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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I'm running FBO on the 72' and have been happy so far. Although the car doesn't see very much street time, so the verdict's not out yet. It has revved up to 6000 RPMs with no problems.

I'm running the standard Mopar electronic ignition on the 73 and have not run into any problems there either. Neither of these cars see much street time.
 
whats the diffecence between the pro street and milage? power? better gas milage? if so ill jsut go with that. i hardley have time to drive the car
 
adriver said:
Last time I got sucked in on this one.
I was just going to lurk this time.
There are pros and cons to them all.
But I will add this:
Would I be going out on a limb to say that they ALL have failed someone, sometime or somewhere?
Just because Joe Blow hasn’t had a problem with something electronic doesn’t mean you won’t.
Wreckers suck.
So unless you are just going to haul your car to the track, you better have a backup plan with any of them.
Click to expand...
Very true. I have been runing the same MOPAR electronic conversion package and chrome box in my car since the late 80's with solid performance and no failures. That doesn't mean someone else will be so fortunate.
 
2shelbys said:
Very true. I have been runing the same MOPAR electronic conversion package and chrome box in my car since the late 80's with solid performance and no failures.
Click to expand...

That might be true,but have you tried another system in your car,i thought my mopar system was great too,that was until i install and msd system.. it acted totally like a different car,faster starts,more power,crisper response.cleaner plugs ect...msd is the cats arse when it comes to ignition systems..
 
Hey Rumblefish,what distributor are you running with the Jacobs set up?
 
I ran the Jacobs on a '94 Hyundia Excell, 4 cylinder, 5 speed OD manual tranny. That car has a distributor.

Once a year I would change out the cap and rotor before the Jacobe Pro Street unit fried it up. It was worth the time and expense hands down.
 
Here is what I have found. I had the MP orange box with an Acell super coil that a friend gave me on my sons Dart with a stock dist I curved. It ran 11.50's and he turned 6500 with no problems. He got an MSD 6A unit from a friend so we installed it and used the MSD Blaster coil. Car still ran 11.50's and ran the exact same and started the same. I took the MP orange box and Acell coil and are using them on my 63 with a Mallory dist I got cheap. I shift about 6100 in my 63 and the ign works great. I myself feel the MSD is definetly the best out there and a great system to use but for street cars running mid 11's and slower I see no trouble using the MP orange box or even better the chrome one. The faster higher comp cars should definetly use the MSD unit. As for FBO it is basically the Mopar ign but he improved it from what I hear. I have never used the FBO but I hear all good things about it. Ron
 
This has been a great learn for me!!!
I have never herd so much info before now.
Thanks for the class I just went though and read.:book:
Now if I could just remember it all!:happy6:
 
LOL @ Memike, copy, paste, print, hang on wall.
 
you know what. i think im going to go with msd becasuse i dont want to take the chance of that jacobs faling like so many people say they do
 
DusterBoy15 said:
you know what. i think im going to go with msd becasuse i dont want to take the chance of that jacobs faling like so many people say they do
Click to expand...
I bet that if you made another thread with a poll titled; 'I've had a failed component from:' MSD, Jacobs, Mallorry, FBO...
that MSD would overwhelming get the most votes.
 
my msd works just fine. the digital e-cure distributer hooks right up to the coil ..no box no prob. just about 2 year and running
 
DusterBoy15 said:
so your saying the msd fails more then the jacobs?
Click to expand...

I bet MSD use outnumbers jacobs at least 10:1 so you're likely to see people right about more MSD failures than Jacobs.

I think you need to put a points distributor in your car because they aren't prone to "Infant Mortality" like circuit board ignition systems.

Pick a stinking system and go with it. Just make sure you wire it up right! :eek:
 
dust said:
I bet that if you made another thread with a poll titled; 'I've had a failed component from:' MSD, Jacobs, Mallorry, FBO...
that MSD would overwhelming get the most votes.
Click to expand...

I doubt it..but seeing as just about everyone runs an msd system,,the chances are greatly increased that a msd component could fail,compared to other systems,i've NEVER had a issue with any msd component i've used..
 
Looks like I am late for this thread, as usual, but I will share some things I have seen with MSD. The Multi-Spark ignition system is a design that at idle, roughly 750-850 rpm, the spark plug will spark 3 times in 20 degrees of cam rotation when the piston is near the top of the compression stroke and just begining the power stroke. This is done to prevent fuel from fouling your plug and to get a more efficent system.

Now where some people get the wrong idea. The spark plug will not always spark 3 times! Just as Rumblefish360 said very early on the post, it will stop working at 3,000 rpms. Yes, roughly 3,000 rpms is when the system will only spark once and just act as a normal unit. I say roughly because the testing I did the multi-spark went away at 2400 rpms, only 600 rpms off, no big deal. At just about 1600 rpms the multi-spark went away to only 2 sparks for 20 degrees of camshaft rotation. This happens due to the magnetic field in the coil not able to collapse and expand, inducing voltage in the secondary ignition circuit, as quickly as the multi-spark unit would like it too.

Hopefully over the next week I can some how finish an idea I was brainstroming with a buddy of mine to where a regular coil, like the MSD Blaster 2 Coil in shape and size, would develop 100,000 volts of electricity to send to the spark plug. There is a reason to my madness, but I will not have a chance to test it until spring.
 
dust said:
I bet that if you made another thread with a poll titled; 'I've had a failed component from:' MSD, Jacobs, Mallorry, FBO...
that MSD would overwhelming get the most votes.
Click to expand...

And how many more MSD boxes are out there then the rest? The more you have out there the more possiblities there are for errors. Be it problems with the box or the instalation of the box and wiring. But you would probably be right. But I bet there are more than twice as many MSD boxes out there then any if not all together.
 
Another latecomer to the thread. Most of my ignition upgrades have been driven by other changes to the car.

My first ignition upgrade was a Pertronix Ignitor. I had no real complaints about it on a Super Six'ed slant. It is good for what it is, which is not a high performance ignition, just a maintenance free and easily installed little module.

But when I went with a turbo/EFI setup, I wanted computer controlled ignition, which the points weren't made for. So I went with a GM 7 pin HEI module. Another basic no-complaints thing that's hotter than a Pertronix from all accounts.

Then I ditched the itsy bitsy Mitsubishi turbo for a new GT40 turbo the size of a basketball. And I had a couple doubts that the HEI would cut it, so I went and bought an MSD-6A box and Blaster coil. The Blaster coil was actually their epoxy potted version I had lying around from another project.

But with some of the new developments in ignition systems and some of the new things that we've picked up at work, I'm starting to get curious about what really is the hottest and what's just hype. So I'm planning a really crazy dyno shootout once I get the Dart running. Here are the candidates I plan to pit against each other.

1. MSD 6A, crank triggered - this is going to be the baseline.
2. MSD 6A triggered using a distributor trigger to see how the accuracy changes timing.
3. GM HEI module with the MSD coil.
4. A Ford EDIS module with either a stock Ford coil pack or a Chrysler LH platform coil pack. This one's supposed to be one of the hotter factory ignition systems.
5. If I can find one for the test, a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 ignition. Another supposedly very hot factory setup.
6. Stock LS1 coils.
7. Possibly a competing CDI box similar to the 6A to see if the MSD is about the same as other brands.
8. A player to be named later.

I'm definitely wondering how the 6A box stacks up against some of the newer developments - it still works quite well, but it's 20 year old technology.
 
MadScientistMat said:
Another latecomer to the thread. Most of my ignition upgrades have been driven by other changes to the car.

My first ignition upgrade was a Pertronix Ignitor. I had no real complaints about it on a Super Six'ed slant. It is good for what it is, which is not a high performance ignition, just a maintenance free and easily installed little module.

But when I went with a turbo/EFI setup, I wanted computer controlled ignition, which the points weren't made for. So I went with a GM 7 pin HEI module. Another basic no-complaints thing that's hotter than a Pertronix from all accounts.

Then I ditched the itsy bitsy Mitsubishi turbo for a new GT40 turbo the size of a basketball. And I had a couple doubts that the HEI would cut it, so I went and bought an MSD-6A box and Blaster coil. The Blaster coil was actually their epoxy potted version I had lying around from another project.

But with some of the new developments in ignition systems and some of the new things that we've picked up at work, I'm starting to get curious about what really is the hottest and what's just hype. So I'm planning a really crazy dyno shootout once I get the Dart running. Here are the candidates I plan to pit against each other.

1. MSD 6A, crank triggered - this is going to be the baseline.
2. MSD 6A triggered using a distributor trigger to see how the accuracy changes timing.
3. GM HEI module with the MSD coil.
4. A Ford EDIS module with either a stock Ford coil pack or a Chrysler LH platform coil pack. This one's supposed to be one of the hotter factory ignition systems.
5. If I can find one for the test, a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 ignition. Another supposedly very hot factory setup.
6. Stock LS1 coils.
7. Possibly a competing CDI box similar to the 6A to see if the MSD is about the same as other brands.
8. A player to be named later.

I'm definitely wondering how the 6A box stacks up against some of the newer developments - it still works quite well, but it's 20 year old technology.
Click to expand...

I like your idea and I am looking forward to the results.
 
My MSD lost its pot on a new engine, with the odometer on 666 miles; the local speed shop replaced it and so far it runs ok. If it fails again I'll go with a Jacobs ignition.
 
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