Electronic Ignition Upgrade

[icebox500]

Yeah, yeah, its probably been beat to death but I still thought I'd post a thread about it! (BTW, how you cold weather guys doing?).

Going to do the upgrade finally and just wanted to verify that the Ignitor I and 40000 Flame Thrower were what you guys had dropped into your I6 falcons.

LadyBird loves being in the sun but she's doing more highway driving than before (in fast driving CA) and needs some updating!

Thanks,

Coupe

[pbrown]

Get a Duraspark II distributor and either an MSD 6a or the original Ford ignition module. It's a cheap and reliable upgrade and parts are available at any parts shop.

[redfalken]

Hey Coupe,

Looks like more liquid sunshine up here today! Glad LadyBird made the trip safely.

Ignitor I is a good choice. I've heard to avoid the Ignitor II but it may just be one person on a forum ranting about it. I see they have an Ignitor III now but haven't read up on it. You have to make sure you get the right Ignitor by looking at the shape of the top end of the distributor shaft, under the rotor. One style is shaped like a C and one like a half moon.

Upgrading the coil is a good idea too. I'm running an MSD in mine right now. I had a Flamethrower at first but it started to leak really bad. Don't forget a fresh set of wires that will handle the increased zap.

I also like me Duraspark setup but it isn't quite as easy or inexpensive as a Pertronix. I ran one in my 200 for several years and didn't have any problems until I shorted it out (see rule one for most car repairs - disconnect battery!).

[icebox500]

Hey guys, thanks for the good tips. I think I may end up going Mr. Brown's route - I like the fact that Autozone will have the parts on hand. The distributor is affordable with the MSD a little less so but I'm inclined to buy a new MSD rather than a used Ford brain for the sake of knowing its good.

We had a little rain down here today too, kind of like an April spring day. Of course sounds like you might get snow again tomorrow - I feel for you guys, its been a rough winter up there!

Coupe

[pbrown]

Don't forget that the cap comes as two pieces. If you go with the MSD, they have a Duraspark adapter plug that make the wiring really easy.

[Nathan289]

On the Early 170's the ignitor isn't a simple bolt on deal.. the locating pin on the ignitor doesn't fit the screw hole where it goes.. i usually drill out the screw hole to the larger size and make sure I have a screw that fits it incase I ever need to go back to points..

I'd love to go duraspark, but the early 170's have a different size oil pump shaft and a smaller dizzy hole..

Nathan

[Jeff W]

I've had the original Ignitor I and the stock Ford coil since... 1996ish. I didn't have any installation problems but mine is a late 170 (63-1/2).

[Nathan289]

hmmm, maybe I'll get lucky with my 61 futura as it has a 170 out of 68 falcon...

Nathan

[Luva65wagon]

FWIW, I have an Ignitor and it took all of a half hour to install. Stock coil as well. In August I swapped back in the points trying to debug a problem I was having (ended up being the carb), but you don't know how crappy points are until you've gone back to them. It was like I lost 50hp. Anyway, I did buy all the Duraspark stuff last year, but I'm not in a hurry to do it as the Ignitor is smokin' hot as well. Have used them on a V8 as well and was very good.

[cometcougar]

I put in the Ignitor I in my 1960 144ci, and am still running a stock coil. It made a huge difference in power, and was super simple to install.

[Futura]

I too installed the Ignitor I in my Falcon Wagon with 200 six...that was about 3 years ago. I keep the stock points in the glove compartment just in case...I used the stock coil and it was one of the easier and better improvements I have made.

Al Aiello