How to pics of my Duraspark II conversion

J

JoeTrojan

Active member
----->>>>> N O T E !!! I recently divorced...My Wife & I split our internet account...they messed up that "joetrojan" email account...I have fixed that issue...but it appears that the entire webpage was lost!!! I will try to find where I had it stored in FrontPage....I will try to get that site back up.....please be patient.... -JoeTrojan <<<<<-----




I just dumped my load-o-matic (causing me many problems) and installed a Duraspark II I pulled at the junkyard from a 1980 Fairmont.

I'm so happy that I had to share. These pics should really help avoid a few pitfalls.

here's the link:

http://members.cox.net/joetrojan/

Good luck & let me know what you think!

FYI, I modified the linked site today (1/30/05) to correct a couple typos, rearrange the sequence a little more coherently, correct an erroneous reference to the "I" terminal which now reads "S" terminal...it didn't affect the basic setup.

And to update after the road test - running great :).
 
My name is -ron and I approve that article. :lol:

The only thing your article left me wondering was whether or not you regapped the plugs to take advantage of the higher spark energy available in the DII.

-ron
 
Not yet. It's raining out (a rarity here in San Diego) so I'm waiting to do my road test. After the first road tesst, I'll tinker with the plug gap, then new wires cap & rotor.
 
I did the d-II conversion as well-much better performance! I'd kill for rain right now-we have 16 inches of snow in the driveway!
 
I just installed a Duraspark distributor with a GM HEI module in my 66 Ranchero with a 200. Wow..what a difference! I was having trouble with the idle quality with the 67 distributor with Pertronix installed. After installing the Duraspark the idle smoothed right out. I mounted the module on a 1/4 " aluminum plate that I attached to the underside of the distributor using the vac advance attaching bolts. I will road test it tomorrow. :D
 
That was an excellent article, thank you for posting it. We need more of this type of information.
Thanks again,
Joe

PS, Could this be made into a sticky?
 
A good, thorough article. Hope you put the heatsink grease under the GM module. One reason I really like these ones is that a spare module is little bigger than a matchbox, negating any need for carrying the old dizzy about as insurance.

Definitely should be in the tech links!

Adam.
 
Finally some great pics of the conversion! This is gonna help me immensly. :D
 
I know this is off subject, but on your interior, was it just plain jane before then you upgraded to pony?? I did that and i have yet to install my door panels because nothing lines up even close for the attachement clips. Also the arm rest holes. My car is sitting up in washington now so it's no hurry, but i was just wondering if you did convert over from stock to pony and if so, how did you do the doors. Thanks for your time and any help.

Brandon

P.S.
I have exact same color scheme as yours...yours is just done and looking really good by the way. Gotta love the red and white.
 
dreemin4life":2vlktgl0 said:
I know this is off subject, but on your interior, was it just plain jane before then you upgraded to pony?? I did that and i have yet to install my door panels because nothing lines up even close for the attachement clips. Also the arm rest holes. My car is sitting up in washington now so it's no hurry, but i was just wondering if you did convert over from stock to pony and if so, how did you do the doors. Thanks for your time and any help.

Brandon
Click to expand...

Yes, Brandon, it was stock Red. The door panels are completely new from MustangsUnlimited's Pony door panel conversion kit. The kit includes the two metal trim peices, the panels, cups for the hand-pull (you must cut openings into the panel and insert the cup...I haven't done that yet. I don't think that there is a way to do that and have it look as perfect as I want it.)

Also, the pony panel is thicker than the standard at the point the door release pokes through the panel. The shaft of the Pony door's release mechanism is much longer than the standard shaft. The panel kit includes new mechanisms with the longer "Pony" shaft. THey are relatively easy to swap out - two mounting screws and slide the pushrod out/in the moving actuator arm's hole.

Regarding the panel clip alignment. It probably is not the panel cut outs for the clips that is misaligned. I noticed that the Ford door panel clips are different from a generic retaining clip. The U-shaped portion of the FOrd door panel clip is much longer/deeper than a generic clip's. That makes the clip slide farther into the slot than a generic clip would. Using MustangsUnlimited door panel clips, everything lines up Juuuuuuust riiiight :) I had to dig around my massive parts boxes to find the ones I bought way back when...I don't know if the clips come in the conversion kit...they are the same for standard and Pony panels.

I sure hope that helps.

Joe
 
Yeah, thanks for your help. Think the problem is i just got the pony door kit from California Mustang..(think that was the place) not the conversion kit. The mounting holes on my door are no where close to the same pattern as on the panel. Did your kit come with the brace for the door panel cup to the door? I have one and it doesn't match with the old arm rest holes either. I already put the door panel cups in mine, not to hard. Did yours come with a diagram on how to do it? Mine did, yours supposed to cut like this >--< (like 45 degrees from the corners and then tuck it down and just cut striaght line threw middle) That way all material is tucked down and you can't see any cuts. Once again, thanks for your help and i might need to just buy a new kit and sell my old one.

Brandon
 
I finally got around to the junkyard and bought my new duraspark ignition system, and installed it and boy what a difference! when I give it gas it goes, no bogging jerking stuttering, it goes, so much faster.... I am in need of a new carb or just a new powervalve in the carb, because my carb idles pretty bad.... hopefully I will go to the junkyard again to get the head I was looking at... then order my holley 2300!!! I will be set! But if you want a first uprage I cant stress this one enough, even though I am currently running the stock module, and wires.
 
Good and useful article, it is always a time and place for an applause when somebody takes the time and shares the experiment with others like that. Also your white/red interior really is all rock 'n' roll and I like it.

What could be done more is what my engine had today; it really saw the light. So did I. So if you want wow times two (wow, WOW!), go a little further and replace the Duraspark module with MSD6A or such, plus a very good coil. My '80 had all the Duraspark stuff already from the factory but that MSD box and Ford Motorsports Ultra Coil really made a huge difference in how the engine runs and how it responses to throttle. I wasn't a "ignition makes a difference" -believer before, now I definitely am.

Just imagine what the difference is if you start from breaker points ignition...

What happened to MPG? Soon to be found out.
 
got ur PM response Joe, and sent u one more quick question on it.

Thanks,
Kelly
 
Joe,
First off THANKS, your pictures and detailed explaination encouraged me to make this swap, I completed the job this afternoon, and all was fine EXCEPT, the connection to the solinoid (sp). When I had the "white" wire connected to the "s" terminal the engine would not start, I came back here and did some research and found another post that said hook the white wire to the "I" terminal, I did and it worked. As for the red wire, I did not remove the Instrument cluster, but I did find a empty, female plug approx "4 inch" from the ignition, I tested it, it was a switchable 12v connection, what I don't know is what side of the ballast/resistor wire it is on, will that make a differnence in performance?
The engine starts with just a bump, and runs as well as expected with the crappy autolite 1100 I have, which is next to go :),
again thanks, as for the white wire connection, not sure what to say but the "I" connection worked for me.
George
 
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