Question for the SBC crowd (1 Viewer)

[Snowdogyyz]

I run an SBC400 in my 74 and I'm in the midst of installing a painless wiring harness. Perfect time to upgrade some things. I want to get rid of the old points type dizzy and replace with a newer electronic dizzy. What are you guys running/recommend? Is MSD worth the dough or would a Jegs do fine? What models? Any help is appreciated!

 

[BigRed40]

Don't have experience with Jegs brand electronics. I have the MSD Pro Billet on mine. Haven't had any problems with it. Has always been reliable even when underwater. Fires right up every time. However, MSD did just file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, so I'm not sure on how that will affect parts availability/warranties/etc in the future. From what I have heard, it is not going to change warranties or other customer programs, but that could change at any time.

 

[knorrena]

I have used a pertronix in the past and they work great. They rely on the hall effect to sense when to throw a spark rather than points. The result is crisper throttle response, better starting, better mileage, easier to set timing, and far cheaper than a whole dizzy.

http://www.pertronix.com/

 

[pb4ugo]

I just run an old stk HEI dist w/vacum advance off of a old SBC. All it requires is a keyed hot wire. It's pretty much plug & play. I think summit & jegs sells their own private brands, for around $100.

 

[lefty b]

I'm with pb4ugo, it's tough to beat an HEI for simplicity and reliability. If I wasn't going to be switching to EFI, and getting a small cap HEI in the process, I would replace my stock unit with a Summit (or Jegs, etc) billet dizzy.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

I just run an old stk HEI dist w/vacum advance off of a old SBC. All it requires is a keyed hot wire. It's pretty much plug & play. I think summit & jegs sells their own private brands, for around $100.

This is what I'm running too. I've only had the truck for about a year, but I can't complain - works every time so far!

 

[Cdaniel]

Count another for the HEI crowd. Need a spare module in the trail spare though. If you have it, you'll never need it

 

[RAYJON]

Count another for the HEI crowd. Need a spare module in the trail spare though. If you have it, you'll never need it

x2 carry a spare pickup, module and coil, or a spare junkyard distributor.. just incase,

also HEI is hard on plug wires so make sure you have a good set..

 

[pbgbottle]

i ran a stock hei with a msd 6al and msd coil for over 10 years ,the 6al died and i ended up puttng the stock stuff back in under the cap and to tell you the truth i cannot tell a difference.
i am now still running the stock hei stuff. still using the msd coil tho.
i wouldn't waste my money on the msd
i don't think it is needed in a cruiser.

 

[fzr400guy]

I'm running the MSD 8394 E-Curve Distributor. Simple 3 wire hookup, no external module needed, easy to setup and adjust, and can be made water resistant. I now swear by this unit. I used to run an MSD Pro Billet and 6A box.

 

[desertdweller]

I used the Accel blueprint. It was easy to wire up and is a "blueprint" of the factory HEI so you can get parts anywhere. I don't now if it's still the case but, at the time you had to use MSD parts for the MSD ignition.

 

[Diskord]

I just run an old stk HEI dist w/vacum advance off of a old SBC. All it requires is a keyed hot wire. It's pretty much plug & play. I think summit & jegs sells their own private brands, for around $100.

This ^

 

[BigRed40]

Count another for the HEI crowd. Need a spare module in the trail spare though. If you have it, you'll never need it

Definitely a very good idea. I've been stranded because of those stupid modules. BWD Select makes an ignition module that has metal on the outside allowing it to be more resistant to heat (which is the killer of the modules most of the time) that you can pick up at O'Reillys/NAPA/etc. It came recommended by some HEI Chevy guys that I had spoken with. Supposed to be much more reliable.

 

[Snowdogyyz]

Thanks for the recommendations! Haven't decided what I'm going with yet, but glad to hear some good advice from others who have done this.