Ignition upgrade?

[So Cal Mark]

nice clean engine bay

[btoran]

what are the benefits of this ignition upgrade? for which models years will it work?

[azruss]

I installed one of Mark's computronics. I installed it in the block hole. First, I put a flat hood on an 81 FI., so the dizzy was pinching wires against the hood no matter how it was oriented. I was also looking to clean up the look under the hood. The dizzy is one of the more problematic units on the car. the mag pickup available all have long wires that require bundling under the cap. The dizzy is prone to oil leaks dripping on the exhaust manifold. the block mount got away from that. It was more of a hassle putting it in the block because it required modifying the Alternator bracket. With the unit you have eliminated a lot of tune-up wear parts. cap, rotor, mag pickup, etc. I am extremely happy with the way the car runs. smooth as silk and starts with a minimum of fuss. I have mine tuned to 10btdc. I have not messed with that. I have a very even V8 like power band and miss the peakiness of a carbed car. I'm waiting on a new throttle cable as mine has a 1/4" of slop in it. after that is installed i may dink with the timing a little.

[SunnySideUp]

Any Pro's/Con's which position is better...?

In my opinion the advantages of block mount over cam mount are a less cluttered engine bay as has been stated above AND the dizzy isn't getting "cooked" by sitting just above the exhaust manifold. The disadvantage of a block mount position is that it isn't as convenient to install or service - but once it is properly installed and set you are pretty much set for life and should never have to fuss with it again ever.

[spiderrey]

Im gonna have to second that statement. That engine bay is awesome. As far as location for the dizzy, the block is better. It does wonders at cleaning up the engine bay. Ten years ago I went with a crank fired ignition set up just to lose the top mounted dizzy. I dont know how the system I have compares to Marks. Im sure his put out a hotter spark.

[Daniel]

Im gonna have to second that statement. That engine bay is awesome. As far as location for the dizzy, the block is better. It does wonders at cleaning up the engine bay. Ten years ago I went with a crank fired ignition set up just to lose the top mounted dizzy. I dont know how the system I have compares to Marks. Im sure his put out a hotter spark.

depending on the system you are running and coil pack required you might be able to use a high output unit like
what I'm doing...

[So Cal Mark]

the problem even with a high output coil is that dwell time becomes so short that MOST ignitions experience lower output as the rpm goes up over 5k rpm. Since our system uses a circuit board, we put out 60000 volts up to 12k rpm. I'm not aware of anyone's system for the Spider that can match it

[Daniel]

the problem even with a high output coil is that dwell time becomes so short that MOST ignitions experience lower output as the rpm goes up over 5k rpm. Since our system uses a circuit board, we put out 60000 volts up to 12k rpm. I'm not aware of anyone's system for the Spider that can match it

I'm not trying to compare apples to oranges since the systems I've looked at vary in design, specs, claims and price
points nor have I tried any of them yet. One company claims 150mJ 9600 RPM, do I need anything past 9k? no.
Electromotive's web link below on the matter. I feel there system is overkill for most engine builds, a lot more
custom parts not to mention the cost and programming time involved to get everything right. I did consider
your dizzy as well for simplicity but since I will be walking a fine line on octane vs compression feel having all
the programming at my disposal from a laptop point of view would make sense. This is probly a moot
point, however debatable either because experience with 1 product and lacking hands on of another it could be
easy to choose one based on specs from a website ad. I think my point was on reys system is he might be able
to use some better parts if researched what is best to run.
http://www.electromotive-inc.com/products/

Electromotive puts a full 150mJ of spark energy to the plugs with a spark duration more than ten times the duration of a CD spark from idle to 9600 RPM. This long duration spark makes for more dependable combustion, and hence - more power!