<VV> Electronic Ign. Question....

[Sethracer at aol.com]

I cannot say for sure, but I believe I have tried every combination of  
electronic ignition ever remotely adapted to a Corvair - or most V8s. In the  
early 70's, I was using the Crown-provided Permatune ignition, a CD unit 
built  by a business adjacent to Crown Production Place address. It was driven 
by the  stock points - but I used the Blue-streak points for higher RPM.  I 
have  mentioned, the problem with using points to trigger a CD, is that 
little bit of  current across them means a little bit of dirt or oil residue, 
common in the  Corvair dist, can cause a no run condition -the stock amps keep 
the points clean  until they finally burn. Somewhere along in here I used a 
Stancor optical  trigger ignition system, replacing the points. It worked 
okay but was  fragile. Then, in the mid-70's, I was converting Corvair 
distributors  to Magnetic pulse output, - (for racers, I did about 8 of them) - by  
removing the vacuum advance plate, machine grinding the point cam then 
pressing  on a Chrysler 6-cyl reluctor and mounting the Chrysler pick-up on the 
base  plate, and sending the signal out - first to a Chrysler Ignition 
module, then  later to the direct magnetic input on a MSD-6A. When I built the 
Lola, with a  turbo, in order to retain the pressure retard, I swapped back to 
a trigger  that would mount on the stock - as refurbished by Dave 
Langsather - point plate.  The pressure retard worked with the Pertronix Ignitor 1 
unit, which  provided a points open signal to the MSD-6AL, complete with a 
rev-limiter (in  the MSD). When I switched away from the Turbo to Webers, I 
swapped back to the  magnetic trigger direct for the MSD-6AL . It worked fine. 
A few years ago,  maybe 10, I was having problems with carbon tracking in 
the Corvair cap.  People had been adapting on the GM HEI distributor from the 
in-line 6 motor. The  housing seemed to interchange and only a shaft mod and 
a Corvair drive  allowed the swap. Some interference was usually cured with 
a BFH against the  shroud.  At that time, MSD came out with a new in-line 
six distributor. It  almost fit the Corvair, with the shaft/gear changes for 
fit-up. The cap was  smaller, being based on the pre-HEI GM distributor 
systems of the mid-60s,  but larger than the Corvair design. I converted about a 
dozen of these for the  Corvair. With their direct magnetic output, they 
needed to be used with an  external box, like an MSD 6A or  Crane, or a 
Safeguard. All have  direct magnetic inputs. MSD was not willing to make a Corvair 
specific unit. A  few years later, Pertronix also brought out an in-line 
six distributor,  mounting their latest Ignitor module inside. I had been 
pushing them for a few  years to do a Corvair specific distributor, but they 
decided not to do  one.  That brings us up to 2014. Those of you who attended 
either the  Performance Workshop in March or wandered through the vendor area 
in Tacoma  have seen my latest effort. But my fingers are tired. There is a 
new  solution for a higher performance distributor for the Corvair. Stay  
tuned.   
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 7/31/2014 2:53:47 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
virtualvairs at corvair.org writes:


On  7/29/2014 19:09, Jeff Wilson wrote:
> I'm thinking of taking the plunge  and going to electronic
> ignition.
> I'd like to go whole-hog and  include a MSD box.
>
> I'm fluctuating between the Crane unit sold  by Clarks and
> the Ignitor 1 (heard there's issues with  2).
>
> Are either of these systems incompatible with  MSD?
>
Hello Jeff,

There is no need to use the Crane or  Ignitor units with an MSD box. All 
the MSD needs is a trigger source,  which can be the stock points, which 
will run a long time as they will not  be switching any current.  The 
more elegant method is to use a  magnetic pickup assembly (e.g. Chrysler 
6-cylinder reluctor & coil)  adapted to the Corvair distributor.  The MSD 
will work with the stock  coil, but I like the Blaster 2 coil for this 
and also as a stock  replacement.

Dale Dewald
Hancock,  MI
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