Progressive Ignition
 

What are your thoughts on the Progressive Ignition?

https://youtu.be/neiyDK0wQRM?si=k9-yONK-HKdd2sCs

My opinion is this......

Any and all electronic ignition modules will fail eventually. Suddenly and without warning being the common failure mode. A points ignition will also fail, but it fails so gradually and incrementally that most any buffoon will notice the change and adjust or replace the points before being stranded. Also, no one (that I've heard of) EVER gained anything or measured a substantial change by switching from points to electronic ignition on a dyno, unless there was already something fundamentally wrong with the points distributor. (Stay tuned and watch someone prove me wrong with dyno sheets)

That being said, I bought a Progression Ignition HEI-style distributor for my engine last year.....engine is being built right now. Obviously haven't had an opportunity to actually TRY IT.

My interest in buying it was to have the ability to program and load my ignition curve from my phone.....on the fly.

I'm such a hypocrite.

haha - I hear you -

Will be cool to hear how easy or hard to get it working / etc

Thanks

I don’t have any experience with one, but here’s a recent thread that has some info:

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...d.php?t=873078

I have the small cap version with external coil. Pretty easy to install and to get up and running. Five wires I believe, tach, 12v, grd, + & - for the coil, hose connected to manifold vacuum. Drop the distributor in with the balancer mark at 10*btdc, use timing light to confirm the 10 degrees and lock the distributor down. This is important because the distributor always cranks at 10 degrees no matter what your timing table is set to.
Download the Progression Ignition app and use their timing table generator to make a table based on a few owner inputs, then send and save it to the distributor. That will be enough to get you started, then you can play around with it after that.

Thanks

Seriously considering one of these for my 66 - since they've been out for a while, would like to know if reliability is still good. Who else has one and has anyone experienced any issues?

I have two small body versions. One is about three years old and the other one year. I’ve never had an issue. The newest one has the added launch/timing retard option controls which you may not need.
If you search online for bad experiences, you probably won’t find much, other than people making mistakes installing it, (not following directions).

I will go with the small body version - the description claims the melanized distributor gear will work with a roller cam but doesn't specify if with a billet steel core like the Comp Cams rollers have. Are you using the melanized gear with a roller cam that has the steel gear?

I'm using a BOP composite gear. The distributor comes with a melonized gear, which is essentially a coated steel gear. Once the watermelon coating wears off, you're left with a steel gear.

Did you have to drill out the hole for the roll pin to install the BOP gear?

Yes as it is 5mm. BOP modified it for me when I purchased one.

I didn’t drill anything. The shaft has a 3/16” hole as well as the gear.

When I measured my Progression Ignition distributor shaft, Wade at BOP said it had a 5mm hole in the shaft and drilled out the gear to match.

That's weird...
.196" is 5mm
.1875" is 4.76mm (3/16")

Evidently when I drove the roll pin in, it drilled .008" from the gear for me.

Progression Ignition
 

FYI - From Ted at Progression Ignition:

Drill the BOP gear hole to 5mm and use the pin that*came with the distributor. The shaft diameter is stock size 0.491" so be sure to get the correct BOP gear.