Dura-spark deal

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GREENBIRD56

Posted 16 Years Ago

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Bill - There are some later edition Y distributors that will accept the upper rotor shaft, reluctor and stator straight out of your donor Duraspark distributor. I just couldn't find one when I wanted it - wasn't too prone to buying one at the parts house and hoping to get the right match, etc. I had a Y distirbutor just like the one in your other picture - and not the new style unit. So I just figured out how to machine my early style rotor shaft and went from there.

So far as I can determine from my own experience - and reading the internet message boards - the Ford control box isn't any more or less reliable than the Pertronix outfit - just way cheaper and much easier to get a spare and change out. The trigger is about bullet proof and I think that's the part Bill wants anyway.

Steve Metzger Tucson, Arizona

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Doug T

Posted 16 Years Ago

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What's the deal with the Dura-Spark ignition? I bought new in '79 a V8 Fairmont with the Eurosport interior which meant the Mustang Dashboard with a Tach. The whole car was troublesome and the Duraspark let me down often, notably one time trying to get the car off the Cape May - Delaware Ferry, try being responsible for delaying a seagoing ferry for stress!! Maybe the Hall Effect parts in the distributor were OK but the electronics in the box were CRAP.

I have the Pertronix triggering an MSD box in the T bird and an Accel running the coil in the truck. Both were easy to install in the stock distributors without any glitches so why ask for trouble with the Duraspark stuff?

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

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yehaabill

Posted 16 Years Ago

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Steve or ? I'm still trying to build this dura-spark dist and I have

another question, in your earlier post#21157 you mentioned

someone buying two dizzy's and swaping the parts in one nite.

What about the rotor shaft? I got your deal on machining

the point cam off etc, but is there a dizzy out there that doesn't

require that? (upper shaft a strait swap-out without machine work?)

I can't see the forrest for the trees I guess!!!!!!

Thanks Bill

Bill

Pelham,Al

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GREENBIRD56

Posted 16 Years Ago

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This whole thing revolves around putting a Duraspark II trigger nto one of the two later types of Y-block distributors (that Charlie described). The early one takes a modified rotor shaft - the late just takes some salvage parts in reasonable condition. When you are done - you have a dizzy with whatever advance features you choose to put in there - locked up, pure mechanical -or mechanical plus vacuum - your choice.

MSD has used the Ford trigger in their units - and I assume for reliability issues - the parts aren't particulary cheap to produce. The reason for its reliability is that it doesn't use external power to produce a signal - only a complete circuit. You can clamp the finished dizzy in a vice, spin it with a drill motor and the two detector coil leads (joined) will show the AC signal needed to run all sorts of ignition (red or black) boxes. This is not a "Hall effect" arrangement. It spins the 8 pole reluctor in a permanent magnet field and generates an independent sine wave signal. The digital control devices use the zero voltage crossing point of the AC as a binary "off" and start continuously counting.

If you don't want fuel injection - don't have a red box - just want a cheap, modern "no points" electronically fired coil ignition - it will work. If you want the high zoot stuff - it will run that too. Your choice.

Steve Metzger Tucson, Arizona

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Hollow Head

Posted 16 Years Ago

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HoLun, we don't have the igniton control by the Mega so far. With that the things would be totally different with igniton retard by the knock sensor, retard by the boost level and so on we could use more advance than that 33 degrees that we used at the dyno with 98 octane gasoline. And of course it would give us an opportunity to use launch control and Anti-Lag system. BigGrin

http://www.rallycars.com/Cars/bangbang.html

Maybe some day all those will be at use w00t .

LordMrFord is working on to get his engine running with crank triggering system and direct ignition. It's close but... Lots of problems Cool

Seppo from Järvenpää, Finland
www.hollowheads.net (just click the hole in the head to proceed)

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charliemccraney

Posted 16 Years Ago

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The distributor bodies of original Y-block distributors and the later replacement distributors and duraspark distributors have different bodies and advance weight setups. The replacement Autolites have the same body as the duraspark so the components can just be swapped on.

Lawrenceville, GA

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HoLun

Posted 16 Years Ago

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Hollow Head (1/24/2009)

Those modifications seem to be more complex than installing Crane Xr-i ignition module to Ford distributor. With Crane you don't even need to take your distributor out of the engine. Just replace the module holding / vacum advance plate in place of an original points holding plate ( and of course you need to remove the vacum module and install it again ) and install that Xr-i module with heat resistant grease and set the air gap between the module and the rotor. Only two wires to connect to the coil and it runs. And it has a rev limiter up to 8000 rpm and it is simpy adjusted by turning a small adjster with screwdriver. And one benefit of that Crane is that if your dist shaft has some slack, it still works fine. Our 330 hp / 630 Nm 292 efi-turbo engine is fitted with that Crane, so it really works.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=CRN%2D750%2D1700&N=700+400078+305229+115&autoview=sku

That last picture shows a well burnt module caused by a false wiring to the coil. Only two wires and LordMrFord managed to hook them wrong... BigGrin

I thought you have the Ignition controlled by the Megasquirt, I got the MSII and running the duraspark distributor, this thing is sweet, you can have any the advance curve anyway you want with a few key storke on the laptop. and the MSII works great with the pickup coil in the duraspark distributor. I got the engine to idle but havent worked on it for a while, as my daily driver need an engine transplant.

I need to make a plate to lock the mechanical advance in place and get rid of the vac adv pot. and i will have fully electronically controlled ignition.

and on the distributor themselves, I dont have them with me to look at, but arn't they physically about the same? could you just swap the gear and drop in the Duraspark unit?

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55Birdman

Posted 16 Years Ago

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Tim, thats what it looks like to me. I just never considered the duraspark setup. I have had the petronix in for 8 years and no problems. Just something else to look at. I think I will get all the parts and make one up. I am totally rewiring the car now and this will be something to add. May be worth it. I got 20 bucks in my petronix now. So...