Has anyone adapted a MSD crank trigger ignition to their Inliner
If so were there any good advantage to doing it a d was it labor intensive?
If your going to go through the headache of installing a trigger wheel, then have you considered go to coil on plug ignition?
2 ways to do this ...
1) Ford EDIS-6 and run wasted spark. No Distributor required - just a stub shaft to run the oil pump. Its a 8 wire hookup
Power to un-switched 12V
Power GND
ignition switch input to the EDIS module
signal gnd.
PIP (tach output from the EDIS)to MS and your tachometer
SAW input from MS to the EDIS module
2 VR crank trigger sensor wires to the EDIS module
All the parts to do the job except the MS can be found in mid-90's 3.8L Taurus (plenty of them around) for under $50. The MS adds $270.
Bonus of this method the engine will start and run at 10* BDTC without the MS attached - just the EDIS module. These things are nearly bullet proof.
Yard parts:
EDIS-6 module
EDIS-6 coil pack
spark plug wires (just for the boots and terminals)
36-1 timing wheel(ford escort - real easy to get off)
Ford crank VR sensor
Get as much of the EDIS wiring harness as you can.
Locally this is $50 in the u pull it yard.
The only other connection you need to make between the engine and the MS is a vacuum hose to the intake. Provides the manifold pressure.
2) Coil on plug. look at the video of Gary Harts turbo jimmy and you see what it looks like.
The difference here is the MS box is running the LS series coils directly - its slightly harder to set up but less parts to install.
So parts to do this:
6 LS type coils and spark plug leads
Ford 36-1 trigger wheel same as above
Ford VR crank sensor
MS
Connection
+12 switched to each ign coil
power ground from each coil to engine block
signal ground from each coil to MS
coil trigger wire from MS to each coil
2 VR crank sensor wires to the MS.
+12V switched to the MS
GND to the MS
Vacuum hose from the intake to the MS.
This is a bit cleaner under hood install.
again all the parts except the MS are junkyard parts. $50 or less.
Trade off
No MSD box ($200)
No special MSD coil ($50)
No MSD crank trigger. ($$ ??) guess $80
No distributor cap or rotor to go wrong.
Plus side
Much better spark since you have more than one coil it can produce more energy than one coil can even with a MSD box
Electrically much quieter - MSD boxes are noisy critters.
Cost wise its about even money, but the wow factor is huge for COP.
Oh by the way if you do this later you will be ready to do a fuel conversion to EFI since the MS will be there - just no fuel control. It doesn't know nor care that its not running the fuel side of the engine.
