[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by JSchmitz

I have logged decades of daily driven miles in HEI equipped vehicles. Had one module failure and one pickup coil failure. The pickup coil only failed because it was a worn out engine pushing oil into the distributor housing. Suggesting that HEI's are unreliable is one of the most ridiculous things that I've read on here to date. Maybe if Ford had filled the HEI with epoxy it would be better! LOL!

There’s a reason why so many off road Jeep/International Scout/Bronco guys have converted their late 70s to 80s Ford ignition systems to HEI distributors.

[Tom Vaught]

So post up the number (and a link to the actual info) of those converted off road Jeep/International Scout/Bronco guys please. One piece of data is worth 1000 opinions.

Tom V.

[george kujanski]

Off topic.............Fiedlerh: that Mrs Ostrega.....relative of a Matt Ostrega?

George

[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

So post up the number (and a link to the actual info) of those converted off road Jeep/International Scout/Bronco guys please. One piece of data is worth 1000 opinions.

Tom V.

Unless it's Tom's opinion! Then it becomes fact immediately. Everyone else's opinion is misinformation. LOL!

You calling 455Grandville a liar Tom?

Grandville, all the Ford guys run epoxy filled MSD boxes!

[72projectbird]

I've never had any issues with GM HEI distributers. I've put thousands upon thousands of miles on them, in everything from heavy duty trucks pulling trailers and pushing snow, to street/strip setups that would see over 100 miles a day daily driving and then see 6000rpm at a track on the weekends.

The only HEI setups that ever gave me issues were the new ones from China. They had lots of slop in them, and the electronics took a dump at the worst possible time.

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by JSchmitz

Unless it's Tom's opinion! Then it becomes fact immediately. Everyone else's opinion is misinformation. LOL!

You calling 455Grandville a liar Tom?

Grandville, all the Ford guys run epoxy filled MSD boxes!

Opinions sure bother him.

That being said, if the Ford systems were so great why don’t we see the aftermarket making Ford systems to convert GM HEIs rather than HEI conversions for Fords, Jeep’s, and Internationals which used Ford systems ?

[Formulabruce]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

Not a fan of HEI type ignitions.
I had several of them fail me on my 1978 Trans Am.

Carried a Spare HEI Module in the glove box after the first two failures.
All were installed properly using GM directions and chemical dope.

Never again.

That being said I have an old "potted" MSD Ignition Box mated with a GM
transistor type distributor. Not one issue 40 years.

Tom V.

HEI failures in 77 -81 were due to bigger gap used in spark plugs on low compression engines. More amps drawn through system.. Easy fix for a extremely reliable system.
"POTTED" MSD. Well, there are plenty of those cooked and failed. Hanging on garage walls. Most notable are on Hot Rod power tours, in summer heat.
Running a medium amp draw sealed up system with NO way to cool it ( to protect your copyright) is a risk. Even a liquid system could help it. Of course its not needed on any pontiac that runs below 5k.

[242177P]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

So post up the number (and a link to the actual info) of those converted off road Jeep/International Scout/Bronco guys please. One piece of data is worth 1000 opinions.

Tom V.

I've seen it personally several times, it's really quite common. Hell, just look at Summit, Davis has drop in HEIs for Fords.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dui-31820bl

[JSchmitz]

Originally Posted by 242177P

I've seen it personally several times, it's really quite common. Hell, just look at Summit, Davis has drop in HEIs for Fords.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dui-31820bl

Now there will be a request to see a video of one installed and running. Otherwise, this could just be an opinion! LOL!

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by Formulabruce

"POTTED" MSD. Well, there are plenty of those cooked and failed. Hanging on garage walls. Most notable are on Hot Rod power tours, in summer heat.
Running a medium amp draw sealed up system with NO way to cool it ( to protect your copyright) is a risk. Even a liquid system could help it. Of course its not needed on any pontiac that runs below 5k.

Your Chit does not line up, guy.

MSD has not made a Potted MSD unit in 25 years, and they only made them for Ford Racing. So your claims of Potted MSD Units on Hot Rod Power Tours, are suspect in content. Try again.

Tom V.

I see we have grandville back stirring up the chit when it was so quiet for several days. Have fun on this topic with the name calling.
I post facts, not opinions. I don't waste my time on BS posts.

[Stuart]

Don't you guys have anything better to do than argue about distributors?

[242177P]

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

MSD has not made a Potted MSD unit in 25 years, and they only made them for Ford Racing.

LOL. Someone really needs to teach Tom how to use Google.
Here's a fully potted box, and it's NOT a Ford Racing exclusive.

https://www.holley.com/products/igni...oad/parts/6471

[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by Formulabruce

HEI failures in 77 -81 were due to bigger gap used in spark plugs on low compression engines. More amps drawn through system.. Easy fix for a extremely reliable system.
"POTTED" MSD. Well, there are plenty of those cooked and failed. Hanging on garage walls. Most notable are on Hot Rod power tours, in summer heat.
Running a medium amp draw sealed up system with NO way to cool it ( to protect your copyright) is a risk. Even a liquid system could help it. Of course its not needed on any pontiac that runs below 5k.

I have a few dead potted MSD boxes laying around.

I've always had the best luck with a real GM HEI ignition system.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

I consider everybody on here a friend.

But i only had one GM HEI ignition failure in a lot of years during a lot of miles on numerous various vehicles i owned and drove regularly in the 80's and 90's.

74 Bird, 76 Chevy 4x4 (module crapped after about 200k miles-popped in a used one)
77 CatWagon, 77 CanAm, 79 TA

Once in a while would hear about a high mileage unit needing a new module.
i think Tom got a lemon
probably some other lemons squeezed out of the assembly lines too.
For the most part, they seemed almost bullet-proof and fool-proof.

[67Fbird]

heat and water are the only 2 things I've ever lost one to. Now some of the el-cheapo models would cause a higher rpm miss....and or timing to go crazy...but could still drive it home. What do you expect for a $16 module...when DELCO costs $35

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by 242177P

LOL. Someone really needs to teach Tom how to use Google.
Here's a fully potted box, and it's NOT a Ford Racing exclusive.

https://www.holley.com/products/igni...oad/parts/6471

Nothing on Google about a 15 second cam grind though.

[Tom Vaught]

Originally Posted by 242177P

LOL. Someone really needs to teach Tom how to use Google.
Here's a fully potted box, and it's NOT a Ford Racing exclusive.

https://www.holley.com/products/igni...oad/parts/6471

The boxes (from MSD) that I was referring to were from MSD when it was a stand alone company. Holley (after several bankruptcies) is not the same Holley as the timeline I was referring to. Neither is the Quick Fuel Carb company that was spun off by Marvin Benoit and Marty Brown. Now owned by Holley version #3 or version #4.
Or even Edelbrock, as it was for many many years, when owned by Edelbrock.

So you guys are arguing over a Ignition Device that is there in NAME only.

Kind of like saying the knock-off Chinese Aeromotive Fuel System parts are as good as the True Aeromotive Fuel system parts.

But you do a internet search, find a similar box with the MSD name on it and
claim it as the original stuff. Again the stuff I was referring to was made by MSD for FORD, it was potted, it was not the same stuff offered to GM/Chrysler/ other drag racers. That stuff had a lot of vibration issues over the years.

So you found a potted "new" MSD Box, probably made in China, that is being sold. Good for you. Run those suckers.

Here is a video of a Chinese knock-off of a Bosch 044 fuel pump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VECGSiAXrEU
(How to tell the difference from a true Bosch fuel pump and a Chinese pump)

Tom V.