Electronic Ignition

When you decide you've had enough of adjusting your points, then its time to go electronic. You basically have a few options: The Ford Duraspark system, Pertronix and Crane systems. They all have there pro's, con's and special features. The Pertronix and Crane units install in your original distributor in place of your points for a stock look, but are known to be temperamental at times. The Crane unit even has a built in adjustable rev limiter which is a cool feature. Check out the Links below for more information on each.

http://www.pertronix.com/

http://www.cranecams.com/

Ford Duraspark-II

This is a popular swap for the Ford purists and an easy one at that. Any Duraspark-II module and Distributor will work as long as they are compatible. The thing to watch out for is the drive gear on the distributor. If you have a flat tappet cam then you need a cast iron gear, if you have a roller cam then you need a steel gear.

The only year Ford made a distributor with a steel gear and vacuum advance was 1985 on the Mustang GT with the 5.0L engine and a manual transmission so be specific when you look for a distributor for your roller 5.0's. All distributors with steel drive gears after 1985 are TFI units. You can also buy aftermarket drive gears to fit your application in one of the 2 distributor shaft sizes. The factory roller drive gears require a .530" shaft. The earlier distributors with a cast iron gear have a .467" shaft.

Module Mounting

The module should be mounted away from heat if possible, I mounted my module and MSD-5 box in the left front corner of my engine compartment so the air flow while driving should keep it relatively cool.

1985 Mustang GT Duraspark-II Wiring Diagram

I wired my system exactly as the diagram above shows. You can use the stock 62-63 Meteor "pink" resistance wire the to drop the voltage to the coil. You should have around 10 volts at the coil while the engine is running. The Duraspark-II box of choice has blue plastic where the wires exit the module. This conversion is easy, makes a huge difference at start-up and a big difference in performance.