question

[Stang67]

Ok guys as u all may know my car is a daily driver but I always have a fear of it breaking down on me and not starting back up am planning on get that dui dizzy to bring my fear level down. I don’t know many of u that use their old car as a dd but how did yawl get over that fear. Oh yeah I forgot to say am with triple AAA: lol:. One more question can I use the spark plug wires I have now with the dui dizzy cause I don’t have 470 right now for the whole package.

 

[CoupeBoy]

There is no more or less reason for fear of driving a 40yr old car then there is of driving a brand new one. Since '90 I've been driving all manner of car/truck the only times I've ever been broken down was
1. (1997) 1966 Malibu 230 i6, the rebuilt motor had phenolic timing gears and the teeth 'fell off' while I was driving. Dad brought a trailer and towed me home 80 miles.
2. (1998) 1984 Dodge D50 4wd, 2.6L Mitsubish motor, wrapped the rod bearing around the rod end..I did get a good veiw of the Hale Bopp comet that evening. Dad brought a trailer and towed me home 70 miles.
3. (2008) 1994 GMC stalled, would not start. Let it cool down and it started without any issue, later determined it was fuel pump related. Wife drove over to give me a warm place to sit while I thought about it, then I drove it home 2 miles.

Personally I feel more comfortable with the mechanical aspects of my '68 Mustang then I do of our '94 GMC, or the '06 Equinox, at least if something goes wrong I'll be able to point at it and fix it.. with the other two I could be chasing wires/wiring diagrams for days..

I doubt your current spark plug wires will work, but I don't remember which distributor you have. If it is a points style (even if it was converted with a petronix) then definately not, the terminals are different. You don't have to buy plug wires from Mike, but if you want good ones, you will. To get things running you can buy a generic set for a mid '70s V8, you might have to pick the 'best fit' wires, and you will have the longest ones left over for spare. Or you could buy a generic cut to fit set and crimp your own.

-ron

 

[Vin Man]

Ok guys as u all may know my car is a daily driver but I always have a fear of it breaking down on me and not starting back up am planing on get that dui dizzy to bring my fear level down. I dont know many of u that use there old car as a dd but how did yeall get over that fear oh yeah I forgot to say am with AAA . One more question can I use the spark plug wires I have now with the dui dizzy cause I dont have 470 right now for the whole package.

First off, I came to expect something would go wrong - this way I was nevery surprised and always prepared. I carry a toolkit with me, a spare spark plug wire, and heater hose. Never leave home without a cell phone and have lots of friends!

Regarding the wires for the DUI, you need to get different one. I ordered a set of wires for an 8 cylinder DUI from Jegs and they were still a lot cheaper.

I also needed the tachometer and power wire for the DUI since I purchased mine used and Jegs had that for 9.99.

Jegs is fast shipping, but they charge $10 handling on orders below a certain amount. For the wire set and power/tach wire, with shipping, I was under $50 and had it 2 days later. Part numbers I ordered are below.

Order Qty Ship Qty Part Number Description Unit Price Extended
Contents of Carton No.: 1
1 1 555-10552 HEI TACH-POWER WIRE KIT 9.99
1 1 555-40219 IGN WIRE BBC 74-86 CAR/TK 29.99

 

[Stang67]

thanks for the info guys am going to order the dui this and which spark plug wires did u order from jegs there is so much

 

[FALCONAROUND]

I have to say that an electronic upgrade is NOT in my opinion an upgrade...

Point's systems have almost zero chance of failing, where in the upgraded dizzy you have hall effects and pickup coils and crap like that which can fail at any given moment on a whim...

Not once in the history of the world has a pair of points just simply stopped working out of the blue with NO warning signs...

If you want reliability then stick with a coil and points.

 

[wallaka]

Yep, but I like my instant starting, better mileage, power and driveability that I get with electronic ignition.

To each his own.

 

[CoupeBoy]

not once in the history of the world has a pair of points just simply stopped working out of the blue with NO warning signs...

Where were you when I owned my first bent8 (1990-1999)with points style distributor? That thing was so reliably unreliable that I carried a set of points and screwdriver in the glove box and every six months like clockwork the contacts would become so degraded that the car would die on me while driving, and I always knew it was the points, I'd pull over, remove cap/rotor, take out old points, put in new ones, gap them using the top flap of the box as a 'getting back on the road' measure then reassemble cap/rotor and take off. The very next stop would be to the nearest parts store to get a replacement set for the glove box. When I got home I'd break out the dwell meter and reset them. I put up with that for 4 years before I finally UPGRADED to an HEI and after that no problems for the next 5 years.

I have driven cars with points that have given warning signs, missing, incomplete ignition, sputtering, I even had one that smoked like a head gasket went out (that was a weird one) but that car never did any of that. I've also driven cars for many years that have had zero maintainence on the points style ignition (as well as many tractors). To me both systems are just as unreliable (failure wise) but to me, the electronic ones are more predictable and smoother running.

-ron

 

[Vin Man]

thanks for the info guys am going to order the dui this and which spark plug wires did u order from jegs there is so much

I put the part numbers from Jegs in my post. Here is the part number for the wires again: 555-40219 or 555-40230

 

[Born2Lose]

Breaking down is part of the fun of driving an older car! It's like an adventure everytime you go out. Being in San Diego the most i have to worry about if i break down is if it's slightly raining. Also if you drive an old car people are more likely to get out and help you push than if you have a beat up car from the 80's held together with duct tape.

 

[Stang67]

Breaking down is part of the fun of driving an older car! It's like an adventure everytime you go out. Being in San Diego the most i have to worry about if i break down is if it's slightly raining. Also if you drive an old car people are more likely to get out and help you push than if you have a beat up car from the 80's held together with duct tape.

yea ur right about that lol

 

[Williboy]

I once heard a interview w/ Neil Young who said part of the fun of having an old car is whether your going to make it from point A to B, and back again!!

My wife is always afraid taking my Ranchero because she's worried it's going to break down. So just the other day I convince her it's reliable and as we are waiting to make a left it starts to stall out ( didn't let it fully warm up). I could of saved it but I let it die just to watch her panic. Next time I might try to make her get out and help push!!!

 

[Born2Lose]

Maybe you should use the old "I ran out of gas" routine on her. Maybe up near inspiration point.

 

[mustang6]

I drove points equipped vehicles for many years and can speak from experience that a points condensor can fail suddenly and strand you just as completely as a dead electronic ignition (although replacement points and condensor will easily fit in your glovebox, not true of a reluctor, pickup, and brain box). My experience is that the DSII ignition gives decades of trouble-free ignition- so combined with easier starts, smoother running, and better mileage over time, I vote for electronic (I have no experience with DUI).

 

[mach1 mark]

Go for the DUI, Mike can give you a deal on a package with wires.
Very happy with mine and you will notice the difference even with a stock engine. http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc27 ... CN1737.jpg

 

[Stang67]

Go for the DUI, Mike can give you a deal on a package with wires.
Very happy with mine and you will notice the difference even with a stock engine. http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc27 ... CN1737.jpg

it says it need to be hook up to a 12v source can I just use my exist coil and what about the pink resistor wire do I need to disconnect it or I can leave it alone

 

[CoupeBoy]

The DUI has a coil built into the distributor cap, you do not need an external coil. When I did my DII conversion I used the pink resistor wire as a 'trigger' to activate the relay that provided 12v power directly from the battery to the ignition module and coil. In your case you could do something similar, or use another 12v source that has power while cranking. I think some people do directly from the terminal on the ignition switch that the pink wire is connected to.

-ron

 

[mach1 mark]

If you use the wire that was on the original distributor it puts out 12volts at the time of crank, then it goes down to 6volt. The pink resistor wire that everyone is speaking of is the resistor that cuts it down to 6 volts. What I did was run a wire from the DUI to the back of the instrument panel and removed the pink wire from its female pigtail and stuck the new wire into the female pigtail to get the 12 volts. I just let the pink wire float or hang there.

A Lot of people are running a wire form the DUI directly to the solenoid or battery or 12 volt source with a switch.
There is a blurb in the April 2008 Mustang Monthly on "How to install a Duraspark Electronic Ignition" It also talks about the DUI and this pink wire.
Hope this helps.

 

[x21]

Sorry to get that fear level back up, but on an older car, a lot more than the ignition can fail Points is one of those that are fairly reliable in my opinion, even though on my 68 I run a pertronix, on my previous stang (69 w/302) I only had points and never had that ever fail on me.
Peace of mind is how many tools and spare parts you can carry in your trunk
Good luck with the swap!

 

[Stang67]

yea i know alot more can happpen then a ignition problem but thats been that only real problem I have with the car.

 

[Crosley]

being a middle aged guy... .. I put thousands of miles on these old cars when they were newer and electronic gizmos were not yet invented.

Drive the car ,plus properly maintain the car and you should be fine.