Ignition upgrades on the cheap.

[Anonymous]

I have a 65 Fairlane 500 with an I6 in it that's had the head gasket replaced and a light port and polish on the head while it was out. It currently has and Autolite 1100 carb and the stock points distributor. I'm interested in upgrading the ignition and I'm curious as to what upgrade will allow me to work in stages. By that I mean, can I get a Duraspark from a junkyard now, put it in with the Autolite and have things work that way till I get some more change together for a carb swap down the road? Another question I have is what upgrades can I do that will still work if I get money together for the SP head upgrade down the road? Will changing to that head require any major changes as far as carbs? Any thoughts greatly appreciated. Thanks all for making this such a solid resource.
Rob

 

[Lazy JW]

If you use the Duraspark with the Autolite you may not be able to get the correct ported vacuum; however, you could probably just run manifold vacuum.

If you are adventuresome and really want to do it cheap, try running a TFI module and coil fired by the stock breaker points and distributor. You can learn how at www.gofastforless.com . That is where I got the schematic and how-to for the DS2/HEI/TFI upgrade that is now running in my truck. I also have the setup for the TFI module and coil that I was going to install in my Bug but the Bug got crunched.
Joe

 

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, that doesn't let you get away from point rubbing block and cam wear.

Duraspark is super cheap, super reliable and super easy. Hard to see otherwise.

 

[Lazy JW]

Unfortunately, that doesn't let you get away from point rubbing block and cam wear.

Duraspark is super cheap, super reliable and super easy. Hard to see otherwise.

Yup, that is a valid point. Barely. The negative affect of rubbing block/cam wear wear is pretty minute when the burning/pitting problem is eliminated by reducing the current through the points to the miniscule level of using points to trigger an electronic mudule. And the guy specifically asked for "cheap".

Another often overlooked option is to use the stock ignition to trigger an MSD box. I believe there is a lot of bang for the buck with this upgrade, especially for someone who wants to keep the original carb on early Mustangs, etc. This allows you to keep the vintage look and still have a functional distributor advance that works as designed with the original carb but still have an improved ignition. The additional annual maintenance on the points amounts to less effort than it took me to type this :roll:
Joe