Hello All,
I want to add a CDI to my '67S. Should I go for the MSD unit or the Crane? I currently have a Crane XR-700 contactless ignition, but that is NOT CDI, right?
The pros for the MSD is that I have on in the Bug and it's bloody good but the Crane website claims that MSD is all hand-wired and may not last whereas Crane is fully digital design and use modern technology.
What gives and which would you use?
Thanks!
Sprint.
Ron Madaio (RoninLB on pelican board) has gone with MSD "marine grade" in his "big ride" car. It has a blue cover instead of the red of the standard unit. He told me it meets the tougher US Coast Guard standards, should be less prone to failure. Ron is VERY up on wiring, so I trust his thoughts on this.
You might want to look at the "marine grade" MSD...
Paul D. Early S Registry #8 - Cyclops Minister of West Coast Affairs
"Now, to put a water-cooled engine in the rear and to have the radiator in the front, that's not very intelligent." -Ferry Porsche (PANO, Oct. 1973)
Trying to post a pic of Ron's "work in progress"
Paul D. Early S Registry #8 - Cyclops Minister of West Coast Affairs
"Now, to put a water-cooled engine in the rear and to have the radiator in the front, that's not very intelligent." -Ferry Porsche (PANO, Oct. 1973)
Actually I already have a MSD box in the Bug that I could 'borrow' for a while....Originally posted by pwd72s
Ron Madaio (RoninLB on pelican board) has gone with MSD "marine grade" in his "big ride" car. It has a blue cover instead of the red of the standard unit. He told me it meets the tougher US Coast Guard standards, should be less prone to failure. Ron is VERY up on wiring, so I trust his thoughts on this.
You might want to look at the "marine grade" MSD...
If anyone has the MSD, have you got wiring diagrams as well? Would like to borrow for a look. Thanks.
Especially the tacho adaptor bit. I'm lost. And how much do you open the spark plug gap to?
By the way, I found this... Hehe... Some mud-slinging by Crane.
http://www.cranecams.com/whatsnew/hi6vsmsd.htm
Sprint.
Sprint,
I too started out with an XR700, but then added a Hi-6S last year. From user comments, both units are comparable in performance. Perhaps the Crane is less fussy with the ignition coil used. Both have issues with the factory tach as this is a function of the MY tach used and if a tach adapter (transformer) or resistor is needed to make it read correctly.
Not sure if Crane's circuit board comparisons result in any real-world advantages. I prefer Cranes adjustable rev limiting setup (as though one plays around with this anyway) and smaller footprint.
Not too many Pcar owners appear to lean toward the Accel unit which appears to be housed in an even smaller package. Here's my Hi-6S and XR700 stuffed in the left rear corner.
Sherwood
Sherwood? WOW! Now I'm going back & forth between 2 pics...both look damned good to me. Me? Well, it's all stock...but I do have a spare CD box and V. Reg. Next up...a spare coil.
Paul D. Early S Registry #8 - Cyclops Minister of West Coast Affairs
"Now, to put a water-cooled engine in the rear and to have the radiator in the front, that's not very intelligent." -Ferry Porsche (PANO, Oct. 1973)
Which model of Hi-6S is it? I think Crane numbers are pretty confusing.... They have an inductive version and a capacitive version. And in between they have a few units which I cannot place. How do I know? Coz I'm a cheapo and tried to find me some Crane box on eBay!Originally posted by admin
Sprint,
I too started out with an XR700, but then added a Hi-6S last year. From user comments, both units are comparable in performance. Perhaps the Crane is less fussy with the ignition coil used. Both have issues with the factory tach as this is a function of the MY tach used and if a tach adapter (transformer) or resistor is needed to make it read correctly.
Not sure if Crane's circuit board comparisons result in any real-world advantages. I prefer Cranes adjustable rev limiting setup (as though one plays around with this anyway) and smaller footprint.
Not too many Pcar owners appear to lean toward the Accel unit which appears to be housed in an even smaller package. Here's my Hi-6S and XR700 stuffed in the left rear corner.
Sherwood
My observastion is that on eBay, there are less Crane units and they sell for MUCH cheaper. Is this indicative of market share and sentiment?
Like I said, I got a MSD box I can borrow from my Bug and it has the tach adaptor too. But my only gripe is that since I have the Crane trigger, it makes sense to go full Crane, right? Or am I just being anal as usual? Haha...
How much did you buy your Crane unit for and what model number? Thanks Sherwood!
Sprint.
Hey Sherwood, you don't use a tach adaptor?Originally posted by admin
Sprint,
Not too many Pcar owners appear to lean toward the Accel unit which appears to be housed in an even smaller package. Here's my Hi-6S and XR700 stuffed in the left rear corner.
Sherwood
Sprint.
According to Crane's website, the Hi-6S is 6000-6300, and it's an inductive type system. The slightly larger, Hi-6 is 6000-6440 and is a capacitive discharge type system.
I don't know why MSD prices are higher than Crane on Ebay. Maybe same reason K&N filters are more $$ than other oiled cotton gauze filters? I think both are comparable (Crane and MSD, that is).
My tach doesn't need an adapter. However, it reads a little high on the low side of the rpm scale. I've got to temporarily connect a potentiometer (variable resistor) into the signal line and see what resistor value will fix it. Other tachs may need an adapter (transformer), but I don't know the difference in the tachs that requires an adapter or not.
Crane's pointless conversion kit should work fine with an MSD box. Seems like the price is right too. Did I mention the MSD boxes should be used with the correct ignition coil? Some users report using the wrong coil can fry the box.
Sherwood
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