FBO or MSD what do you use?

skybolt said

Wanting to upgrade the ignition system on my '70 Duster 340, stock bottom end and heads, flat tappet hydraulic cam ?????, 625 cfm AFB, Performer RPM, TTI's, manual reverse pattern 904. Many mods to come in future and want a system that will cover anything in the future. I was pretty confused before I ran across this thread but now I'm only REALLY confused! HELP

Click to expand...

Depends on just how many mods are to come. If it's a street/strip buildup, maybe a stroker, but not revving past 6000 RPM or so, I'd go with a FBO or Davis distributor. And you'd definitely want vacuum advance if the "street" part is more than in name only. If you envision an 8000 RPM screamer, I'd go with an MSD setup, or Mallory. Inductive igntions like the FBO lose energy at high RPM because of their dwell requirements.

And remember, getting the distributor curved right is more important than spark energy on your typical buildup. It's only when you see astronomical compression ratios, high RPM, or forced induction that energy is a big factor.