what coil are you using

[Bivvy71]

Which coil to buy?

i have a 71 dodge charger with a 440 HP motor. i converted to the electronic ignition years ago and using the "orange box" . The 440 has been bored .30 over and a performance cam with a rebuild years ago but will be driving the car not racing it but would still like some performance. i went online to my local parts stores (oreilly, autozone and advance auto) and there is so many different choices I am not sure which one to get. the reason I am buying a new one is my car was stumbling under load, back firing, running rough and stalling out. I swapped out a coil i had sitting on a 383 I am not using and its running much better but still not perfect. I tested them both and the 440 one was way off and the 383 was much closer. any other advice is appreciated thanks.

 

[GetX'd]

I put the MSD Blaster II from Summit Racing in my 440 which is .30 over with a roller rocker cam in it. Had the car dyno Tuned and she performed well. I also have an MSD Ready to Run ignition in It. With that ignition it doesn't need the 6al box.

 

[dave dodge]

coil..

X2 to the msd blaster 2 coil, Just installed one on my 440 pretty much same as your build and runs great. I painted mine black to disguise it.

 

[jimt1971rr]

I am running an Accel. Works great.

 

[Bivvy71]

X2 to the msd blaster 2 coil, Just installed one on my 440 pretty much same as your build and runs great. I painted mine black to disguise it.[/QUOTE

sorry if this is a dumb question but what is a x2

 

[GetX'd]

X2 means they agree with the post before them. In this case the guy was saying he bought a MSD blaster II also. I had indicated that's what I ran in my car in the post before......

 

[kelly]

X2 means they agree with the post before them. In this case the guy was saying he bought a MSD blaster II also. I had indicated that's what I ran in my car in the post before......

do you have to put a MSD ballast resister with the coil?

 

[GetX'd]

No you don't.

 

[Dennis H]

x2. ;) I got the high-vibration (black in color) edition.

 

[Bivvy71]

makes sense on the x2 now.

i was thinking the MSD Blaster 2 based on some other things i have read. what about the ignition control unit. is the Mopar orange box good enough or does upgrading to the Mopar Performance P4120534 make sense. I don't think i need anything more for daily driving but i have heard a lot of bad things about the Orange box unit going out when upgrading the coil.

 

[Yatzee]

Tried a MSD SS coil last month tied to a FireCore distributor. I like it's small size and the way it tucks nicely in the front valley of the intake. You'd hardly know it's there. Performs really well up to 5200 r.p.m. but I never went beyond that. I just can't justify a complete MSD ignition system when this combo is way less than half the cost. I suppose that the "just gotta have it to be cool" mindset will still be around for some years when it comes to MSD's products but the competition is really putting the pressure on.

 

[Dennis H]

 

[SwedCharger67]

If you want a reliable ignition system you have to match the electronics with the coil. A higher performance coil will need higher current...not all boxes can reliably supply what is needed.
The best (and safest) IMHO is to go with the coil that is recommended by the manufacturer of the ignition control box.

If you know what the safe limits of your box are you may be able to switch to higher performance coils and still have a reliable system.

 

[Yatzee]

For all those wishing to debunk the coil issue here's some reading that's a must.

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/ignition-coil-tech/

 

[SwedCharger67]

For all those wishing to debunk the coil issue here's some reading that's a must.
http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/ignition-coil-tech/

I read the article but it seems to mostly be a sales ad for MSD. IMHO it doesn't help a person who at home wants to pick and choose parts for his/her ignition system.

This is one of the very few valuable statements in the article:
"Not all coils are compatible with every ignition! For instance, the xxxxx Power Coil, PN xxxx, cannot be used with a x Series Ignition and will result in poor performance and possible damage to the ignition (due to the coil's low resistance )"

and it's true not only for MSD.

Therefore, it you don't have deep knowledge of the inner workings, go with the coil that is recommended by the manufacturer of the electronic ignition system.

 

[GetX'd]

Interesting. I went with the MSD Blaster II because it complimented their electronic ignition I had just purchased earlier. I didn't realize there was so much difference in compatibility. Back in the day we just threw in what we could afford and went out and melted our tires at the strip and on the street.

just shows you how far marketing has come since then .......

 

[Car Nut]

x2. ;) I got the high-vibration (black in color) edition.

Same here, works excellent!

 

[Longroof]

View attachment 276282

Just a FYI for those running -edit: oil filled- MSD coils. Per MSD tech dept. They instruct that their coils are to be mounted vertically. When mounted horizontal as in the picture above the windings are not fully covered by the oil inside the coil and this will cause the coil to overheat and loose output voltage and ultimately fail.

 

[Car Nut]

Just a FYI for those running MSD coils. Per MSD tech dept. They instruct that their coils are to be mounted vertically. When mounted horizontal as in the picture above the windings are not fully covered by the oil inside the coil and this will cause the coil to overheat and loose output voltage and ultimately fail.

This coil 8222 does not have oil, it has epoxy.

http://www.msdignition.com/Products/Coils/Race/8222_-_High_Vibration_Blaster_Coil.aspx

 

[440roadrunner]

So far's I'm concerned, this coil mounting orientation is a cop out by manufacturers, nonsense. They SHOULD be made to operate in any position. Many of the old Ferds were mounted horizontally, and many of the old Chev six's were mounted INVERTED.

So far as coil choice, some systems, like HEI seem to be very tolerant. But other systems AND POINTS there is a definite "push the limit" for switching current. In this day and age of chineseoated parts, that is worse.

Be sure and follow recommendations as to coil ballast. Some of the "big" Mallory and Accel coils used the OEM resistor AND the Accel / Mallory resistor TOGETHER.