Todd Ryden - High-Performance Ignition Systems: Design, Build & Install

CarTech

CarTech, Inc.

39966 Grand Avenue

North Branch, MN 55056

Phone: 651-277-1200 or 800-551-4754

Fax: 651-277-1203

www.cartechbooks.com

2013 by Todd Ryden

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All trademarks, trade names, model names and numbers, and other product designations referred to herein are the property of their respective owners and are used solely for identification purposes. This work is a publication of CarTech, Inc., and has not been licensed, approved, sponsored, or endorsed by any other person or entity. The Publisher is not associated with any product, service, or vendor mentioned in this book, and does not endorse the products or services of any vendor mentioned in this book.

Edit by Bob Wilson

Layout by Monica Seiberlich

ISBN 978-1-61325-143-0

Item No. SA260

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available

Title Page: Moving the distributor (when it holds the trigger device) can control the ignitions trigger. However, there is much more to setting the ignition timing than simply setting the placement of the distributor while the engine is idling.

Back Cover Photos

Top Left: For most performance applications, a distributor is still responsible for triggering the ignition system. Different versions of trigger sources exist and they range from mechanical points to magnetic pickups and Hall-effect switches to light-emitting diodes.

Top Right: The alternator is responsible for keeping everything electrical in your car supplied with the necessary electricity. An alternator must be able to meet and exceed the charging requirements of your cars electrical system in order to keep the battery charged for the next start.

Middle Left: Most aftermarket distributors have the ability to stop the advance. In the case of an MSD distributor, four stop bushings bolt in place under the advance plate. A larger diameter allows less advance.

Middle Right: A distributor test bench allows you to spin the distributor and set up the advance before installing it in your car. Finding one, or even someone who knows how to use it, is getting tough. Companies that specialize in distributors, such as Davis Unified Incorporated, take note of your engines specs and tune an advance curve to match your needs before sending it to you. Another option is to rent some tuning time on a chassis dyno to get your distributor and power dialed in.

Bottom Left: This chart illustrates the multi-sparking capabilities of most capacitive discharge ignition controls. Each spark is at full output power and the series of sparks generally lasts for 20 degrees of crankshaft rotation.

Bottom Right: When an aftermarket ECU is incorporated, you can choose what coils work best for your application. This land speed racer uses eight MSD compact Blaster SS coils because of their performance, size, and ease of mounting. A MoTech engine controller manages the spark and timing.

CONTENTS

Thanks for picking up High-Performance Ignition Systems. To many, the automotive ignition system may cause anxiety or be intimidating. For those of you who feel this way, take a deep breath and relax because this book is written in car-guy language (no engineering-speak). Im merely serving as an interpreter between you and the brains that do comprehend electrons, induction, Henrys, joules, and capacitance. I prefer not to think about all the little things that have to happen on the circuit boards of these controls, and would rather take the time to explain the different parts and accessories you need to assemble and tune a great-performing ignition system.

What makes me qualified to write a book on high-performance ignition systems? I started just like everyone else, as an enthusiast. I also just happened to spend almost two decades involved in the performance-ignition area of the aftermarket with one of the leading companies, MSD Performance, so I picked up a lot of useful information and experience. Now, I get to pass this info on in the hope that it answers a lot of the questions and troubles Ive heard about through the years.

Before I got into this industry, I had many of the same questions about ignitions that you probably do. Ive stood in speed shops wondering if my mild 454 really needs a 60,000-volt coil. Ive cracked my elbow on the hood hinge after grabbing the coil wire and getting shocked. Ive introduced the timing light to the cooling fan, burned plug wires, and even shorted out a tach. Ive made many of the same mistakes that everyone else has, but maybe wont admit. This book will answer your questions and help you avoid some of those mistakes.

So pull up a stool and kick your feet up on the toolbox and lets bench race about ignitions!

I owe a debt of gratitude to a long list of people who helped me with this project. I also need to thank all of the ignition companies within the aftermarket. Even when I was working as a competitor to some of the companies, everyone was always willing to send images, products for photos, and plenty of technical information. Its refreshing to be in an industry where you can count on your competition to also be your peers. For that, thanks to the team at MSD Performance, Holley, Comp Performance Group, Crane Cams, Mallory, Accel, Granatelli Motorsports, Moroso, Performance Distributors, Electromotive, Pertronix, and more. I hope you find your products represented well throughout.

Of course kudos go to the team at CarTech Inc. for working with me on this project over the years. Special thanks go to my wife, Elizabeth, for her patience and understanding for my need to have multiple projects and deadlines at all times. One less item is on the list now (but probably two more were added).