Factory style electronic ignition ECU with a rev limiter?

[Gyratingyak]

What did you pay for the stuff from Don?

I believe it was cheaper to order directly from him iirc. No Ebay fees tacked on top. But his Ebay store has all of his products, without trying to fit into business phone hours.

 

[Kern Dog]

I think I'm going to buy a stock rebuilt 440 electronic distributor and weld the slots, then add some stiff springs. I like factory parts for the ease of diagnosing and roadside replacement. The rev limiter is just some insurance.

 

[Gyratingyak]

I think I'm going to buy a stock rebuilt 440 electronic distributor and weld the slots, then add some stiff springs. I like factory parts for the ease of diagnosing and roadside replacement. The rev limiter is just some insurance.

I am running a Jegs dizzy. Seems to be a Mallory clone with the keys to adjust and lock down the advance slots to limit them. I really like it. They were on sale recently. I’ve had it for about 4 years now. But a factory with welded slots is just as good if not better, anything done right paired with that box should make you happy. Don also preaches the use of Vacuum Advance, so no issues there haha.

 

[beanhead]

I think I'm going to buy a stock rebuilt 440 electronic distributor and weld the slots, then add some stiff springs. I like factory parts for the ease of diagnosing and roadside replacement. The rev limiter is just some insurance.

Yo instead of doing the weld-the-slot trick I'll send you one of those FBO limiter plates if you want.

 

[Kern Dog]

I am running a Jegs dizzy. Seems to be a Mallory clone with the keys to adjust and lock down the advance slots to limit them. I really like it. They were on sale recently. I’ve had it for about 4 years now. But a factory with welded slots is just as good if not better, anything done right paired with that box should make you happy. Don also preaches the use of Vacuum Advance, so no issues there haha.

If I remember right, Don advocates the vacuum advance to be connected at the manifold port. That seems odd to me. Once you crack the throttle, vacuum drops and the timing backs off. Strange....

 

[hunt2elk]

If you buy anything from FBO, just get it off ebay. Whole lot less drama than dealing with Don on the phone.

 

[RJRENTON]

Okay so I found their explanation...

"The reason we do not like vacuum advance is because our box has a digital type flywheel built in. This helps smooth out the timing, and it does not like all the movement and "chatter" vacuum advance causes. Some cars may seem to run better with their vacuum advance hooked up because they do not have enough initial timing in their car. If you have a 318 or a low performance motor, it can benefit from vacuum advance at part throttle. However, If you set your timing up with enough initial timing and the correct total timing, your car will run great without VA and get the best gas mileage and performance that can be expected out of these older cars."

Um....okay.

I'm skeptical about their explanation as to WHY Rev-N-ATOR's distributor doesn't "like" vacuum advance. What is a "digital type fly wheel" effect? What is the "chatter" the vacuum advsnce causes and its effect on the ignition sequence? Are we (the users) just supposed to accept the explanation given.....I'm a reasonably intelligent person who likes to know the "why" of things ...... as the old addage states: "I'm from Missouri,....show me"...
BOB RENTON
BOB RENTON

 

[Kern Dog]

I was doing a search and saw this thread I started long ago. I'm back looking into this topic again.

 

[Outsider]

I like a rev limiter on a good running car especially with a stick. I bought the Pertronix III kit and put it in my dual point iron housing dist. Seemed the mounting set was a bit floppy, so I drilled tapped my old breaker plate for a couple big headed screws to keep in place but still allow the necessary sliding. Really works well and ran it through a few test loops with various lower RPM limit sets before I committed, and it was pretty accurate. I think it was about $169, plus $40 for a coil a few years ago.

Also bought the FBO unit to try for another car, $277 with coil. It has a narrower RPM limit band, but covers what most would need for a street car. Haven't had time to really test it much yet, but it looks a real well built made in the US product.

 

[Cranky]

I've always liked mechanical advance myself and have never run a rev limiter on any of my cars. If everything is right and you got a good shifter you shouldn't be missing shifts. However on a stick car I like to limit the movement of the engine and transmission as much as possible but don't particularly like solid mounts on the street. If you are afraid of missing a shift don't power shift it but just shifted as fast as you can letting off between shifts. With practice doing that you can become quicker and quicker and then gain the confidence to make part throttle power shifts and progress from there.

 

[Kern Dog]

For me, it isn't about missing shifts. It's that I get so caught up in the acceleration, I sometimes intend to shift at 5500-5700 but stay in it longer.

 

[kiwigtx]

Yeah, I don't buy that either.

Well, the guy who runs the R/T Garage (Rev-N-Nator owner/designer) has been a mechanic working on Mopars for some 30 years now.....and you're a carpenter. I guess you probably know more than he does about how and why engines run, and ignition timing etc.

 

[Kern Dog]

?????? Insulting comments now ???
What makes you such a cheerleader for this product? I had one and it didn't provide a power increase but it did reduce fuel economy and make the engine knock. There is no power in ignition if it is working correctly. Rick Ehrenberg has stated that numerous times. Countless tests have been done to prove this.

To add,
I've known plenty of people with years of experience that are still doing things the wrong way. Experience can work for or against a person.
I respect the customer service they offer and that it is an American made product. I just didn't see the hype it received.

 

[Bee1971]

Rev N Nator had set up a booth at the Mopars In The Park for many years

Have not seen his product in years - Has been pushing the back ordered slogan even before Covid was a word

 

[kiwigtx]

What makes you such a cheerleader for this product? I had one and it didn't provide a power increase but it did reduce fuel economy and make the engine knock. There is no power in ignition if it is working correctly. Rick Ehrenberg has stated that numerous times. Countless tests have been done to prove this.

First up, I am not a cheerleader for the product....I am however a genuine customer who has had nothing but positive experiences from installing a number of the Rev-N-Nator units in various vehicles. Every one I installed was met with applause from the owner because of their own unsolicited for praise.
I have also taken the time to call up and speak with both Troy & Laura at the R/T Garage, and discuss how their product works, and what makes it stand out above other offerings......I doubt that many of the doubters who rubbish their product have taken so much as a cursory glance at their research.

As for the 'Rick Ehrenberg' name....I have seen as much bad commentary on him as I have seen good.....so why do people bang on about him being a God? From what I have read about his products and advice over the years.....he is marginally above Galen Govier in that standing.

BTW, I used to be a fan of Galen, and also of Year One, before I realised the real truth.

...and I wouldn't go down the path of insulting comments.....glass houses and all that stuff.

 

[Kern Dog]

The only bad that I can see in regards to Ehrenberg is that he is a stubborn proponent of Mopar factory engineering. I don't agree with everything he says but when I personally have seen and experienced his advice proven true, I'll gladly give him credit for it.
I actually spoke to Troy as well. He is a nice man and quite helpful. I just didn't have the same results that you seem to have had. I didn't see the value.
If I only ran race gas and raced the car, the rev limiter and whatever performance gain it is purported to offer may have been worth the effort. Maybe my ignition system was already functioning fine and there were no measurable gains to be had. I already had electronic ignition so it wasn't a dramatic difference. I do all sorts of driving including freeway cruising at part throttle where vacuum advance really helps out.
People that convert from an original breaker points system to electronic may notice the biggest gains, just a guess there. This reminds me of the guy that buys a Pinto based RMS coil over type suspension kit for their 300,000 mile Road Runner and raves about how it outperformed his original setup.
Of course it did. The stock stuff was not brand new when they pulled it out.

 

[beanhead]

For me, it isn't about missing shifts. It's that I get so caught up in the acceleration, I sometimes intend to shift at 5500-5700 but stay in it longer.

I agree here (I've been using the FBO ecu which has an adjustable limiter). I use a ratcheting/positive stop type shifter, so I can't really 'miss' a shift, but he problem is when the tires spin in 1st gear. The rpms can get up and out of control very quickly with my setup, especially on road surfaces and it's nice to have a little extra protection in those moments. Of course I work to never spin or get into the limiter as I know it's not great for the engine, but it keeps the valves straight!

 

[Outsider]

I know what you mean about not seeing an improvement with these various ignition control changes. In addition to the dist trigger module, aftermarket ICUs, I ran various cap systems, MSD and the like.

My experience was that if the existing system was set up for the application and working well, the new one I tried seldom made much of a difference. My measure has been track times, (though I have never really had a concurrent number of days at the track and unlimited runs to perform back to back comparisons of all the various devices at once), and on street cars assessing the drivability by comparison.

I have helped others with their ignition that were lacking performance and when we replaced the ignition components we saw an improvement, but upon taking a look at the old set-up they always had an existing problem such as worn parts or wiring issues.

As for the rev limiter function of these newer controls, I do like them, particularly on a good running 4spd car. One of the reasons that I like this feature is that I sometimes offer my friends an opportunity to drive my cars, and some don't have the experience of how the power comes in, for example on my 6 pac car which really starts pulling hard above 4k rpm.

 

[Cranky]

For me, it isn't about missing shifts. It's that I get so caught up in the acceleration, I sometimes intend to shift at 5500-5700 but stay in it longer.

How much longer do you stay in it? Can you keep an eye on the tach (mount it with the shift point straight up helps) and where you are going at the same time? I'm shade blind but have excellent peripheral vision. At the track, I can mainly focus on the tach and still see where I am in the lane with the tach being mounted on the column. A buddy that owned the car I was driving at the time couldn't and mounted the dang thing on top of the dash. Ruined a good dash pad. It also had a shift light and that dang near blinded me the first time it came on with me driving. Made me wonder why do ya need a tach mounted high if it's got a light?? Anyways, build the engine where it'll hold up to more rpm even if the cam won't take it there I just hate rev limiters lol

 

[Kern Dog]

How much longer do you stay in it? Can you keep an eye on the tach (mount it with the shift point straight up helps) and where you are going at the same time? I'm shade blind but have excellent peripheral vision. At the track, I can mainly focus on the tach and still see where I am in the lane with the tach being mounted on the column. A buddy that owned the car I was driving at the time couldn't and mounted the dang thing on top of the dash. Ruined a good dash pad. It also had a shift light and that dang near blinded me the first time it came on with me driving. Made me wonder why do ya need a tach mounted high if it's got a light?? Anyways, build the engine where it'll hold up to more rpm even if the cam won't take it there I just hate rev limiters lol

I've gone past 6000 a few times but not past 6200. The gauges are all in the cluster in a factory style arrangement.
I'm like a little kid sometimes. I get excited and lose my wits for a moment when I'm in the heat of the moment.
It is like that with other matters too. I'm having such a good time, I sometimes forget to stick to the plan.