is it worth upgrading my distributer setup?

[saludora]

If I change my mopar electronic ignition orange box set up on my 440 6 pack engine to the msd setup will I see a difference? Ie is it worth the cost

 

[Xp29h]

I just switched to MSD 6al2 programmable. I'm not using a 6 pack setup but the second I fired it up I noticed a huge difference! I'm sure there will be other opinions here too. Good luck

 

[383man]

It will depend. We took the orange MP ECU off my sons Dart and put an MSD unit on it. It started and ran the same and was no faster in the 1/4 mile. But we bought this orange MP ECU around 1999 and it has worked flawless but I have been hearing the newer ones bought in maybe the last 5 to 8 years or so have been giving trouble and taking timing out at higher RPM's. We had none of that as thats why I took his orange MP ECU and put it on my 63 which starts great and runs 10's as a street car through the pipes and never misses a beat. So if yours is woking real good now you may not notice a difference. But if yours is not working up to par then you might notice a difference. You can see my orange ECU on my firewall that been on the car since I put it on the road in 2006. Ron

 

[mikeyfrano]

my buddy's coronet does 9 sec quarters with the orange box and he told me theres no reason for me to get a msd ignition system so I went with the orange box also

 

[saludora]

Next question then ive been told the chrome box is better for modified motors than the orange one. However I haven't seen anything showing proof. The only one ive seen with proven upgrade is...I believe called a relation. Has a rev limiter built in and is digital.

 

[A383Wing]

if you are gonna run the orange box...go to auto part store and get a spare after market ECU.....it will go out on ya

 

[383man]

Next question then ive been told the chrome box is better for modified motors than the orange one. However I haven't seen anything showing proof. The only one ive seen with proven upgrade is...I believe called a relation. Has a rev limiter built in and is digital.

The chrome box (ECU) is more for racing as they used to say if you are going to idle for long periods of time yoiu should not use it on the street. It is also rated at a higher RPM rev limiter then the orange. The orange is said to have a 6000 RPM limit but my son and I have had it to 6500 with no problems. I see tons of guys run the chrome box on the street and its is said to be better then the orange box as I would run the chrome over my orange if I had one. I agree with "A383wing" as its smart to carry a spare box (ECU) just in case it fails. Myself I carry a spare orange ECU , coil and spare ballast but I have never had any of them fail. Cant hurt to be prepared though. Ron

 

[ZR9B]

bought a msd 6al back in the day.....after a full day at test and tune (Detroit dragway) I didn't gain a thing....I had to run better fuel with the msd to get the same times as the orange box and mp stock type distributor on pump gas...12.5s was the times.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

MSD 6AL and a Mancini Distributor = worth every penny, get rid of ballast and voltage relay and points distributor. modern upgrade at a decent price makes a huge difference with todays fuel which needs a good spark. Call Mancini up.

 

[Reveye]

I went with a MSD ready to run, and a one wire alternator. I removed the vacuum advance, and just adjusted with the springs and bushings to get what I wanted. Set full advance and that was it. Eliminated the voltage regulator, the ballast resisitor and it cleaned up the firewall very nicely. The new ready to run is all electronic eliminating the points and condensor. My 440 runs so much better now than it did with all that other stuff on it.........

 

[440+6]

MSD 6AL and a Mancini Distributor = worth every penny, get rid of ballast and voltage relay and points distributor. modern upgrade at a decent price makes a huge difference with todays fuel which needs a good spark. Call Mancini up.

Is that the Mancini mre- 6994 ? Dose it have adjustable mechanical advance?

http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/vacadeldis.html

 

[coloradodave]

The question was "Is it worth it?" If you're talking about a performance gain by installing an electronic distributor and/or an MSD ignition box, the answer is no. This assumes the engine is in good condition with a good tune-up. Where the two products shine is when the tune-up starts to drop off (with a points type ignition) or the motor gets tired. Because an electronic distributor is not subject to point block wear, it continues to signal the coil to spark pretty much for the life of the motor. And yes, I know that the cap and rotor still have to be changed periodically. As far as the ignition box, particularly the MSD (Multiple Spark Discharge) through providing multiple sparks through a wide range of crank motion, it will fire mixtures that are richer or leaner than a point type ignition/coil will. In addition, starting the motor usually happens quicker with a CD box.
So, if your motor starts and runs well and you do routine tune-ups, you probably will not see a difference by installing the products you asked about. On the other hand, for a modified motor that might see a lot of RPM and where the fuel mixture is varied, the electronic distributor (not limited in RPM like point type) and the CD box is pretty much necessary for the best operation.

 

[Rocketman]

my car ran like **** after my Edelbrock top end kit was added with a big cam, the MSD distributor with the 6AL programmable box was the cheapest best add on I put on. That spark out put is GREAT!

 

[coloradodave]

Preaching to the choir, Rocketman. I run an MSD Billet distributor and a 6-AL box as well, but like yours, the motor isn't stock. When I worked at a speed shop we had an MSD display unit that would shoot multiple sparks across a 2 1/2" gap using an Accel Super Coil. This was when MSD was just getting started and only had the CD box to sell. I'll stand by what I said on a stock or mostly stock motor. Say Hi to my relatives in Louisville for me if you get by there...lol.

 

[biginch=bigfun]

Been a MSD 6al user since 1996 without fail. I have nothing against the orange box, I just went through several. For the longest time I had the car wired up so I could put the orange box back in if the MSD ever failed me on the road. Never had a failoure so I finally removed the box & wiring about a year ago.

Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself! lol

 

[drdodge]

Where is the source for the crome and orange box,, can i use it on a 360 la block

 

[Meep-Meep]

I have noticed with an MSD that the engine runs better when cold as compared to conventional ignition. But maybe with a good orange or chrome box there is little difference to the MSD. Also, note that the MSD is not multi spark above about 2800 RPM.

 

[slepr1]

I just swapped out an chrome box on my Cordoba to a MSD 6AL and noticed it idles nicer and very precise response. This spring I also swapped an orange box on my Cuda to a MSD 6AL because I went to fuel injection. Same difference noticed...the sound of idle and off idles very precise. Both cars can light the tires up easily before and after so I don't have any performance comparables.