Is the Duraspark really that good?

[Anonymous]

The reason I ask is because I recently acquired a Jeep CJ7 w/ the AMC 258 I-6. AMC used a Ford ignition system: Duraspark module, Motorcraft distributor. The common concensus among Jeep owners is that the Duraspark sucks. - I'm believing it, too. The ignition performance is poor, at best. A very common swap for the AMC involves replacing the stock dizzy and Duraspark ignition with a GM HEI distributor from a GM 250 I-6 because the GM will provide a full 12 volts; the Duraspark won't.

As long as I've worked on my Falcon, I've always heard good things about the Duraspark, that is, until I got my Jeep - and experienced how bad it is. Why is there such a difference?

 

[Asa]

there's a difference in the Duraspark and the Duraspark II
which one does the jeep have?

 

[Anonymous]

I'm assuming it would be Duraspark I. The dizzy cap doesn't have the HEI-style terminals like the Duraspark II.

 

[Asa]

it's possible that's it then... i don't know enough of the DSI to comment

 

[48fordnut]

the dist cap dosen't have any thing to do on a v/8 not sure about the 6 cyl. I used a dura spark2 to 8200 rpm, and 7500@645 hp. mine had plenty of spark, on the v/8.

 

[wsa111]

Yes the duraspark II is a great distributor. When combined with a msd -6al it works to perfection.
The only other distributor is if someone made a HEI for the six cylinders just like they have made for the V-8 fords.
I wish there were more aftermarket adjustable vacuum advance cans available. To get the total mechanical advance adjusted you have to remove the breaker plate & remove a press fit distributor gear to pull the distributor shaft.
After you get this done the distributor is great. William

 

[Anonymous]

After installing my DS2 I couldn't believe the diiference. It starts at the first turn of the key everytime. It's great.

 

[lightnin-boy]

It is the best performance mod for the money, hands down.

Kirk

 

[Anonymous]

I cross-referenced the part numbers of the Duraspark ignition control box used in the Jeep, and it is the same one used in the Fairmont - the one that Ford 6er's swap in - the one that Jeeper's run away from.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to start anything here. Just wondering what the difference is. Is it the distributor?

 

[Anonymous]

i pulled mine out of a 82 fairmont and combined that with the MSD 6A and i think it works great

maybe it's just the control box that is crappy

 

[CoupeBoy]

Are they saying the dizzy should handle 12v? Or are they saying that the coil does not run 12v because of a resistor that is in the power line to the coil?

The only one of those two statements that makes sense is the second one. The dist should work fine the way it is. You could replace your coil with a true 12v unit (like cheb HEI) and potentially get more spark out of it.

The only advantage a D2 has over a D1 is the spark plug terminals are farther apart to reduce the possibility of spark jumping to the wrong terminal. I thought it was possible to upgrade a D1 to a D2 cap and rotor? You can also run a Duraspark distributor with a GM HEI ignition module, I have that setup in my '68.

There you have it, 3 swaps you can try if you want to spend time to figure out which part makes the difference.
1. New 12v coil
2. Upgrade to D2 style dist cap (and spacer)
3. Other brand ignition module

Let us know if you decide to upgrade we would appreciate anything you learn along the way.

-ron

 

[MustangSix]

The DS and HEI distributors work on the same principle. A magnetic relutor swings past a pickup and a control unit fires the coil. The big advantage of an HEI over DSII is access to the advance and the control module.

The HEI is much easier to curve because the weights and springs are in plain sight, but it too is a poor high rpm performer in stock form. The original module was not designed to support high rpm or high amperage and it begins to poop out at 6000 rpm.

DSII is an amazing improvement over points, but I really think that the GM module is easier, smaller, and less obtrusive than the DS module.

BTW, DSII can also be triggered with a Mopar module. The orange and chrome modules are much more powerful than either the DSII or GM modules.

 

[Asa]

got a part number for those? and possibly a wiring diagram?

 

[Lazy JW]

I am in the process of converting my DS2 to a GM module firing A TFI coil. (The TFI coil is really just an HEI wearing Ford colors). I test ran it with jumper wires just to make sure that it worked, now I need to finish hard-wiring it. I am leaving the DS2 module as a backup. When I get it finished I will post some pictures. Too many things keep getting in my way (like stupid Chebbies).
Joe

 

[simon]

it's possible that's it then... i don't know enough of the DSI to comment

the cap is the only difference between the two distributors, but I don´t know about the modules though.