Electronic ignition for 1970 Slant 6

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rp23g7

rp23g7

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Hey everyone, looking to upgrade the ignition on the 70 Duster also, cant seem to find a good electronic ignition set up. Someone had a bunch of links on the Slant forum a few weeks ago but i thought they were just a petronix set up.

Is this all thats available, or is it possible to get a distributer and other items for a 73 Duster and use them, would that require a different alternator?
 
reman or junkyard dist/ wire harness from mopar dealer /orange box auto parts store i got reman dist from autozone for 35.00 harness 20.00 i had the orange box
 
rp23g7 said:
How well do those Petronix conversions work?
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damn right they work! ive had mine (a ignter II) since 08 and i race the car and drive it very ofter... workes great!

they even have an igniter III that is multi spark and has a rev limiter...
 
805moparkid said:
damn right they work! ive had mine (a ignter II) since 08 and i race the car and drive it very ofter... workes great!

they even have an igniter III that is multi spark and has a rev limiter...
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Considering the Ignitor II myself. My Dart is a stocker but I want to get the easier starts, better mileage and all that.
 
The slantsix.org guys have been adapting the GM 4 pin HEI module (a little over 20 bucks at Rock Auto) and compatible coil (Fox Mustangs come to mind for a couple bucks apiece at the pickaparts) to their stock mag pulse distributors (the standard Mopar distributor after 72) for years now and even did a detailed how-to on the website. You'll also need a heat sink to mount the module to. I got mine from my Maytag washer guy (deep finned aluminum that are perfect for such a thing). Just make sure the distributor you use is up to snuff and rebuild it if it's not.

Type in HEI Electronic Ignition Retrofit How-To into the forum search over there and it should pop right up.
 
In my opinion, you can't beat the stock Mopar electronic ignition in a stock Mopar, and if it fails away from home, the parts are on the shelf in any auto parts store.
 
i'll sell you my complete setup minus dizzy in about 2 months....i'm going over to HEI. mine is a 70' slant six that was points. My package that will be for sale consists of an MSD blaster 2 coil, matching ohm-correct MSD ballast resistor, SMP ecu, and MP harness. bought my dizzy kit on ebay from this guy: http://myworld.ebay.com/cjmp let know rp23g7!
 
GaryS said:
In my opinion, you can't beat the stock Mopar electronic ignition in a stock Mopar, and if it fails away from home, the parts are on the shelf in any auto parts store.
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In my opinion, you CAN beat it. Stock Mopar, I mean. I finally went to an HEI module, and they are cheaper and smaller and even easier to hook up than a Mopar ECU. Once the car is set up for them, they might as well be OEM. No ballast needed, I'm using mine with a factory coil.

ONLY tricks to an HEI is they must be mounted so as to dissipate heat, and you must get the pickup coil in the right polarity to get correct rotor phasing.
 
I put the Crane Cams XR700 in my Slant Six ~1990. It uses the factory distributor and replaces the points with an optical pickup and 6-slot plastic wheel under the rotor. It has an external ignitor box. They say to keep the ballast resistor in, though I think if you upgrade to an E-core coil you don't need it. If you can wait, you find them on ebay occasionally, with prices all over (~$120 at Summit). I got several for ~$20. Just insure you get the correct wheel for the slant six. One advantage is that you can keep your points in the trunk as backup.

If you want more pop, MSD used to make the "Stacker". You connect in parallel with your existing ignition and it adds multi-spark. Works with the XR700, Pertronix, or even points. It uses the normal firing as a trigger signal to add its contribution. They have a new version for distributorless ignitions. I got a new one off ebay cheap, but haven't tried it yet.

The best solution might be if the Chinese make a Slant Six version of the $40 electronic distributor they make for many other engines, a 1-piece solution. The ignitor appears to be the standard "under the cap" module used by Pertronix and is factory on some engine (I think). I have that distributor for my SB and am waiting for a BB version.
 
67Dart273 said:
In my opinion, you CAN beat it. Stock Mopar, I mean. I finally went to an HEI module, and they are cheaper and smaller and even easier to hook up than a Mopar ECU. Once the car is set up for them, they might as well be OEM. No ballast needed, I'm using mine with a factory coil.

ONLY tricks to an HEI is they must be mounted so as to dissipate heat, and you must get the pickup coil in the right polarity to get correct rotor phasing.
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Just curious...what has been your problem with stock ignitions in stock cars? I've had dozens of them and never had a stock box fail, including the '73 D100 that I've owned since it was new. I think I've had a total of two ballast resistors fail, but that's the extent of my problems. I've been carrying the same spare in my glovebox for over fifteen years. Never had a Mopar distributor fail either, though I have seen it happen to others.

I have had a couple of orange boxes fail in street/strip cars after MP began building them offshore, but I installed stock boxes and never had another problem, even while turning over 6K rpms. The US made orange box in my '64 Valiant is going on nine years without problems, so I've never found a reason to look into hybrid setups.
 
Pertronix all the way just put one on my cousins dart and that thing fires right up
 
had a pertronix set up on jamies dart the entire 8 years we owned it and never had a problem with it. problem is what if we did have a problem? not getting parts for that anywhere local. guess you could always throw a set of points back in it on the side of the road. as long as you have the tools with you to do it. wonder if they keep points in stock much anymore at local parts stores.
 
abodyjoe said:
had a pertronix set up on jamies dart the entire 8 years we owned it and never had a problem with it. problem is what if we did have a problem? not getting parts for that anywhere local. guess you could always throw a set of points back in it on the side of the road. as long as you have the tools with you to do it. wonder if they keep points in stock much anymore at local parts stores.
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That's what I did... I kept the points in the glove box with a flat head screw driver and small socket driver kit. :thumblef:
 
HEI is just more "modern" in a sense....meaning less parts, less costly, easier to fix if something goes wrong. Sure, it came out in 1975 or something but slantsixdan will tell ya, it's simply a hotter spark. You can gap your plugs more for easier starting and better mileage. This will answer all your questions:

http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15779


On a V8, this is definitely the way to go!
http://www.designed2drive.com/
 
HemiMark said:
It's in the mail.............. your going to love it for sure.....
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Got it yesterday, Installed today with 60k V coil, NGK v-power plugs (gapped .045") and a set of 8mm wires. Wow! what a difference. The throttle response is dramatically improved. I checked timing before and after, ended up in exactly the same place however, it was totally stable. It bounced around before. probably due to a the bent contact on the top of the rotor. The Pertronix took all of ten minutes to install to boot. Definitely a good investment so far.

Thanks Mark1
 
64Dart270 said:
Got it yesterday, Installed today with 60k V coil, NGK v-power plugs (gapped .045") and a set of 8mm wires. Wow! what a difference. The throttle response is dramatically improved. I checked timing before and after, ended up in exactly the same place however, it was totally stable. It bounced around before. probably due to a the bent contact on the top of the rotor. The Pertronix took all of ten minutes to install to boot. Definitely a good investment so far.

Thanks Mark1
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I glad you like it! :coffee2:
 
A few additions:

I read that the Pertronix Ignitor II is much better than the original Ignitor. With it, you can eliminate the ballast resistor if you use an E-core coil. It sounds like a CD type. I think they make a Slant Six version.

I have seen photos of an HEI module on a plate that you install under a Mopar electronic distributor. It replaces the factory black or orange igniter box. It gives more output, allows you to eliminate the ballast resistor, and greatly simplifies the wiring. Cost <$40.

I also keep a set of points and tools as backup to my XR700, but have never had to use. The XR700 in my Newport failed recently while driving, after ~20 years problem free. Fortunately I had a backup external box in the trunk, so didn't have to get into the distributor. I found the problem quick because I keep a spark checker in the trunk and spark is the first thing to verify. You must keep calm and not run down your battery futilely trying to crank the car when it won't fire. Normally my Newport starts in less than 1 revolution.
 
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