It's an old video, some people will say it's remedial, but by far the best, most simplified explanation of what to do. I had a good idea by wiring diagram, but this video made it easy to see vs looking at paper. Huge thanks!!!
Very simple when you see it done. I couldn’t figure out a separate coil with no coil plug wire to the center of the distributor didn’t make sense. This makes sense. Thanks
found an msd 6a box in the stuff my father in law left me and this video is going to save me from buying alot of useless parts from msd to hook it up, thank you sir
This video gacve me the confidence to wire my MSD box into my mud truck. Great tutorial. "Let us understand this vs just making it work" Thank you Chris.
U just made me wanna hook my MSD in right now!!!! It’s just bin sitting in the garage cabinet now I’m going out to the garage n Ima install it right now!!!👍👍 thanks for the great video
I've been thinking of getting a CDI box but feared the wiring would be beyond my skill level. Thanks to watching this straight to the point video I now feel %100 positive that I can do it. Thank you Mr.Craft. All your videos rock!!!
thank u . i bought an hei distributor for my 83 f 150 6 six motor .ford and was sold the same style of dist. u have shown here . now i know how to wire it correctly .
thanks, my '78 K10 suburban has an MSD pointless ignition on it, and quit running at the local supermarket parking lot. Your vid was useful in figuring out the issue , the plug you just wired up was loose.
Awesome explanation on how to correctly wire in the msd box on hei. Ive got a 92 foxbody, carb setup and following a different guys video i failed to hook up the ground that you made it a point to keep mentioning throughout that it where most ppl go wrong at. Thats exactly where i went wrong my 1st go around. I woke my car up in a big way. Thanks for your step by step instructions brother....
Man what a rad video I’m stoked you made this thank you, also don’t forget by Actually bothering to be doing videos like this you are making ALOT of people like myself confident enough to make there dreams a little closer to reality. Keep me coming and thank you
Wow I'm impressed best video I've seen in ahwhile...truly impressed on your gm rewire ignition skills I've seen this be4 but forgot Thangk you for reminding me...godbless josh...hopefully now my carb swap for my 4.3 hei swap will work 100% as I'm getting distribitor with 10,000 more heat to plugs anyway this is gold godbless you
Also on a hei vacuum advance goes to manifold vacuum or ported vacuum I have a 74 nova 355 with hei now but switching to Msd do I need to use the Msd ss coil or just what you showed in this video
You can also use the existing control module just as a termination location if you have small wires you can cut the three wires coming out of the distributor and then where the magnet pick up is either soldered to the ignition module or it's got the push on connectors you can literally just solder your two wires directly to the input of the module using the modules simply as a point of connection if you don't want to disturb the wires coming off the magnetic pickup assuming they're small
I've never used one obviously it throws at least 2 sparks ?? one right after the other ? I'm old I guess our rev limiter was your foot .. those hei distributors came out in 74 back then to us that was Awsome ..
I’m looking to do this to my GMHEI that I have on my 454 in my 69 Chevelle… as usual, your video is very helpful on the wiring, And you had mentioned that this is not going in your car, but would you havey put in a low resistance bushing under the coil? I have read it is required to keep it from melting. I see that you utilized the In cap Coil for your demonstration, but do you prefer the external coil set up even if using the HEI? I’m looking at upgrading to a MSD digital 6AL or the Mallory hyfire type and I am aware that most HEI fail due to under cap heat affecting the ignition module, which is why I’m steering away from the MSD HEAT module. I’ve removing the under cap Coil and replacing with the external coil can greatly extend the life of the distributor in general due to less heat on the top end and only spark in a big cap. Thanks again for your post. I’m leaning Mallory unless you have your own honest opinion.
@@chriscraft77022 i will be mostly street and cruising, but i do plan on running it at Baytown and Evadale open track nights periodically. The engine lower end, intake, and heads are currently stock, mild cam, accel HEI dist. and new Edelbrock AVS2 650CFM (which is fucking incredible). Im early in the process of engine upgrades, but plan to do a full top end upgrade. I'm interested in the CDI upgrade for the easier cold starting, idle and lower than 3000 rpm mutil spark benefits for the time being. Just by upgrading to the AVS2 carb from the 1405, its requires 5-600 RPM less to cruise at 60mph, which is incredible.
put a stock HEI on it.. that is my advice.. it is very easy to get lost in the bullshit you hear and read about... when you get into the high rpm.. you will learn the limits of the stock coil.. then go from there.. I see so many people waste years putting shit on their car that only makes it run worse.. how on earth are you running a 650 CFM carb on a 454? 🤔 do you drive this car? if you would of said you were racing the car my advice would be different.. I have a 450hp street chevelle.. all that fancy stuff is for high rpm 6000 plus.. I don’t race my car
@@chriscraft77022 yep, currently running a 650cfm on a 454. I was having starting and general performance issues with the 1405 that was installed by the previous owner. I decided to remove it from the car to spec it and possible rebuild. I found that a float was out of spec @ 1" instead of 7/16", but the other was in spec. After float readjustment my plan was to check out the jets, only to find them marred as if there was an attempt to remove them with the wrong thickness screwdriver or jet removal driver. I had seen edelbrock release the AVS2 with the annular boosters with the plan to release the 800cfm sometime after. I've been waiting since the original november 18 release date only find that they have pushed the 800cfm to jan, then march, and now july. Well, i settled with the 650 for the time being so i can atleast drive it. What are you running on yours?
Please help chris!! I have a green & yellow/orange wire on my hei distributor.. should the magnet pick up (msd 6a box) be wired green to green & purple to yellow?! Just double checking I have a 1979 c3 corvette l48
it won’t make a difference unless you are racing it at WOT.. all that stuff is for over 5000 rpm driving.. I’ve seen more cars run worse with it and go back to stock... that’s how I got all my ignition boxes
I’m installing a tach on a nova with hei. When I hook up the tach wire and start the car it blows the fuse. Tested the tach side of the cap and I have 12 volts
If the wire coming out of the tach is disconnected how does the tach work? I understand that the Msd comes with a tach wire that plugs to the coil. But how does the tach pickup the signal for rpms? Am I missing something? thank you for your time
Igniter vs Points distributor vs HEI I have a 1990 Lincoln Town with the Windsor V8. Looking for tune-up advice, how to get the best fuel efficiency. upgrading does sound like less maintenance but questioning ROI Return On Investment? btw the car has sat for 8 years and running well on warm days. but if I don't let it warm up 20* F or colder and try to drive off after 10 min it seems rough until it gets to operating temp. also after 45 to 1hr idle to op temp. it will kill the motor most of the time when I change gears R or D. I haven't noticed during warmer days dying during gear change but I have only had it for three weeks.
whatever is on it is best... electronic ignition is the best and your car already has it ... the car will always be worth more stock as possible... the distributor does not affect gas milage in any way ....
I know I’m late but I really need help. I have this same setup in my car and when I turn the key on. The msd box lights blink like 5 times and then stop. I’m not getting no spark ?
no. you only use the magnet pickup ( to signal the box.. turn it on.. and when to fire.. ) you will need to make sure the ground for the coil is attached good
Great video i learned alot. I love my hei though it's practically fool proof. I currently have a msd heat module fot the rev limiter feature. Not sure if runing a msd box would be a worth while upgrade. Car is 90% street 10% strip. Sbc 437 with holley sniper efi. Runs great as is
+Andre Ancrum if your hei has a coil then NO, but you could use the magnet pickup only from the hei with the blaster coil but you need an ignition box or ign control module
Can I just add the ground to the yellow connector of the coil? I noticed that there isn't a contact point on the coil between the red and yellow wires so what does that ground on the center connect to?
Hey I was just wondering because I almost caught my car on fire last night. Pretty sure I fried my coil and hopefully nothing else. I'm a dumbass and though the yellow was an actual ground. I'm just confused because I dont want to hack the harness in case the box fails and I have to reinstall the stock pcm. Is there another way to run a ground? I know I sound stupid but I really dont understand how the ground on the harness actually works since there is no center connector on the cap. I really appreciate your help.
Ok, I though ifigured it out but no luck. Got a new coil and box and still no spark. Got the ground wired correctly. I get power to the box but no spark from the coil. I changed it back to the stock ignition and she fired right up. I got it wired just as explained. Any ideas?
depends on your redline... is your engine stock? msd isnt going to do anything for you... the top rpm is going to determine whether you need a higher voltage coil
No I have a 350 bored 30 over vortec heads ( 2 inch intake 19 exhaust if that matters )500 lift cam I'm running a brawler 750 mechanical secondaries the distributor I'm using has the MSD HEI coil
@@chriscraft77022 i Got a 1983 chevy pickup 4x4 3/4ton I use for off road and work it has a 350 I'm slowly trying to put more power in the engine I was just wondering what a msd ignition will do for my truck,after I commented I did a little research on them and found out,did you see any difference in your engine
oh sorry.. I thought this was my HEI video. putting msd ignition will do NOTHING for power.. to be honest they run better with stock HEI on a stock engine.. the reason I have all these parts is because I get them cheap after people wasted their money and put the old stuff back on.. don’t waste your money..
@@donniewagner4657 you really dont need any of that on a stock engine.. its not going to improve anything... that HEI is a very good distributor up to about 6200 RPM
I hooked this up in my 85 GMC 2500 and I got no spark I double checked my wiring and all is good I put all the old stuff back in and it started right up and now I'm lost! Can anyone help me?
I can’t figure out where this switch goes, it has a green, green with a dark green line, a black wire and a pink wire. The wire is about 1/8 thick. I think this is why my truck want start
Installing a distributor with or without vac advance is exact same procedure. First get #1 cylinder at tdc compression stroke then drop it in pointing rotor at where number one wire connects. Might have to align oil pump drive but it is a very easy thing to do
cf mechanic thanks for the info but I needed to know how to install a MSD 6AL to a non vacuum advance hei. Which I already installed. It’s the same procedure in the vid.
I don't get it what is the benefit to using the msd box ? all that's in it is a ignition control,module and a condeser ? ok wonderful, why ? a higher rpm capability ? really wow I never got a pickup,out of any hei and was well,over 6 grand a better video would be a curve kit makes a good amount of difference the faster you can bring in advance
It's an old video, some people will say it's remedial, but by far the best, most simplified explanation of what to do. I had a good idea by wiring diagram, but this video made it easy to see vs looking at paper. Huge thanks!!!
Very simple when you see it done. I couldn’t figure out a separate coil with no coil plug wire to the center of the distributor didn’t make sense. This makes sense. Thanks
found an msd 6a box in the stuff my father in law left me and this video is going to save me from buying alot of useless parts from msd to hook it up, thank you sir
This video gacve me the confidence to wire my MSD box into my mud truck. Great tutorial. "Let us understand this vs just making it work" Thank you Chris.
One of the best explanations I've heard well done.
U just made me wanna hook my MSD in right now!!!! It’s just bin sitting in the garage cabinet now I’m going out to the garage n Ima install it right now!!!👍👍 thanks for the great video
I've been thinking of getting a CDI box but feared the wiring would be beyond my skill level.
Thanks to watching this straight to the point video I now feel %100 positive that I can do it.
Thank you Mr.Craft. All your videos rock!!!
thank u . i bought an hei distributor for my 83 f 150 6 six motor .ford and was sold the same style of dist. u have shown here . now i know how to wire it correctly .
Best/only video of this I’ve seen, been aggravated working through this for a couple hours on my boat now, finally turned to TH-cam, thankyou!
thanks, my '78 K10 suburban has an MSD pointless ignition on it, and quit running at the local supermarket parking lot. Your vid was useful in figuring out the issue , the plug you just wired up was loose.
Best video about msd box connection.. Thank you. .
Bro MSD or Holley need to hire you to make tech videos. You make it very easy to understand. Thanks
Awesome explanation on how to correctly wire in the msd box on hei. Ive got a 92 foxbody, carb setup and following a different guys video i failed to hook up the ground that you made it a point to keep mentioning throughout that it where most ppl go wrong at. Thats exactly where i went wrong my 1st go around. I woke my car up in a big way. Thanks for your step by step instructions brother....
Excellent explaining. Wannabe mechanics need to watch this. Thank you so much !!!
Man what a rad video I’m stoked you made this thank you, also don’t forget by Actually bothering to be doing videos like this you are making ALOT of people like myself confident enough to make there dreams a little closer to reality. Keep me coming and thank you
* keep EM coming!
Wow I'm impressed best video I've seen in ahwhile...truly impressed on your gm rewire ignition skills I've seen this be4 but forgot Thangk you for reminding me...godbless josh...hopefully now my carb swap for my 4.3 hei swap will work 100% as I'm getting distribitor with 10,000 more heat to plugs anyway this is gold godbless you
Good video man understanding it is better than someone showing how to hook it up
Thank you for your response. I followed what you said, Worked perfect. Thank you again for putting this video out to help others.
Thanks for the video man, helped me out.
Oh hell yeah! Now we all smart like dat. LOL Thanks man!
Thanks for this video. It helped me better understand
Also on a hei vacuum advance goes to manifold vacuum or ported vacuum I have a 74 nova 355 with hei now but switching to Msd do I need to use the Msd ss coil or just what you showed in this video
Would this work with a Holley Sniper?
You can also use the existing control module just as a termination location if you have small wires you can cut the three wires coming out of the distributor and then where the magnet pick up is either soldered to the ignition module or it's got the push on connectors you can literally just solder your two wires directly to the input of the module using the modules simply as a point of connection if you don't want to disturb the wires coming off the magnetic pickup assuming they're small
Very good video, it helped me out and the ignition works perfekt,
Thanks from Sweden!
Thank you I'm about to do this to my v8 swapped Sonoma
I've never used one obviously it throws at least 2 sparks ?? one right after the other ? I'm old I guess our rev limiter was your foot .. those hei distributors came out in 74 back then to us that was Awsome ..
I’m looking to do this to my GMHEI that I have on my 454 in my 69 Chevelle… as usual, your video is very helpful on the wiring, And you had mentioned that this is not going in your car, but would you havey put in a low resistance bushing under the coil? I have read it is required to keep it from melting. I see that you utilized the In cap Coil for your demonstration, but do you prefer the external coil set up even if using the HEI? I’m looking at upgrading to a MSD digital 6AL or the Mallory hyfire type and I am aware that most HEI fail due to under cap heat affecting the ignition module, which is why I’m steering away from the MSD HEAT module. I’ve removing the under cap Coil and replacing with the external coil can greatly extend the life of the distributor in general due to less heat on the top end and only spark in a big cap. Thanks again for your post. I’m leaning Mallory unless you have your own honest opinion.
are you going to race the car at the track?
@@chriscraft77022 i will be mostly street and cruising, but i do plan on running it at Baytown and Evadale open track nights periodically. The engine lower end, intake, and heads are currently stock, mild cam, accel HEI dist. and new Edelbrock AVS2 650CFM (which is fucking incredible). Im early in the process of engine upgrades, but plan to do a full top end upgrade. I'm interested in the CDI upgrade for the easier cold starting, idle and lower than 3000 rpm mutil spark benefits for the time being. Just by upgrading to the AVS2 carb from the 1405, its requires 5-600 RPM less to cruise at 60mph, which is incredible.
put a stock HEI on it.. that is my advice.. it is very easy to get lost in the bullshit you hear and read about... when you get into the high rpm.. you will learn the limits of the stock coil.. then go from there.. I see so many people waste years putting shit on their car that only makes it run worse.. how on earth are you running a 650 CFM carb on a 454? 🤔 do you drive this car? if you would of said you were racing the car my advice would be different.. I have a 450hp street chevelle.. all that fancy stuff is for high rpm 6000 plus.. I don’t race my car
@@chriscraft77022 yep, currently running a 650cfm on a 454. I was having starting and general performance issues with the 1405 that was installed by the previous owner. I decided to remove it from the car to spec it and possible rebuild. I found that a float was out of spec @ 1" instead of 7/16", but the other was in spec. After float readjustment my plan was to check out the jets, only to find them marred as if there was an attempt to remove them with the wrong thickness screwdriver or jet removal driver. I had seen edelbrock release the AVS2 with the annular boosters with the plan to release the 800cfm sometime after. I've been waiting since the original november 18 release date only find that they have pushed the 800cfm to jan, then march, and now july. Well, i settled with the 650 for the time being so i can atleast drive it. What are you running on yours?
I run a 780 cfm Holley 3310-1
Great video. But , does the green and black connector come wit da MSD? You made it seem so simple. Thank you
yeah.. green and purple lead. It should
excellent man! gonna put this into my 77 383 :)
Great video man!!!!!
Thanks Chris. This helped me out a lot!
very good info video thank you
Please help chris!! I have a green & yellow/orange wire on my hei distributor.. should the magnet pick up (msd 6a box) be wired green to green & purple to yellow?! Just double checking I have a 1979 c3 corvette l48
Chris do you still leave the taxh on the same pole in distributor?? Thank you excellent vid
Would you say that’s 14 gauge or 16 gauge wire for the magnetic pickup
Can you do a video on 3.8 distributor an direction it face 86 Pontiac Bonneville thanks so much
Hey Chris can i use that set up with the 8362 street fire distributor so i can use my box 6al also will this add more spark and power
it won’t make a difference unless you are racing it at WOT.. all that stuff is for over 5000 rpm driving.. I’ve seen more cars run worse with it and go back to stock... that’s how I got all my ignition boxes
Ok gotcha so do i just run the distributor by itself im not racing so the distributor is good enough by itself
If someone wanted to wire one of those like you demonstrated what would be the reason for it. For as mild build or stock
Where did you get a pigtail that fit the pins
I’m installing a tach on a nova with hei. When I hook up the tach wire and start the car it blows the fuse. Tested the tach side of the cap and I have 12 volts
Good explanation bro
Best one so far thanks
If the wire coming out of the tach is disconnected how does the tach work? I understand that the Msd comes with a tach wire that plugs to the coil. But how does the tach pickup the signal for rpms? Am I missing something? thank you for your time
it gets the signal from the negative side of the coil
Igniter vs Points distributor vs HEI
I have a 1990 Lincoln Town with the Windsor V8. Looking for tune-up advice, how to get the best fuel efficiency. upgrading does sound like less maintenance but questioning ROI Return On Investment? btw the car has sat for 8 years and running well on warm days. but if I don't let it warm up 20* F or colder and try to drive off after 10 min it seems rough until it gets to operating temp. also after 45 to 1hr idle to op temp. it will kill the motor most of the time when I change gears R or D. I haven't noticed during warmer days dying during gear change but I have only had it for three weeks.
whatever is on it is best... electronic ignition is the best and your car already has it ... the car will always be worth more stock as possible... the distributor does not affect gas milage in any way ....
So then it’s just the bat terminal on that cap goes to ignition positive and the tach side goes to my tachometer right
Msd digital work with and original oem distributor?? Or has to be replaced also??
I know I’m late but I really need help. I have this same setup in my car and when I turn the key on. The msd box lights blink like 5 times and then stop. I’m not getting no spark ?
call msds 1800 number I have no idea
Great video Sir.
What about the 12v switch wire?
Is that’s it.. but does the other plug still need to plug to distributor. The one beside where the tach woulda went. Ignition power🤔
no. you only use the magnet pickup ( to signal the box.. turn it on.. and when to fire.. ) you will need to make sure the ground for the coil is attached good
What ignition coil was that?
So do I use my old ignition wire at all?
your ignition wire goes to your HEI + coil and stays if you are using it
What about the vacuum advance do I hook it back up or plug the carb
run it to ported vacuum
When I do that and go drive it pegs the timing out
then someone changed the springs on the weights... get another distributor
Ok thanks
I'm having trouble with my Nissan distributor/ accel box situation... Does this work the same for a 1987 Nissan Sentra?
I don’t even know what that is
Great video i learned alot. I love my hei though it's practically fool proof. I currently have a msd heat module fot the rev limiter feature. Not sure if runing a msd box would be a worth while upgrade. Car is 90% street 10% strip. Sbc 437 with holley sniper efi. Runs great as is
How does that work with TPI L98 HEI ignition?
Since I'm using the same setup u have on here do I need to hook up the blaster coil or is that only for the distrubor with the points
+Andre Ancrum if your hei has a coil then NO, but you could use the magnet pickup only from the hei with the blaster coil but you need an ignition box or ign control module
Great video
Thank you for the video. One comment and for better clarity please, all things have a name not all called things.
🤔
Can I just add the ground to the yellow connector of the coil? I noticed that there isn't a contact point on the coil between the red and yellow wires so what does that ground on the center connect to?
it’s a ground for the coil it grounds to the distributor body/ engine block ..do not run a ground wire from ( - ) of the coil
Thank you.
Hey I was just wondering because I almost caught my car on fire last night. Pretty sure I fried my coil and hopefully nothing else. I'm a dumbass and though the yellow was an actual ground. I'm just confused because I dont want to hack the harness in case the box fails and I have to reinstall the stock pcm. Is there another way to run a ground? I know I sound stupid but I really dont understand how the ground on the harness actually works since there is no center connector on the cap. I really appreciate your help.
Ok nevermind. I figured it out. I'm just a dumbass lol
Ok, I though ifigured it out but no luck. Got a new coil and box and still no spark. Got the ground wired correctly. I get power to the box but no spark from the coil. I changed it back to the stock ignition and she fired right up. I got it wired just as explained. Any ideas?
im workin on a newer jeep tj with a 350 v8 swap and the batt wire isnt hooked up at all, yet it still starts any ideas why
Is it using power from the ignition?
yeah, but is the + side hooked up? one of them has to be
Could you use the stock HEI coil or is it better to use the MSD HEI coil
?
depends on your redline... is your engine stock? msd isnt going to do anything for you... the top rpm is going to determine whether you need a higher voltage coil
No I have a 350 bored 30 over vortec heads ( 2 inch intake 19 exhaust if that matters )500 lift cam I'm running a brawler 750 mechanical secondaries the distributor I'm using has the MSD HEI coil
well, if you have it use it... the hotter spark doesn’t hurt anything
Cool thanks for your help
Pretty good
Can I ran the ignition on wire to the. Slot in fuse box where it says ign
+Andre Ancrum yes
Will this work with a 6a instead of a 6al?
all
so by doing this you have to use an external coil?
Chevypowerdfox555 no, you use the hei coil
What will this do for. Your engine
what is the actual question? are you a points guy? or a troll? what is the project?
@@chriscraft77022 i Got a 1983 chevy pickup 4x4 3/4ton I use for off road and work it has a 350 I'm slowly trying to put more power in the engine I was just wondering what a msd ignition will do for my truck,after I commented I did a little research on them and found out,did you see any difference in your engine
oh sorry.. I thought this was my HEI video. putting msd ignition will do NOTHING for power.. to be honest they run better with stock HEI on a stock engine.. the reason I have all these parts is because I get them cheap after people wasted their money and put the old stuff back on.. don’t waste your money..
@@chriscraft77022 ok thanks, I'm just gonna go with a DUI CAP AND DISTRIBUTOR I had one before they work good
@@donniewagner4657 you really dont need any of that on a stock engine.. its not going to improve anything... that HEI is a very good distributor up to about 6200 RPM
I hooked this up in my 85 GMC 2500 and I got no spark I double checked my wiring and all is good I put all the old stuff back in and it started right up and now I'm lost! Can anyone help me?
what about the tach wire?
do you have one?
I can’t figure out where this switch goes, it has a green, green with a dark green line, a black wire and a pink wire. The wire is about 1/8 thick. I think this is why my truck want start
You need to show how to install a distributor without the vacuum advance I have an 81 Corvette it don’t have a vacuum advance
Same issue here. 85 Camaro non-vacuum advance.
Installing a distributor with or without vac advance is exact same procedure. First get #1 cylinder at tdc compression stroke then drop it in pointing rotor at where number one wire connects. Might have to align oil pump drive but it is a very easy thing to do
cf mechanic thanks for the info but I needed to know how to install a MSD 6AL to a non vacuum advance hei. Which I already installed. It’s the same procedure in the vid.
How do I tell if I have hei or points
Heh has coil on cap. Points usually have coil somewhere else
Ground is placed for reason.
Where fix white colour wire
I don't get it what is the benefit to using the msd box ? all that's in it is a ignition control,module and a condeser ? ok wonderful, why ? a higher rpm capability ? really wow I never got a pickup,out of any hei and was well,over 6 grand a better video would be a curve kit makes a good amount of difference the faster you can bring in advance
Can't get anymore clear than that.