With my erratic behavior when I floor it, particularly at high rpm, after checking other stuff I pulled the distributor to check the gear, and the teeth were worn to a very sharp edge. There's my high rpm gremlin. So it seems the bronze gear was not the best choice for the street, as I don't really want to replace it whenever I change my oil.. I have somewhere between 2500 and 3000 miles on the motor. I know this has come up before, of course it was AFTER I already installed the bronze gear... I did have worries about how long the bronze gear would last, but sheesh, I thought it would be longer than that. As many miles are on my distributor, I know that could have been part of the cause as well. So I'm thinking it might be time to order me up a new ignition system. Any good arguments for something other than MSD ($ aside)? That's where I am leaning (6AL+pro billet or a ready to run). Have also considered staying with duraspark 2 and getting a recurved Ford dist, but would rather have something new not rebuilt.
MSD all way!! I have had 3 MSD set-ups had no problems. Are you running a roller cam in a 5.0. I was told you have to run a steel geer in that situation no matter what dist. you run. Went with a MSD for my 86 Mustang and had to get the gear changed for the roller cam set-up. Atleast that is what I was told. GOOD LUCK Mike
Matt I would call Comp Cams and talk to them about it. They have a composite gear but don't know if it would be any better. I have a full MSD setup and I am very happy with the exception of the type of connectors that they use.
I talked with MSD recently about running the same items you are mulling over on a 91 roller engine. The have a steel gear option on them to solve the compatibility and wear issues. What does your combo run in the quarter?
i bought the complete MSD ignition system.... Billet pro Distributor, MSD Blaster SS Coil, 6a box, 8.8 wires and I LOVE IT.... it actually took .7 seconds of the 1/4 mile time for me..... getting it dialed in may be a pain but it is well worth it....i paid about 750 for the entire setup (and some extra stuff and i got it locally so i paid a little more) i priced it at summit.....for eveything i mentioned for $600 i think plus shipping... oh yeah...and i got it all installed in 10 hours.... good luck....
I did call Comp Cams the other day, but I was not real impressed with the guy that I got ahold of. He did say the cam was compatible with the steel gear, but he used a term I didn't understand, and could not explain it -- i suspect because he was reading it from a screen and had no further definition. So far with the lack of tuning and traction available, the best I've managed is a 15.6. If I got what I paid for, it should be running alot faster.
I didn't buy it directly, the shop ordered it for the motor. Get this -- I called them again on the way home, and he said to run a stock cast iron gear because it isn't a billet core.
I was going to suggest you call them back or the Summit answer line. It amazes me that some companies survive with the level of service they supply.
i managed a 15.3 with out a MSD ignition....then i put the ignition in, got it dialed by my speed shop, put some purple gas in it and it ran 14.5 i couldnt believe that it went that much faster with the MSD system, but they made me a believer...
yeah MSD ignition setup 380 gears trac bars e/t streets and a real carb i bet it would get into the low 13s high 12s
thats what i am shooting for....well into the 13's is happyness to me....i would be a very happy person for that... anything fast than 13.99 will be gravy...i dont want a purly track car...i want a daily driver that will whoop just about anything on the street...not that i will street race, but so that i can back up my mouth
Ok, this is interesting (at least it's getting more consistent . I called Comp back up on the way home from work... this guy said it's not a billet core and to run a cast iron gear. Later this evening I called the Summit tech line, told him what cam I had, and asked what gear to use. Said to use a cast iron gear. I asked about the bronze gear and he said absolutely not to use that with this cam. He was surprised I got as many miles out of the bronze gear as I did.
I decided I need to spend the money on the Grabber worse than I do eeking out more horsepower from the motor, so I bought a Ford dizzy at Advance, and I'm going to order a 6AL box and Blaster coil tonight from Summit. I'll spend the big bucks for the MSD dist later on. One thing I noticed right away, the new distributor spins MUCH more freely than the old one. Seems to me that's something they should have noticed when they pressed the gear on but I am sure that was contributing to the problem as much as having the bronze gear in the first place.
