MSD Ignition / Ballast Resistor

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KOZ45

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I have a 1968 440 in my 70 Duster.......I am upgrading the entire ignition system and I have a few questions on a installing a full MSD system.

MSD 6AL box
MSD 32739 wires
MSD 8202 coil
MSD Pro Billet 8546 distributor
Champion RJ12YC plugs

I have the MSD distributor installed, the MSD coil mounted and the MSD 6AL mounted

I bought some 10G wire and an inline (blade) fuse and have the BLACK/RED wires from the MSD ignition box wired up, with ring terminal connects to the battery

The ORANGE/BLACK wires from the MSD ignition box I connected to the MSD coil

Last thing is the RED/WHITE wires from the MSD ignition box..........can someone help me out there? Instructions say:

RED to switched 12V
WHITE to points or amplified trigger

I believe the WHITE does not get used and the RED is the wire that basically turns the ignition box on and off...........but I am not fully understanding where it goes or how to hookup/bypass/jump the wires/ballast resistor

I read two posts that say:

-Just bypass the coil resistor, take the old coil+ wire and connect that to the small red on the box.

-Blue and brown wire at ballast, tie together to feed you small red wire on MSD

So I have a ballast with 4 connection points. Two are use/hooked up and two are not. One ballast connection has a single wire terminal and the other connections has a two wire terminal.

Here is, I believe, the ballast resistor laying on the driver side fender:

Snapchat-1130081977.jpg



I would appreciate any and all suggestions on the last small RED wire connection for the MSD ignition
 
Last edited:
KOZ45 said:
I have a 1968 440 in my 70 Duster.......I am upgrading the entire ignition system and I have a few questions on a installing a full MSD system.

MSD 6AL box
MSD 32739 wires
MSD 8202 coil
MSD Pro Billet 8546 distributor
Champion RJ12YC plugs

I have the MSD distributor installed, the MSD coil mounted and the MSD 6AL mounted

I bought some 10G wire and an inline (blade) fuse and have the BLACK/RED wires from the MSD ignition box wired up, with ring terminal connects to the battery

The ORANGE/BLACK wires from the MSD ignition box I connected to the MSD coil

Last thing is the RED/WHITE wires from the MSD ignition box..........can someone help me out there? Instructions say:

RED to switched 12V
WHITE to points or amplified trigger

I believe the WHITE does not get used and the RED is the wire that basically turns the ignition box on and off...........but I am not fully understanding where it goes or how to hookup/bypass/jump the wires/ballast resistor

I read two posts that say:

-Just bypass the coil resistor, take the old coil+ wire and connect that to the small red on the box.

-Blue and brown wire at ballast, tie together to feed you small red wire on MSD

So I have a ballast with 4 connection points. Two are use/hooked up and two are not. One ballast connection has a single wire terminal and the other connections has a two wire terminal.

Here is, I believe, the ballast resistor laying on the driver side fender:

View attachment 1715643433


I would appreciate any and all suggestions on the last small RED wire connection for the MSD ignition
Click to expand...
you had it right when you said it the first time the red wire just goes to the ignition switch like an on-off switch for the whole system. The white wires not used..
That simple.. make sure the red wire is to a switched 12 volts.
I think the white wire can come into play if you start adding things to your MSD like start retard and stuff like that..
 
SO.............where is the best place that I would hook up the small red wire at / to?
 
KOZ45 said:
SO.............where is the best place that I would hook up the small red wire at / to?
Click to expand...
Probably the wire going to the ballast resistor not the one coming out of it. Test it for 12 volts when you turn the key on and that it just happens when the key is on....
Me personally I have a very custom application and have a switch on the dash to turn the engine on and off. I have it hooked to that. Like my ignition switch on my steering column merely starts the car it doesn't turn it off...
 
"-Just bypass the coil resistor, take the old coil+ wire and connect that to the small red on the box.

-Blue and brown wire at ballast, tie together to feed you small red wire on MSD"
Normally either of the above. Someone has put the incorrect ballast in your car, which is actually "fine" because one side of the 4 terminal ballast (for electronic igntiion) does the same job as the "only" 2 terminal resistor.

The easiest way likey is to jumper all the wires on the ballast together. You can even do this by buying a couple of male flag terminals and making a short jumper wire. Then take your old coil wire and connect it to the small MSD red.

WHY Because on the resistor, one side is the switched 12V feed coming from the ignition switch. The other two wires, one of which goes to coil+. The remaining wire spliced in on the coil wire is the "bypass" circuit

The 12v from the key goes DEAD during starting (cranking). The coil power is supplied by the bypass cirucuit which comes from the brown wire spliced in with the coil+ wire. This brown also comes from the ignition switch on a separate contact. It is ONLY hot during cranking

So you have to have those connected together with any system not using the ballast.

ALSO DO NOT connect ANYTHING to the coil EXCEPT the two MSD wires. NOTHING. Not a tach, and not the radio surpression capacitor originally connected.
 
I only have the two MSD wires going to the MSD coil, nothing else

I didn't think the BR was the correct part either.

When I install the jumper wire and connect the two factory plugs, do I completely remove the BR or do I use the jumper wire in addition to the BE?

Does anyone have a link or a picture for my reference
 
I am glad I marked and kept the old + wire that originally went to the stock coil
 
No you are BYPASSING the resistor. "It can go."

So far as marking wires, you need to download a free service manual, from MyMopar. There's only one or two wires "in the vicinity" that have an eyelet end.
 
When I removed the stock coil and stock dist, I marked the wire going to the POS (+) terminal on the coil. This wire had a ring terminal

I will cut off the ring terminal and connect this wire to the small red wire on the MSD box...........then also will make a jumper for the two ballast connections
 
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