VETTE LUV JR

This weekend I installed a full MSD ignition system in our 67 427/390 that we are in the middle of doing a complete frame on resto. The problem I have are actually two things, 1) I want to be able to run the factory braided steel wires, these wires are set up for a points type cap with female ends (cap side) and the MSD has HEI ends on there cap. 2) The MSD instructions tell you not to run a ballast resistor and that the only wires that should be hooked up to the coil are the wires coming from the MSD box the question is, what am I supposed to do with the factory red/pink wires that originally hook up to the positive side of the coil and the wires that come from the firewall into the orginal ballast resistor. PLease help, I am about a week away from paint on this project and I am really excited about finally seeing this project almost completed. As I have stated before I'm building this car for my father and he is excited as well about this whole deal, I really want this thing to be right for him. Thanks to all in advance

67beast

MSD also makes a distributor and cap for the standard setup, not HEI. It sounds like you got the wrong distributor, maybe? Mine is the standard one with a mechanical tach drive. Regarding the ballast resistor, I would think you could just bypass it, but maybe the more knowledgeable here can verify that. I presume it is the MSD 6A or 6AL.

Good luck.

JohnZ

The MSD installation instructions show where to connect the existing pink wire from the ignition switch - all it does is turn the box on and off; the box is powered direct from the battery.

VETTE LUV JR

John, are you refering to the pink wire coming out of the firewall going to the ballast resistor or the one orginally hooked up to the coil.

JohnZ

Same circuit - it supplies 12 volts where it comes through the firewall grommet and attaches to the resistor, and the other pink wire from the other end of the resistor to the coil (+) supplies 7-8 volts to the coil.

VETTE LUV JR

John, Thank you so much for your help. I have one more question, do you know if the factory braided steel BB wires will work with the MSD?
thank you agian for your help>

toddalin

The box wants the full 12 volts of the ignition switch to turn it on. On my '64, I use the coil wire to turn on the Mallory box (same principal). To keep the full 12 volts at the box, I put on a jumper wire, wired in parallel with the ballast resistor. If the Mallory goes out for any reason, I can put a jumper plug in the circuit to replace the Mallory and disconnect the ballast resistor jumper wire so as not to burn out the points.

When you install an ignition box, you no longer trigger the points, and coil, off the ignition switch. Because all the points do is tell the box when to fire, they no longer carry any current, so you dont't need the resistor to limit the current through the circuit.