TRIP TO CRUSIN THE COAST

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Dick Koch
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Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:03 pm
Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Fl.
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Re: TRIP TO CRUSIN THE COAST

Post by Dick Koch »

O.K. let me back up and get things explained better and straightened out. The electronic ignition system I used, recommended by a local MOPAR guru consists of a electronic distributor from a 1973 - 340 CI engine. This setup is for the 318 CI engine. Do not use the MOPAR modulator it is 12 volt start and 6 volt run and tends to fail if overheats. Use a GM modulator Auto Zone # DR100 or NAPA TP45SE. It is 12 volt start and 12 volt run and provides a hotter spark, you can even open your spark plugs to .40 I let mine stay at .35. Delete the ballast resistor and tie the wires together. Also, do not use the standard oil filled coil, they are designed for 12 volt start and 6 volt run and will overheat and possily explode. I was quite lucky on my trip back to Florida as I had a standard coil. The coil to use is a MSD HIGH VIBRATION BLACK COIL because it is epoxy filled and designed to lay flat. The MSD RED coil is oil filled and designed to be mounted upright (do not use). When timing the engine set the timing light at 36 degrees and the engine at 2500 rpm. Set you distributor when the timing mark is on zero. Then you can eliminate the vacuum advance hose. Switching to this system gave me 3 to 3-1/2 more miles per gallon.

For a 361 or 383 CI engine the Distributor should be from a 1973 Dodge Charger 5.6 L, 400CI, V8 engine. $49.79
RockAuto Part No. 303897 (30-3897) Cardone Distributor and 3D1072A Dist. Cap and rotor. $12.00
Everything else is the same.

If you remember on my trip I mentioned the car would stop running whenever I came to a stop but would start up and go if I gave it gas at the same time, the car always ran fine at speed. This problem plagued me the whole trip even after we fixed the problem of the coil. I tried many things to try and correct it including spark plugs and wires, rebuilding the carburetor and re-timing the engine even up until yesterday. I brought the car to the MOPAR Guru and after much trying this and trying that we determined the wires from the modulator to the distributor and coil were too small and too long. We did that because I wanted to retain the look of the Regulator. My mechanic mounted the modulator inside the regulator housing and ran the wires to the distributor and coil from that point. Because the wires were to small and long there was a huge voltage drop at idle that would kill the engine even though I had installed a one wire alternator.

I had two options, run heavier #12 wire from the regulator housing or mount the modulator closer to the regulator and coil using #12 wire. I chose the latter, I mounted the modulator with a 3/8" thick aluminum heat sink that can be attached thru the two holes in the Modulator. Then I attached it to the back of the carburetor, that made the #12 wire leads only 8" long. You must have a ground wire from the modulator also. One of the holes in the modulator is setup for a ground. The black part of the modulator has two small round protrusions that need to be cut off. The air cleaner hides the whole setup.

The modulator has four tabs, the tabs on the left are marked W & G, the tabs on the right are marked B & C. Use insulated female tabs.
The distributor comes with a two wire connector, run a red wire from the W tab on modulator to the orange or red wire on the distributor. Run a black wire from G tab on the modulator to the black wire on the distributor. The G tab is smaller than the others.
Run a black wire from the C tab on the modulator to the negative side of the coil.
Run a Red wire from the B tab on the modulator to the positive side of the coil.
I highly recommend you mark the tabs with a sharpie so you know what goes where.

WELL I CAN FINALLY SAY IT. THE CAR RUNS LIKE A DREAM, STOPS AND STARTS LIKE A DREAM AND DOESN'T STALL ANYMORE.
HURRAH,
Dick.
Life is Beautiful! Sex, Beer & Mopars.
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Faulkner
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Re: TRIP TO CRUSIN THE COAST

Post by Faulkner »

Dick, what an ordeal. Glad you pulled it out of the fire! Send some pix, please!

Dan
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
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Dick Koch
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Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:03 pm
Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Fl.
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Re: TRIP TO CRUSIN THE COAST

Post by Dick Koch »

PITCHUHS!!
Faulkner wrote:Dick, what an ordeal. Glad you pulled it out of the fire! Send some pix, please!

Dan
The air cleaner hides everything nicely.
Dick.
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Life is Beautiful! Sex, Beer & Mopars.
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