FBO or MSD what do you use?

what do you like?

  • msd

    Votes: 120 63.5%

  • FBO

    Votes: 40 21.2%

  • other and tell me what

    Votes: 29 15.3%
  • Total voters
    189
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D

DusterBoy15

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what do you prefer???
i hear you notice a diff. with msd yet i heard that people like FBO so lets vote and comment on what you use
 
Excellent idea for a thread. Excellent! Heres my pass exp. and found results with the following ignitions.

MoPars Orange box; Dispite what detractors say, this box has proven fine for stock replacement to general high performance useage. I have run only as quick as 13's (mid) with this box. As a upgraded box, it will miss fire, but less than a stock one. It handled a 10-1 engine fine. Cheap and effective box.

MoPars Chrome box; This is my fav OE style box to use. Excellent fireing abiltys and no complaints with it at all. Clean plugs after many miles. (Though jetting has alot to do with everything.)

FBO's box and total system; According to the owner @ FBO, he claims the box and system is better. He will show his box delivers more power/voltage and better overall performance. It, IMO, stands toe to toe with the MoPar Chrome box.
I have not yet been able to run them side by side and compare them in any contest of any sort.
I am currently running this entire system on my '79 Dodge Magnum and have found delight with the system. Problam free and seemingly not miss-fireing at all. Plugs stay clean for a long time. I love to hammer the long pedal and hold down. Tachless is the cluster, but it doesn't skip in the music when reving.

Jacobs I have used there "PRO STREET" ignition set up. This Pro Street is bar none the best thing I ever put into a car ignition wise.
HOLY SH%^&(!!!!!!!!
All others should bow to the best flame throwing street ignition.
Micro processor based unit can and will increase spark intencity and restrike if the combustion blows out the spark. The micro processor sense the plugs resistance. If theres a sudden huge change, it'll refire the plug. (If theres time.) Theres a few things you can add onto a Jacobs system that can make any ignition system cry. (Save the super duper pro stuff which I have no exp. with or in.)
Jacobs is part of the Mr. Gasket group now. Purchased some years back. There teamed up with Accel and Mallory.

MSD6 While I have personnaly had trounble with MSD and can not for the life of me figure out how they stay in biz, just from exp. with them alone mind you, there bennifit was with it's multi strike abilty that occurs under 3,000 RPM's. I have found this excellent in the hunt for mileage. It keeps plugs preety good and clean.
I have not found any gain in et or speed with it over a MoPar Chrome box.

My best MSD box has lasted me less than a year. While other freinds of mine have had them decades. Go figure?

I had a Mallory system some 22 years ago. If I could remember anything to complain about, I would. I can't. Very good system. Not a fan of a uni-lite, but, there not bad either way. Just carry a spare module in the glove box. Just incase crap happens.
Though they have more types of systems and ways to fire it off than you have hair on your head.

My '03 / 1200 Harley Sportster has a uni-lite system on it. It gave up @ 20,000 miles and was replaced with the like unit, only a Screaming Eagle version. And boy-o-boy, doesn't that thing just make the bike freakin scream!

Mallory makes more OE and aftermarket ignition system and weird version and cross bredd ignitions than you thought possible. I get dizzy and confused in there catolog. No joke. It is unbelieveable on how many applications they have. I allways call and ask for help.
I just get overwhelmed by it.
 
thanks for the info so it looks like everyone has there own opinion but its hard to choose what i should get
 
I agree there are many good choices. I have had great luck over the years with stock. Very few melt downs over many thousands of miles and different cars. But if you are looking to upgrade I do love how the jacobs systems work. They will really knock the piss out you ); I have used msd on drag and street car and they are a good bang for buck. If I had to choose one it would be the Jacobs. It looks cooler also. jmo Ray
 
Would someone what FOB is and how they work, thanks
 
DB15;

The Jacobs is expensive. I did fail to mention that. ray79rt aint lyin though. It is a kick A$$ ignition. The next brand new system that I will purchase will be a Jacobs though.

On a '94 Hyundia Excell, my wifes old 5spd manual 4 cylinder car, the additon of the Jacobs unit netted an additinal 4+ mpg's. The car on trips from New Yorks Long Island to N.C. or Atlanta Ga. would constantly get 40 - 41 mpg's. An actual 40 - 41 mpg's.

But it was so powerful, to powerful for the useage it was given of daily driver, it would once a year burn up the cap and rotor to the point of actual meltdown and burnt carbon left behind.

Purchase what fits your wallet/performance goal. Theres allways someone who will say, "You should have gotten...."

If your set up is fairly hot, the Mopar Chrome box can be had inexpensivly. Use with the proper resister and a better coil.

I also have a MoPar Gold box, yet to try it out.
 
so if i get jacobs......... would a after market distrib help the melting the cap or no? becasue i culd get this and then have FBO re do my distrib.
 
If you were to splurge on a Jacobs, get the mileage master, not the prostreet version.
An aftermarket distrib or cap will not matter.
A stock distibutor is all you'll need to go preety freakin fast.
 
Just a good quailty cap and rotor should do fine. The dist itself is not going to help rotor burning. Jacobs makes a box called milage master (I think). We installed one on my sons 72 360 swinger. It helped start up, mpg and power. These computer ignition boxes must be full of PFM to do what they do. (pure freaking magic) lol ray
 
Mallory Hi-fire VI

The Good:

About $250
Digital Ignition
Start Retard
Programmable Retard
Window Switch
Two Stage Rev Limiter
Upgradeable for Boost Retard
Don't have to buy RPM chips
Touch pad programmable
520 V and 135 mj applied to the coil primary
Multi-Strike

The Bad:

Not moisture resistant. It should be mounted in-cab on a street vehicle.

Just in case you didn't know already:

Never, ever weld on a vechicle with a performance ignition box without disconnecting the ignition box harness.

Good luck Dusterboy! Listen to what everyone has been telling you, they're not BSing you.
 
DusterBoy15 said:
what do you prefer???
i hear you notice a diff. with msd yet i heard that people like FBO so lets vote and comment on what you use
Click to expand...
Depends on situation, FBO for average street/strip car who wants somewhat factory look (me btw). MSD for more strip then street time. That's how I see it. The new MSD Digital E-curve is something to take a look at.

Careful here, there are multiple people who seem to blindly agree with Don @ FBO. He's a good man who knows his stuff but also a salesman.

I'm running a FBO system and am happy with it.

btw: I had a MSD dist that said 'MADE IN USA' on the box brand new. I take it out and immediately read MADE IN TAIWAN on the shaft bearing. FBO is morally against Chinese parts, like I am.
 
MSD are really good pieces when wired correctly...

I've had MSD and Mallory stuff for years. Never had an MSD go bad, except for a flex fan flying apart and nailing the box, cutting it in half. DOH!!! MSD sold me a new box really cheap to replace it.

I've had one Mallory VI-AL DOA out of the box but only on the mag pickup, the trigger wire worked fine. Of course I needed the Mag pickup for an MP Distributor.
 
I have yet to use an FBO system. I have used MSD for years and I have never had a problem. Rumblefish and I talked about this on another thread a while ago. I have run across people that have had issues with them and can't figure out why. I've used everything from a 6A box to a 10 and never had one quit on me. Mallory is something that you will never see in anything I work on. If there is a problem that comes to me with an ignition system the first thing I do is take Mallory off. I have never had good experiences with them. But as stated earlier. Everyone has different veiws so take it with a grail of salt. Someone stated earlier that MSD uses parts from other countries. Guess what. So does everyone else and if they tell you other wise then they are lying to you. Even if it is a diode in an FBO box or what ever the case may be. I can honestly say that A part being made in america is just that. It is assembled here. I can about 85% guarantee you that there are components in anything electronic that are made overseas. That or a $200 peice that you can buy now would be about $400. It is the way the world works.
 
I've never run an fbo or other system i have no need to, msd has NEVER failed me i've run nothing but msd systems in all my cars,and will continue to do so,when you find something that works you stick with it..
 
I can't comment on the FBO system yet, but I do have the entire system include the distributor recurve. I will know something in a few weeks though...hopefully. The orange box was crap. I had to replace one after a week on a stock 273. Nice thing about Don is he will tell you that the MSD ballist resitor is made in Mexico.
 
Nice thing about Don is he will tell you that the MSD ballist resitor is made in Mexico.
Click to expand...

Hmmmmmm..you don't run a ballast resistor with a msd system...
 
BJS racing said:
Mallory is something that you will never see in anything I work on. If there is a problem that comes to me with an ignition system the first thing I do is take Mallory off. I have never had good experiences with them. But as stated earlier. Everyone has different veiws so take it with a grail of salt.
Click to expand...

Interesting BJS. I've never had a problem with a Mallory ignition, but then again I've never had a problem with a MSD ignition or the Mopar orange box either. My choice is based on primary power, features and price. ARCA mandates the use of Mallory ignitions, but they are purpose built for ARCA so that doesn't really translate to their consumer products.

One thing I have noticed is that all the top fuel racers that I've seen on the tube lately (NHRA Drag Racing) run MSD distributors and I've never seen one run a Mallory. Is that due to reliability issues or contingency money? Interesting question.

Please let me know if there are known problems with the Mallory boxes. I'm wondering if I've just been lucky for the last 23 years (which is entirely possible!). :smile:
 
ramcharger said:
Interesting BJS. I've never had a problem with a Mallory ignition, but then again I've never had a problem with a MSD ignition or the Mopar orange box either. My choice is based on primary power, features and price. ARCA mandates the use of Mallory ignitions, but they are purpose built for ARCA so that doesn't really translate to their consumer products.

One thing I have noticed is that all the top fuel racers that I've seen on the tube lately (NHRA Drag Racing) run MSD distributors and I've never seen one run a Mallory. Is that due to reliability issues or contingency money? Interesting question.

Please let me know if there are known problems with the Mallory boxes. I'm wondering if I've just been lucky for the last 23 years. :smile:
Click to expand...

Hmmm,thats interesting stuff because a friend of mine that builds high dollar engines sends them out with a complete ignition system,he has used msd for years but recently switched over to mallory,he has found they're just as good but cost less to buy..not saying mallory is better or worse then msd but until my msd system fails me,and it never has,it's all i'll run
 
340srule said:
Hmmmmmm..you don't run a ballast resistor with a msd system...
Click to expand...

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. You do run a ballast resitor with the FBO system. MSD makes/supplies the ballist resitor for the FBO ignition kit. :salute:
 
I use to run Mallory Unilites and HyFires back in the 80's but had consistent problems with the pickup/eye burning out and at $70-$80/pop, I couldn't afford to continue on. Over the years, I have had good luck with Mopar's orange box on several cars (never had one burn out). For the go fast cars, I have been using MSD for a lot of years and have not had any problems whatsoever. The only experiecne I have with the FBO setup is with two local guys who kep burning their boxes up. After talking with the FBO expert and trying several fixes, they both ended up using different setups.
 
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