Hot Rods Dodge Hemi 270 Help

Hello Hamber's looking for some help/guidance. I just put another piston that had a crack in cylinder #1. Everything went together well and got good compression out of the cylinder. When checking things out it seems that I'm getting a weaker spark at 1 & 8 cylinder. I'm running a Joe Hunt HEI version that looks like a Magneto. all others seem to be working in good order. But weak spark on 1 & 8. could this be the begining of a bad coil? ANyone ever run in to similar problems?

 

katyfatt .. I'm running the 270 in my '55 Dodge. I'm running the electronic distributor form the early 70's 318 Mopar. (low deck). Have had zero problems and it's a drop in available over the counter. Just picked up the modular box and the 4 wire hookup, plugged it in and been running for 5 years now. Just a thought if you want to try another distributor.. salvage yard - cheap .... or new not real expensive ....

 

This is the way to go, this is the set up being run on the Red Ram in my avatar photo. The control module and harness can be obtained from Summit. It's LA series mopar ignition, uses a hall effect switch to trigger the control module and light the coil off. The mag look distributors are problematic due to the coil being inside the distributor.

 

Best pictures I have of the module, coil and ballast

 

nice work Nick....

 

Thanks for the information, may go this way.

 

thanks for input and pictures, that looks really nice and clean.

 

I am running the same 318 distributor and mopar pperformance ignition box in my 32 cabriolet for 15 years now. I burned up a box on a road trip years ago but had a extra in the trunk. I highly recommend this setup

 

Thanks for the info

 

...am I mis-reading this? Did you really use a damaged piston?

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No I used a brand new one, i was replacing a broken piston.

 

It works really well too, fires right up even when it's cold as long as I remember to pull the choke.

 

thanks, i may have issues with firewall clearance but will try to find a distributor to see if it fits.

 

hey Guys that have the 318 Disti, will this one work? I was looking at this for the replacement.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRO-66991

 

Looks just like the parts that Nick installed ..... It should work like a charm. Keep us posted ....

 

That's the one

 

Not sure how that one will work however, all the parts on my friends hemi are OE sourced

 

hey what does OE sourced mean??

 

Original Equipment
You can also piece together your own system. Any LA dist and associated parts can be had from your
local parts house or boneyard. The only 'special' part might be the chunk of wiring harness needed with
the proper terminals(P3690152), or again, the boneyard.
Remember, MaMopar started using this system in 1972 so there are plenty of donors out there.
Rock Auto has reman distributors as well as the control box and ballast resistor.
Stay away from the 'Lean Burn' system parts.
The Mopar Hi-po system package is P3690426 if you need new stuff.

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thanks for the information its much appreciated.

 

...a couple of random thoughts...
Borrow a Factory Service Manual, or photo copy the wiring schematics from one, if you need a little help connecting 'Tab A to Slot B'. It really is pretty basic on the Mopar system.
Also, collect a couple of spare ballast resisters; they can, and will, die w/o notice. Just about the only problem part in the system.
Final thought, and very important: Ground the ECU!!!!!
I will even run wires/straps to the frames and engine from the mounting screws if there is any chance of corrosion forming at the mounting point. Did I mention that you need to ground the ecu?

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Got it, ground the ECU.....

 

It was covered, but yes OE = all factory Mopar parts. Summit has the OE parts including the wiring harness. I wish I could vouch for the kit you posted but I can only advise what I know works for sure. Save or better yet print this schematic and follow it exactly. I used this exact one for wiring up my setup. The module should ground through the distributor itself via the two wire connector, so don't worry about that too much (engine and chassis grounds are super important though. You do not need the special mopar dual ballast resistor if you can find female spade terminals with the male piggyback attached to them to use on a regular ballast resistor. I will send a picture of those if you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, mostly available from dedicated electric supply houses.

 

Side note, one point of slight confusion I ran into was the yellow and red wire, the yellow should go to the "I" terminal on the starter solenoid or relay if it has one. This way you will have 12 volts to the coil via the yellow wire during cranking ONLY, it should be reduced voltage thorough the red wire during normal engine running and no voltage at all with the keyed ignition switch off. I almost hooked it up to constant hot, you don't want to do that because the coil will get boiled and fail.

 

ok got it and thanks for your continued help. Got it duh OE. Original Equipment.....

 

OK noted thanks again

 

guys quick question back on installation of this setup. Does it matter what coil you use? I purchase an ACCEL 8140 with a primary resistance is 1.4 ohms and secondary resistance is 9.2 kilo ohms. is this OK, a buddy of mine was telling me this may not work??? any feedback is appreciated.

 

I'm using just a regular 12 volt coil. Been running for over five years with zero problems . I just like using the K.I.S.S. method ....

 

so find a coil that has no built in resistance??

 

Everything is working, just need to adjust timing. thanks for all the help and input.