used mallory unilite- good or bad

Being there for the fun, it turned out to be some bad gas from a Mo. gas station. Must not use too much premium in them parts!


jerry

 

I couldn't remember what it ended up being....
Thanks Jerry.

 

Root didn't bad race fuel take you out one year at the drags?

I diagnosed and repaired a roundy round car in the '90s with a bad MSD box. The dealership that owned/built the car never suspected it as it was new out of the box. DOH.

Doesn't make it a bad product any more than a power surge makes a unilite a bad product. Poor mechanics makes anything a "bad product". The MSD box was just a bad one out of the 100s of thousands produced.

Just a good rule of thumb for any one running anything electrical is to carry spare parts. When we all ran points every one with any sense carried a set of points and a condenser. If you are going to run electronics carry a spare control mod or pickup coil. It costs a little more than a set of points but that's the price you pay for not tuning every few thousand miles.

As for buying a used dizzy there is only one thing to keep in mind anything used needs to be rebuilt and if it doesn't you are pleasantly surprised.

 

put one in my 32 around 1990 came from a old wrecked chevy pick up i had in the junk yard. still has the same module in it today and it is stamped with a 1983 date code on it. not one second of trouble yet.

i do have a new module in the trunk just in case though.

 

I still have the same MSD Digital 6 box. We tried a few different things including swapping in an HEI from nice gent's bomber stocker. Turned out I was getting low on fuel and there was a slug of water in the gas tank from my fill up in Joplin.

If I remember correctly, there was someone in Afton that did have one but was closed.

I've had fantastic luck with MSD stuff over the years. I would say a 95% success rate. Mallory stuff about 80% which is slightly better than the Accel ignitions. My Accel EFI is doing fine.

Both myself and Chip (needlouvers?) have run the MSD Pro-billet distributers and while they seem to work fine, both of us get an erratic signal from the pickup coil at low RPM. It actually caused an idle and fuel issue for me and the EFI system.

 

I used a Unilite conversion kit to replace a point setup way back in the '80s. It worked well all the time I had it. Sold the car with it so I don't know how long it lasted after that. Mallory now uses a magnetic pickup. Coincidence? I think not...
If you still use a Unilite, check this out:
http://www.centuryperformance.com/mallory-unilite-and-e-spark-testing-spg-150.html

 

They also still produce the unilite. They actually were producing the magnetic for racing in the last century. If they had quit producing the unilite your inuendo would have had some basis.

And yes Century has some very useful information.

 

I ran a new Unlilte and killed it 3 times before I found a filter was at falt.. I have since switched to MSD Pro-billet and have no problems at all

 

Very reliable, but they will die in an instant if you have a bad ground.


The date on the one in my old Vette is 02-95

Regarding the E-spark module, the info I have is that the Unilite is made in the US, the Espark is made in China

 

You couldn't melt me down and pour me on one. I have 3 that worked when they were pulled & I yanked them because eventually every one I had took a dump & left me stranded. Got one on my classic Harley that just died & it is going back to points asap

 

had a unilite in my 72 nova with built 6cyl -SUCKED left me stranded several times before I got pissed/smart and found an apropriate trash can for it!!!put in a factory HEI instead--- trouble free!

 

I installed a used one (I think I paid $70 for it) & have had no problems with it. I did, however, install the corresponding Mallory coil, ballast resister & spike attenuator (or whatever it's called).

 

I've had great luck with one in a 350 for about eight years. I'd be a little apprehensive about the "untested" language. Gives someone an out if it doesn't work. They sure do look better then the worlds ugliest distributor the HEI.

 

After replacing 5 of those wonderful trouble free units in 3 months on a 55 Ford pickup with a 302 the friend went with (under my suggestion) a DuraSpark 2 out of a 76 Ford pickup. That was in 1993 and still running great.

Michael

 

I had one in my roadster, came with project car, never any problems. One came in my '34, no problems. I think the biggest problem is not having a good ground. If I go more than 100 miles from home I put a stock points distributor & coil in the trunk, along with the extra wheel bearings, rear axle bearing, a box of tools etc. That way THOSE parts never give a problem. I got a Unilite I bought at a swap meet from a stranger, worked good when pulled he says, tested the module as soon as I got home, module bad, but I needed one with a vacum advance so $25 wasn't wasted. I wouldn't give over that for a used one.

 

Your title says it all ... good or bad. Its either one or the other...the problem is you dont know until you try it out.
I have one unilite that Ive had in different cars for over 20 years and have never had a problem with the module...most likely the golden exception to the rule, but there is this little voice in my head that keeps telling me Im on borrowed time.
I wont put another unilite in anything, and if mine fails, Ill replace it with a YL dual-point, or something else with a small cap that fits the "look" of my pickup.
2x on the bad ground comment...Ive seen a lot of units grounded to an aluminum intake, which is something that many manufacturers say is a no no.

 

11 years, over 65,000 miles with no problems in my flathead.

 

I popped 3 lite modules and converted it to a magnetic one about 7 years ago. The magnetic one died in July. It now has a stock points dizzy. Never again will I use a mallory anything, except for maybe shop art.

 

there is a risk when using unilght you must use restor cables

have burnd one module becase of that

 

Had the unilite in a sbc. 25yrs. ago, Then again it could have been me and a bad ground... Left a bad taste in my mouth, I have ran a pertronix and a msd in my 2.1ltr. 356, and have about 60K on it and never missed a beat!

 

ive had one in my ford for about 7 years now,never had a ounch of trouble with it. i do have the matching coil and filter box with it.................john

 

I bought a donor truck for a 460 that had one in it and it would shut off when it wanted to,it could of been how it was wired but it got yanked and a duraspark system went in its place. When it comes to electronic ignition I always go with the OEMs as parts are more readily available.