Electronic Ignition

NOT AFFILIATED WITH THIS IN ANY WAY, except I am running a Duraspark II system...

This guys sells a stock (link below) and recurved Duraspark II distributors (call him). Price seems good.

Stock Duraspark Distributor on eBay

There is a lot of info on the PI forum on Duraspark II ignition. I have found it to be a very good system.

Rocky

FWIW I've used Duraspark on all my FE engines without any issues - plus you can use the stock cap and wires if you want.

I used a Pertronix module that replaced the points and a new high performance coil. By-passed the resistor and it made a big difference. 20 minute job and no external module to connect either.

Dave; I am also running a Duraspark II system and have found it reliable and easy to install. Additionally, a number of auto parts stores have access or even carry the module. (In the event you get stranded)
As a previous post mentions, there are a number of previous posts related to the subject.

Hi Dave,

I'm running a Mallory Unilite electronic distributor. Works great! Some have complained about reliability of the Unilite but I've never had a problem in 13 years. Note that Mallory changed their signal processing and re-revved their unilite module in the mid-2000's to make it more reliable (and also reduced the cost).

I've run a Mallory 6AL for some years, but eventually it started to fail when it got heat-soaked. A little online research revealed this is a common failure mode for both the Mallory and MSD ignition boxes.

I now run a Pantera Electronics Electronic Ignition System with my Mallory Unilite distributor - works great! The Pantera Electronics EIS is great! It's 100x faster than an MSD, will fire a wet oil soaked plug, has an internal rev limiter you can set (no need to buy additional "pills" like the MSD), is impervious to heat from the engine compartment/headers, has LED lights that provide a wealth of information for confirming all is hooked up correctly and working properly, can control your carb choke more accurately, turns off the AC compressor load when you romp the throttle, will auto-adjust idle if you're sitting in traffic and your AC kicks on, has an optional internal trickle charger if you don't drive your car very often, doesn't require a tach adaptor, etc. And, Jon Haas provides the absolute best customer service I've ever experienced from any vendor!!!
http://www.pantera-electronics.com/eis.htm

If I were just now converting to an electronic ignition, I would only consider the following options for the following reasons...

1. If the goal is to maintain a stock original appearance, or keep cost of conversion to a minimum:
Install a Pertronix Ignitor II or Ignitor III kit into your existing Ford distributor.
http://www.pertronix.com/prod/

2. If your goal is to keep it all Ford, and increase your reliability and performance, I'd go for a Duraspark system - Ford Duraspark distributor and ignition controller/box. This system has a history of being pretty reliable, and parts are available at any Ford Dealer across the country.

3. For the ultimate ignition system in terms of performance and reliability, I would go with the Pantera Electronics EIS combined with a Ford Duraspark distributor. Made in America, great feature set, outstanding performance, and bullet-proof reliability.

I use the XDI distributorless ignition:

Coil packs on firewall:




Timing control under arm rest. Notice toothed wheel and pickup in background:

In terms of reliability, none of the aftermarket systems can touch the reliability of the Duraspark II ignition. The original modules were good for at least 100,000 miles. The distributors lasted a very long time, although the centrifugal advance mechanism performed erratically after 50,000 miles. I suggest using a Ford distributor calibrated for 20 degrees centrifugal advance (10L advance plate), with the advance starting above 1000 rpm, and "all-in" by 3000 rpm. Ford Duraspark distributors sourced from 1975-1982 351M, 400, and 460 V8s will drop right into a 351C. The MSD #8477 distributor can be used as a reliable substitute, it employs the same magnetic pick-up as the Ford Duraspark distributor. Its a bit taller than the Ford distributor, thus making clearance for various aftermarket intake manifolds.

In terms of parts availability, Duraspark II is an old OEM Ford system, thus parts are readily available at places that support old Ford parts. The wiring harness is available from any hot-rod parts business that sells parts manufactured by "Painless Wiring".

In terms of performance, the Duraspark II performs better than ignition points, and eliminates the need for periodic adjustment. However systems which use no ballast resistance, and which charge a proprietary coil using "dynamic dwell" are better than Duraspark II systems. The Duraspark I ignition (California only 1977 - 1979) was the first such system. Anywhere a Duraspark II can be installed, a Duraspark I can be installed as well, with a few modifications. I've detailed those modifications in "sticky #3".

Ford's TFI ignition replaced the Duraspark ignitions in the 1980s. It was the second Ford ignition to employ "dynamic dwell", and all Ford ignitions since the TFI ignition have also employed dynamic dwell. The Electromotive XDi distributorless ignition mentioned by Gary (Comp 2) in the reply directly above mine also employs dynamic dwell, its a damn good ignition too.

Thanks for everyone's input. Duraspark on order. Can't wait