MSD Ignition?
 

So, I finally resumed working on my POS Chebby peekup. I left it to go on a several month long business trip. The engine was pretty much together. Heads on, intake on, all accessories on the front, headers on... all I had left was carb, radiator, priming the oil system, hooking up the exhaust, little stuff. So in order to prime the oiling systemI was gonna pull the distributor back out and spin the oil pump with the drill. Anyway, I got looking at the HEI distributor and thought maybe I'd get an MSD ignition. So I ordered up a 6AL box, Blaster 2 coil, Pro-Billet distributor, and a set of wires. Anybody running this setup on their small block? Do you like it? Worth 6 hundred bucks?

Re: MSD Ignition?
 

i run that set up on my 383 and it works great.

Re: MSD Ignition?
 

Personally, I think it would have been worthwhile to spend $600 elsewhere. I have sort of an MSD knock off I bought from a company that made them here in the U.S for $35 and have been more than satisfied with it.

Re: MSD Ignition?
 

Yeah, sometimes you just pay for a name.

Re: MSD Ignition?
 

forgive me for sounding dumb but ive always wondered what these do.. dont they just spark multiple times or does it have to do with spark timing or?

Re: MSD Ignition?
 

Essentially the MSD box is an ignition amplifier. The basic function is to multi spark at lower RPM's (I beleive anything below 3000) and to generate a stronger spark in the higher RPM's. The other plus to the MSD boxes is that some have rev limiter's, timing retards, and other associated functions depending on your use. I had run an MSD 6AL which has a rev limiter and an external adjustable MSD Retard box piggy backed off the 6AL for when I sprayed nitrous. The combination worked great! Most people do report a slight gain in power after installing most any aftermarket ignition system, be-it MSD, Jacobs, Mallory..etc... For my current truck I find the stock HEI very reliable and effecient for daily driving/hauling home projects.

Re: MSD Ignition?
 

My brother runs one in his Monte Carlo and he recommended it to me. So I got it.

Re: MSD Ignition?
 

You really can't go wrong with an MSD ignition. A positive but also a negative is they either work or they don't. There is no middle ground. Only advice I have is to mount it somewhere dry and away from heat. I had mounted mine inside my glove box in my 84 c10 and the humming noise got old after a while. I have also mounted them on top of the fenders and on the firewall. Good luck and let us know how the truck runs afterwards.