Just ordered Progression Ignition Bluetooth controlled distributor

My first thought was that is pretty cool.

my second thought, after skimming through the video, is I don’t think that is going to fit on a Cleveland installed in a Pantera.

I guess we will find out. 😁

Larry

I’m happy to hear of someone giving it a try!  Good luck to you with this test program!

Keep us posted!

I have run a big cap distributor on my car - it fit between the block and window.  This was on a standard Ford distributor body.

Conceptually, pretty cool.  I am concerned about the circuit boards longevity in the extreme ozone environment.  I am always amazed at the degree of corrosion found inside the distributor beneath the cap.  A bit problematic over the long term for a circuit board.

Jtpantera, I suffered exactly that problem with an Accel dual sync distributor. The engine suddenly began running rough and the problem turned out to be the circuit board in the dual sync distributor. Apparently, it was a common problem. Luckily, my dealer had spares in stock.

My long term solution was to ditch the distributor and run distributorless, with separate cam and crank position sensors. For the cam sync signal, I used a Price Motorsport Cam Synchronizer, which uses an OEM Ford Hall Effect sensor. For the crank signal, I used a GM style 60-2 tooth trigger wheel and Hall Effect sensor. 

I have one in my 393C but not in a Pantera, 10.2:1 with aussi heads, RPM airbag and a roller cam setup and I was done with the "run of the mill" distributors not working well with the setup. Dropped it in, set base timing and had my son driving while I made  adjustments with my tablet or phone. It's slick and I'm  pretty happy with it. I'm sure it's not cammed correctly and the other distributors I just couldn't get dialed in, was either pinging or sluggish beforehand. Only a few more bucks over a  MSD.

@jmardy posted:

I ran across these guys: https://progressionignition.com/

They seem to be a new player but this seems WAY better than fighting with advance springs, stop posts and vacuum valves. Looks pretty impressive!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/neiyDK0wQRM

AND now I don't have to try to get the f****** snap ring off the MSD to replace the vacuum can.
Will let you guys know how it goes.

So, how'd it work out?  "Inquiring minds want to know!"

1. Does it fit under the stock Pantera engine cover/screen?
2. How tall is it from the top of the cap to the ring that seats on the block?

Hey @garth66. It fits under the screen and with the factory air cleaner. Seems to be about the same dimensions as the MSD Billet it replaced.
I've done about 250 miles with it so far and couldn't be happier.I really like being able to watch my timing while I drive.
I'm still playing with settings but so far I'm super impressed.

What happens with the tach/tach connection with it? I'm running a Ford Duraspark II with the Pantera Electronics Ignition Controller. The "controller" takes care of the tach connection.

I'll have to check with the Professor to see if he thinks it is compatible?

I like the idea of the anti-theft built into the system.

Hey Doug, I guess I got lucky, I installed it in place of the MSD 8350 and did nothing else and tach worked fine. So whatever was done by the PO's shop to make the MSD work.

Being able to easily set the redline is nice too, in case you let one of your friends drive the car who are, well, you know. :D

@jmardy posted:

Hey Doug, I guess I got lucky, I installed it in place of the MSD 8350 and did nothing else and tach worked fine. So whatever was done by the PO's shop to make the MSD work.

Being able to easily set the redline is nice too, in case you let one of your friends drive the car who are, well, you know. :D

Do you mean that you would consider shutting it off from a distance?

No, its range is only Bluetooth so not far. I meant, before you hand it over to your lead-footed friend you could lower the rev limiter.

Kid wants to drive? Sure. Rev limit 3500.

I have an MSD ignition (distributor, box, and coil) and it works well.  It was easy to install and configure, and it has worked flawlessly.  This Progression ignition adds several features that I do not have and can benefit from.  They are:

- Timing retard at startup.  My car is hard to start when the engine is hot.

- Rev limiter.  My MSD box is older and does not have this.

- Ability to change the advance curve with software.  MSD can do this with springs, weights, bushings.  I do not mess with my current setup because it is adequate.  Changing it is another project.

MSD provides solutions to all of the above.  But doing it with MSD is complicated and somewhat pricy.  

I am considering changing to the Progression ignition from a practicality perspective.  Perhaps it is time to move on.

This post is a bit old but I'm curious to hear the opinions of those who have tried it after several years and many miles.

I have been running it for several years in my 74 Euro Pantera and it works great.  It's a bit like EFI functionality but plays with a carburetor.  Everything I wrote above still applies.  Wilkinson puts these into his Panteras.

Thanks for your reply. I ordered one.

Hi @Stevebuchanan,

Are you using this distributor with EFI or carburetor?

I'm installing the Sniper 2 EFI while the engine is getting sleeved and was planning to stay with my MSD 8350, but this distributor looks interesting.

I won't be able to control timing with the Sniper 2 so I assume the Progression distributor would be helpful even with EFI?

Thanks,

John

#3590

Hi John,

I am using it in my 74 Euro Pantera with a Holley 750 vacuum secondary.  It needs input from the intake manifold for vacuum reading.  The Progression Ignition distributor does the rest.  Obviously, t knows RPMs because it mates with the cam.  It seems like it would work with your EFI in this case.

My car had an MSD 8477 prior to the Progression Ignition and it was an amazing upgrade.  Like I wrote before, no springs, weights, or vacuum canister.  You program it on your phone.

Regards, Steve

Thanks Steve,

The sniper throttle body has a manifold port and another one for timed vacuum used with vacuum advance distributors.  I think it will play nicely with the Progression distributor.

Thanks for the knowledge!

John

Steve,

Any interference issues with the firewall?

no clearance issues at all with the firewall. It fits under the factory screen.

I received my Progression Ignition distributor and there is a problem with the size, it is slightly too high, not only does it not fit under the cover but one of the spark plug wires touches the mounting rail. Have you had this problem?

It is the part # SC0531

Did you order the Male (HEI) or Female cap?  The Male cap does not fit under the screen.  I am running the Male cap on my 74 Euro Pantera and it does not have a screen but it clears the firewall and does not misfire.  With a Female cap, we put it into a customer car and it fit under the screen.  The cap is a standard GM/Chevy cap and it is readily available in the US at Autozone in either form for not much.  It might be harder to get in France.

Here is a photo that I just snapped of mine with the Male HEI cap.

Also, I do not get cross fire of plug wires on this car.  My other Pantera with the very large MSD coil cross fired a lot and I had to carefully separate the plug wires, particularly on the passenger side where the coolant tank and tube gets in the way.

For what it is worth, the "Motorcraft" solid state distributor with a male cap fits on my car with the screen.

IF that is the criteria buyers are looking for on their Panteras details like that should be known in advance?

Not everything out there made for a 351c is going to be directly applicable to a Pantera. It is a very "unique situation". Even how you route the spark plug wires and the type that you use has special application.

I chose a female cap.

What bothers me much more than the height is that it touches the firewall rail in which the cover is housed. With the movements of the engine it can't resist for long.

Even if they are higher, do you know if the male caps have a different diameter at the level of the spark plug wire fixing pins, in the photos they seem to be slightly smaller.

I wonder if Progression Ignition has not modified its distributor since you bought yours to use a higher one.
In any case they don't manufacture them, I think they just mount their electronics in distributors that they buy from others, maybe MSD, otherwise why would they have the upper plate where the weights are usually installed?

I know that not everything that is installed on the 351C is suitable for the Pantera but there I was confident since you had already done it and Wylkinson installs them.

I don't necessarily find comfort in using Wilkinson as a guide. He has his own purposes in mind.

If you are asking me about the cap on my Motorcraft, the male cap is not for a Ford. The original application of the cap is for an International Harvester 350 v-8.

Without measuring anything, I would say that the male cap is made from a modified mold for the female terminals cap.

The centerlines of the individual terminals are the same as is the external outside dimensions of the female cap.

The difference is that the spark plug wire boots for the male terminals are smaller in diameter then the female boots are and that is where the clearance comes from.

I also have 1-1/2" thick foam sheets covered with mill polished stainless steel sheetmetal panels on the firewall so that closes down some of the clearance space.

Again without measuring, it must be that the "Ford" distributor is not as tall as the aftermarket versions? That is the only specification that would effect this issue substantially enough to cause clearance issues to the cap and the spark plug wire boots?

I'm thinking that the features of the Progression distributor are a great idea but also that for a Pantera, the internal device should be built into a Ford distributor?

In a previous post, Bosswrench mentioned that the Pantera drivetrain can be moved back up to about 1-1/2" to gain more firewall clearance without issue to the u-joints on the transmission.

We have a another engine at the shop that is going into a car soon and it has this ignition with a female cap.  That will be the third one.  We just ordered it.  I will try to compare its dimensions to mine.

I will also try to get a sense if the tall cap is narrower.

You can see in my photo that it is not jammed against the firewall.  I am wondering if your engine is sitting up and forward.  I will be at the shop tomorrow and ask Steve about it.

I think you can send an email to Progression Ignition and ask if housing changed.

It looks like my setup has a lot more room than yours based on these new photos I just took.

Steve,

What would be helpful (and greatly appreciated!!) is a side-by-side photo and dimensional comparison of the Progression vs the stock Motorcraft distributors.

John

I will try for that tomorrow.

I positioned the engine as far back as possible without modifying the supports but by putting the two large shim washers on the same side in front of the ZF ears.

I cut and twisted the two lips of the cover sheet metal fixing rail and it no longer touches.

I will cut the cover sheet metal a little to let the cap pass, I have already done it to let the air filter pass and as it is behind it will not be seen.

Wilkinson is suspect that you have the motor mounts reverse. They are not symmetrical. Here’s a photo of the two caps. The Autolite cap is just slightly smaller diameter maybe an 8th inch.

Hi Steve,

I may have asked this in a different thread but don't believe I got the answer.

How can you tell the difference between left and right motor mounts?  It appears that this could move the engine forward or backwards up to about an inch.

Thanks,
John

#3590

In my mind, the engine position is determined by the ZF mounts and if you swap the engine mounts, you can't install the mounting screws.
But I could be wrong and I'd be happy if someone could explain how to move the engine/transmission assembly back without changing the transmission mounting points on the chassis.

Back to the Progression Ignition distributor, the one I received is significantly longer than the one in the 2021 lf-tp2511 photo at the beginning of this thread. So I'm pretty sure the housing has changed.

By the way, I finished installing mine and the engine works.

@jwelch68 posted:

Hi Steve,

I may have asked this in a different thread but don't believe I got the answer.

How can you tell the difference between left and right motor mounts?  It appears that this could move the engine forward or backwards up to about an inch.

Thanks,
John

#3590

This posting describes the the engine mount differences from side to side and their offsets.

https://pantera.infopop.cc/topic/motor-mount-offset

@rene4406 posted:

In my mind, the engine position is determined by the ZF mounts and if you swap the engine mounts, you can't install the mounting screws.
But I could be wrong and I'd be happy if someone could explain how to move the engine/transmission assembly back without changing the transmission mounting points on the chassis.

Back to the Progression Ignition distributor, the one I received is significantly longer than the one in the 2021 lf-tp2511 photo at the beginning of this thread. So I'm pretty sure the housing has changed.

By the way, I finished installing mine and the engine works.

Glad your engine is running with the new distributor.

Can you post a photo of your transmission mounts.  It would help to see where the shim washers are positioned relative to the insulators.

In case you have not seen it, please see this posting:

https://pantera.infopop.cc/topic/motor-mount-offset

Tuesday was busy at the shop.  On Wednesday I will try to measure the length of the Progression Ignition distributor along with the factory Autolite unit.

No, I do have the two side supports, I'll take a picture tomorrow.
The post about moving the engine is interesting but I'm afraid it's not so easy to deform the two rear sheet metal supports. In addition, the air conditioning condenser housing must be modified so that the ZF rear cover mounting nuts don't hit it.
But I admit that if I had had this information earlier, I would have probably studied it closely. But if one day I have the time .........

I took a photo of the Progression Ignition and Autolite side by side today.  The Progression is now about as tall as an MSD, too tall to fit under an engine screen.  Their previous version's height was similar to the Autolite.

I haven't installed my Progresson dist with  male cap  but it is exactly the same heiigrh as the MSD8350 ready to run dist.