until you make some change that requires further tuning.
This. Same with on board wide band A/F gauges. For example, I used my Innovate tuner to set the carbs on the tunnel ram. Then pulled it out. Went to the track and did the final setting for best MPH. Those carbs haven't been modified in 3 years. The 650DP I run on the Falcon has been set the same jetting for 20 years, it'll run just fine on the 393 like it does on the 351 and does on the 302. If you start changing things like cams, heads, etc - sure, you'll have adjustments. If you're not swapping parts, once it's dialed in you are pretty much done. I don't adjust from the 65F we ran at the TnT last Saturday to 140F ground temps in the summer. No timing changes, no carb jetting, tire pressure changes - nothing.
If you're going to spend $600 on a honking big distributor, spend a few more $$$ and go EFI with timing control and do all the tuning from a phone or the hand held tuner.
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Well, it looks like the FE is a set-and-forget engine. Makes me wonder why everyone else actually adjusts their tune to conditions. Dinosaurs Rule!!
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Don't take it so hard.
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Don't take it so hard.
Because of you boring guyz, I lost my multi-cheezburgr contract from Progressive Distributors. You damn right I'm cryin'.
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may be better for your cholesterol , live long and prosper . and keep posting your craziness .
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Well, you said you don't change your tune. If it's safe enough to run hot and under load, then I would say it's leaving hp on the proverbial table in better conditions, especially in adv curve and total. No?
I don't change my tune. I'm not hiding anything. I have no concern whatsoever that there's five horsepower I'm not getting from cold to hot weather. Feel free to change the power loss to whatever you feel comfortable with. Again, I'm more of a don't worry, be happy kind of person.
More generally I have been pondering the same idea. Namely what is the best "Every Man" tune that can deal with variable fuel quality, Carbon buildup with decent mileage etc.... even the level of vacuum for an engine that isn't brand new but on the verge of being tired. Assuming vacuum degrades with let's say rather severe wear. Basically it's the pure perfectionist setup vs a setup for the public at large. But then a 75 shot of NO2 can take care of any carbon built up. 8)
And for the record - I am dying to learn the progress on those FE Heads!