Hi, guys,

I'm wondering what would be a nice basic MSD system would consist of. Iknow it would need the distributor, but whate else? What box, coil, wires? I have a TPI 350, stock for now. Thanks.

 

Well, first I have to say I'm probably not going to be called an "expert" by anyone on this, but I do have some experience with MSD on a couple of EFI cars (one Holley Commander 950 on a GMPP 454HO and my own 91 Formula 305 HO TPI).

That being said....

I really like their 8.5 mm plug wires. I've used them one both vehicles. The 454HO was in a Suburban, so I used the "adjustable angle" spark plug boots. On my 91 Formula I've had to use a combination of the bendable/adjustable angle and 90 degree boots due to clearance problems. But I'm staying with them, they seem pretty heat resistant and seem to be wearing very well.

As for the ignition box, ff you have a stock motor the general consensus seems to be that you MIGHT experience a slight economy increase, and maybe even slightly quicker starts. Performance gains will probably be hard to see or feel according to the posts and folks I've talked to. However, if you're highly modified (or going to be) you might actually see some improvement. I personally have had 2 MSD Digital 6 systems, one on each of the above vehicles.

One the Commander 950 system on the 454HO, I thought I noticed a little performance improvement. But I never did a before and after dyno run to verify how much if any there was. In my opinion the part throttle response seemed a little quicker/crisper with it in. Before I put it in the 454 was pulling 455 HP and 495 torque, but I can't prove any numbers after installing it. But I thought it helped a little.

As far as my 91 Formula is concerned, it's currently stock. However, it's being replaced by a 400HP/500ft-lb 383 with a SuperRam and headers in a couple of weeks and I plan to use one again. I'm having problems getting it to work with the factory tach though. I suspect I'm going to have to buy their tach adapter to make it work, right now my tach is dead if I use the unit. If you have a tach filter in yours you may have to bypass it if your tach acts weird. Some folks never have any trouble, so it's hard to tell in advance. Since mine is a manual transmission, I want the tach working so I've not run the MSD on it yet other than in the driveway.

As far as the coil goes, I believe in using the one that matches the ignition box, so I've used their remote coil on both of my setups. From what I've read the coil seems more tied to the plug wires you use. If you go with the MSD low resistance wires I think you probably want their coil too.

As to which MSD box to use, let your wallet be your guide. I like the rev limiter idea, which means either a 6AL (the "L" stands for the rev limiter) or a Digital 6+ unit. I wanted the best they had if I was going to do it so I went with the supposedly faster responding digital unit, plus it has 2 rev limiters that are dial switch adjustable instead of having to use their plug in rev limiter modules.

I can't say much about their distributors, but I wouldn't count on seeing a performance improvement. If yours is sloppy or worn out, go for it (I will when that happens). But the ignition box controls the power to the plugs so a lot of the features in the stronger distributor aren't used (I don't think, but could be wrong here) when an ignition box is connected. The distributor in that case pretty much just lets the box know when to fire and not much else from what I understand. They certainly look good though, so if you want "all MSD red" under the hood have at it, especially if you have an old and suspect distributor now.

All that being said, stock motors probably won't see much difference. The HEI systems we run on the TPI cars is a considerably strong ignition on its own. It starts to get a little suspect and weak at high RPMs (over 5000-6000 RPM) but I rarely if ever rev that high (at least for now) since I'm not a strip drag racer, just a street player on occasion.

Hope all this helps, and anyone is free to correct me on anything I've said here. I'm never too old to learn either!

Have a Great Day!!!!

--- Vern

 

Hey, thanks, Vern. I doubt I'd be seeing any RPM's above 5k anyway, with the current limitations of the TPI setup in stock form. Not that I mind - I like low-end grunt more than high-end. However, I have plans (waaaaay later) to do a 383 rebuild and get the stealth ram intake setup. I'll get something that works now, but can support that build plan when (and IF) it happens.