MP orange Elec ignition coversion kit -vs- MSD6A

[68DCharger383]

I currently am running the Orange ECU with the MP sitributor and MSD Blaster 2 coil. I have no complaints, however i have a question for you guys.
Will there be any noticable increase in performance if i buy a MSD6A or comprable unit as my ECU? If there will be an improvement, will it justify the cost of the MSD unit? I realize the mulitple spark is supposed to yield a more complete, and therefore more efficent combustion of the air/fuel charge. However, i have a 9.2, maybe 9.4:1 383 with a 750 edl and .480/238 at .050 cam. My concern is that it wont make any difference on my motor, but will on a higher compression, heavier breather than mine. I am just wondering if that why my emissions(namely HC) failed so badly. Is it that my fuel is not completely burned? Thanks for the help. I know some people swear by the results, but they all seem to higher comp engines than mine, or are on the bottle. I can see using it in such cases. Other specs are on my profile.

[Colonel Daytona]

I think I can answer your question. MY brother plows with some guys who have built their 350s (these are bowties boys but whats the diff anyway?) any before they put on the 6a they were failing emissions. After the past extremely well. These guys have headers, cam, intake, you name it but with the 6A they passed. Good Luck

[bbaspense]

I run a 400 with a 494/292 cam stock pistons/ ported heads that runs 13.30's.

I just recently switched to a MSD 6A from the stock ignition. This is the improvements I found:

2 mpg on the street
No more fouled plugs
More consistency at the strip
Easier start up when hot
No more loading up.
Improved throttle response.

If you are going to spend the money you should get a 6AL. It has a rev limiter that you can use in case of driveline failure. Also later you can add a 2 step that plugs into there if you would like launch control at the strip. There is so much more you can do later with a 6AL.

Also if you ever need to sell the unit you would almost get your purchase price back when selling it (the MSD 6AL). You would lose money selling the 6A.

My $.02
Jason

[rumblefish360]

I put on a MSD on my '79 Dodge Magnum. It was a 360 that was getting about 10 mpg's when I first picked it up. It put in a nice boost of power, steady operation, with a couple of more mpg's to the range of the car.
The car was later modified with dual exhaust and twin cats, a 4bbl on a factory intake witha K&N air filter. There was no cam change or compresion change to the car. The compresion ratio for the '79 model 360 was 8-1 at best. It all worked excellent. Total bennifits included lower emmissions and 20mpg if the throttle was left lite.
When the MSD unit broke down, it was replaced free (broke down in the warranty period) with no hassle. An orange box took over dutys while the unit was being repaired. There was a differance between the 2.
It was about 3mpg. The orange box worked fine, as you allready know by having on. The MSD just did a little better. The MSD box was like tuneing up the car. Although it was running tops at the time.
I recomend one. Good bang for the buck, best bang at the pump.

[Chargerchuck]

I made a switch over from an orange box & factory electronic ignition system to a MSD6AL, Super Coil & Pro Billet Distributor and I noticed a definite difference- overall it improved performance, I'm not fouliing plugs, quicker starts, etc. Plus you have the added benefit of a rev limiter. It's not cheap but I think it was worth it.

[68Charger 440HP]

I felt a noticeable difference between the orange box and my MSD 6A. It is a worth while upgrade. To take full advantage of the MSD you should jet your carb up. Your car will be able to handle more gas with the MSD thus resulting in more power. You'll have experiment around with sizes to find out what works the best with your combination. Good luck.

Clayton

[Dart]

Before you upgrade, make sure that your ignition is functioing properly. One mod that you can do is to jump the balast resistor to get 12v at the air pick-up. This helps the spark signal. You already have a good coil, but a cheap upgrade is the 2.2 turbo coil. It costs about $15 and is as good as most of the aftermarket coils for much less. The only problem is that the 2.2 coil has a post mount, but you can bend the coil wire to work.

One thing, if you are not passing emissions then you have a carb problem or possibly a distributor/ignition problem. Your car should pass emissions if it is dialed in properly.

[BugEyedValiant]

I put a 6 AL on my 82 dodge that I had, and it made no performance difference. It did make the idle better, in fact, I tried backing out the idle screw, screwed the idle mix screws all the way, and put it in gear and it did not die! It would idle down to 350 RPM, and not die though. I would tell you to go with it though, because it cant hurt. I do run one on my nitrous car and love it.

[Mopard]

I put a MSD6A box, Blaster2 coil, High Performance plug wires, High Performance plugs, High Performance fuel injectors, Mopar Performance computer, new fuel pump, new dist. cap, new rotor button, and a new pickup (same as points). I did not notice any difference in performance at all. Common sence tells me that a noticeable difference should have been noticed, but none at all. (Of course, I put all this on a 1988 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z with a 2.2L Turbocharged engine). So what do I know about anything concerning this matter. lol Just add my $.02.

[Dr. Righteous]

Your 383 sound similar to my 383 cam wise but I have alittle hotter compression. If you are running a out of the box Edelbrock #1407 750cfm carb you may be jetted too rich for your engine. Its the same one I have and that is my problem with it. Rich smelling exhaust and sooty plugs as well as having flooding problems sometimes when I start it. What I found out by reading up on the carb in the Edelbrock catalog is that the 1407 is intended for cammed up engines over 400 cubes and it is jetted so. On a 440 this carb would be perfect out of the box. I went down a jet size in mind and saw an imediate improvement in throttle response. The next size down setup up spring (4"vac) cured the dead spot at part throttle. I was grinning from ear to ear until my distributor came apart on me while I was testing the changes I made. (read "New MP distributor came apart!) A switch to a CD iginition will give further improvements but make sure your carb is tuned first.

[Christopher]

I installed the Mopar setup with the orange box on my Road Runner and decided to rty the MSD-6 as I had 2 of them in the shop.No difference!! The car ran the same and the ET was the same.That orange box is 11 years old and is now seeing duty on my Ramcharger while the 'Bird is in the paint shop.

[charger_dan]

Hey,
Here's what you want to do:
Order up the 6AL box, the standard MSD billet distributor (they also make a Pro Billet model - but you don't need it), MSD Blaster ignition coil, and a set of MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor plug wires. Buy it all once, set it up right, and don't concern yourself anymore with ignition systems.

Here's why:
The 6AL will gain you throttle response, built-in rev-limiter, multiple sparks, cleaner plugs, and, as a result, a cleaner running mill. But don't buy it for any mileage gain - buy it because it makes sense when you think about one spark compared to multiple sparks.

Even more importantly, the billet distributor won't wear out like the MP piece will. And while the MSD piece doesn't have vacuum advance, it does have a trick adjustable mechanical advance, utilizing interchangeable bushings that allow you to custom-tailor your advance curve. However, the biggest reason to go with this piece is DURABILITY. MP units work good, but their sintered bronze Oilite bushings eventually wear out. Also, bushings can't hold the shaft as precisely as true ball bearings - the MSD unit features two heavy-duty ball bearings supporting a heat-treated shaft. Like, it will be a family heirloom you can pass down to your grandkids , who will be runnin' this puppy in their mopars 50 years from now.

I have been running this set-up on my '68 Charger for almost ten years now, and it just works great, year in, year out. Give a holler if you have any other concerns about this set-up.
Dan

[Kilrbee1]

68DCharger 383 I have a question about your setup if you still have it. My 69 Coronet w/440 was wired with a elect. distrib-3690432, 5 pin orange box-4120505 and stock coil. The reg. is 3438150 271. (2 wires and one capacitor). When I got it, the wire hareness was cut and spliced in so many places I couldn't figure out what they did only that it ran. I have a new MSD Blaster 2 coil I want to put in but only the coil and no instructions or hardware. I recently obtained a new (used) harness from another 69 but would like to know how it all should be wired and resisters put in correctly and not look like the spaghetti it did before. Can you or anyone else send me an email or diagram on how to do it? Thank you in advance for any imput. David
email david-lord@home.com

[jelsr]

Not saying yea or nay on the MSD setup, but the big difference is the multiple spark at low rpm's. At higher rpms they have one spark like everyone else. If your problem is not in the carb it will help with low rpm emissions due to the multiple spark enhancing a more complete burn.

[Frans Veldman]

Yesterday I ordered an MSD 5900, the single spark unit, but with a very hot spark. You guys worry me that I made the wrong choice.

Of course I have considered buying the 6A(L), but the only difference would be the multiple spark, and I figured that once the mixture is burning, additional sparks are a waste. A spark is a very small fire compared to the already burning mixture, so what would it add? It sounds to me like trying to light an already burning cigarette a second time, it can't do any good.

What I thought is that multiple sparks gives some advantage on engines that are running faulty. If the engine misses, you will have a second chance to ignite the mixture. If it fires right, it shouldn't make a difference. I can't think what a tiny spark could do in an already burning mixture!

Has anyone a reasonable explanation why multiple sparks should give an advantage, other than giving you a second chance if the first spark fails to ignite?

Frans

[bbaspense]

It helps to burn the entire mixture.. Just because you had a spark it doesn't mean that all the fuel is burnt. Mutilple spark will ensure complete combustion.

Once I put a 6 AL on my car the idle improved...it didn't run fat down the highway, didn't foul plugs anymore, throttle response was better and my mileage went up. I will never run a factory igntion again...

[J-BODY]

I bought a MSD 6a box with a blaster coil off E bay for 80 bucks. Works fine. I put it in the trailer as a back up for my 6al on the race car. My 6al is seven years old, and no probs so far. I changed from a mp chrome box and the difference in starting was worth the purchase alone.

[Jims451]

The main advantage of the MSD6 is the multiple sparks below 3,000 RPM. Actually your warmed over 383 with fairly low compression, short stroke, a bigger cam and big carb should show a big improvement with the MSD box. This is due to the multiple sparks actually firing the un-evenly distributed air/fuel caused by low port velocity at low RPMs.

With your application, The spark voltage is not as important as the duration of the spark.
The voltage requirements increase with cylinder pressure (compression ratio), but the longer duration (multiple sparks) gives the air/fuel a beter chance of burning (or not mis-firing) when the air/fuel mixture (in the cylinder) is not optimal.

The biggest improvement you will notice is easier starting and a smoother idle. To a lesser degree the throttle response should be better, expecially if using a tight torque converter, and you might even get better gas mialage.

Here is some reasons some people don't see a big difference with the MSD ignition.
Engines used in racing that don't operate under 3,000 RPM probbably won't see a big increase in performance.
Street engines that are well optimized where the cam/compression, etc are well matched to maintain decent low RPM port velocity.
Port Fuel injected engines, where the fuel is well atomized.

[Wheeler]

Great info, guys!

Are most of you guys running the MSD box with the Chrysler factory distributor, or are you running the MSD dist?

[Jims451]

The MSD unit looks nice, but has no Vacuum advance if running on the street.
I'm actually using a Mallory Uni-Lite to triger the MSD box, but just about any distribitor will work. The advantage of the aftermarket distribitors is they are a bit easier to re-curve than a stock one.

[bbaspense]

I'm running a factory recurved distributor on my 400. It works great. I never run vacuum advance..even on the street...

This year I'm going to step up to an MSD 6 AL so I will have the high end limiter and will give me the option of a 2 step box for launching or a 3 step so I will also have burnout protection..