Scott Danforth

for the 5.3, I am going total luddite build on this one. basically 100+ year old technology that is still with us today vs the electronic-du-jour that will not be around next year. controlling the suck-squish-bang-blow in a manor that will remain relevant next year as well as 2050



Induction will be a Victor Jr clone intake and a holley HP830 carb. simply because bernoulli's principle still applies and I can get parts for a 40 year old carb where I can not get parts for a 40 year old EFI setup



the coils and their placement have already been determined and they will go in the cowl to hide them. they will not be sitting on the engine as that just looks wrong





that leaves spark management. going down a rabbit hole of thoughts and parts research for the Fiat build



on one hand, the MSD 60143 ignition controller.

https://www.holley.com/products/igni...ol/parts/60143









this is designed for the LS, it requires both the cam sensor and crank sensor (both which often fail) to deliver a spark. I can customize the maps, and there is a 2-bar MAP sensor should I need one. while the 6014 is a giant leap beyond the 6010 or 6012....... they still have about a 3% failure rate



or I can go billet flathead V8 mechanical advance dizzy and simply modify the timing cover and make a cam drive for the dizzy tang



https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Pro-B...d,278699.html?





Its billet, based on a simple magnetic pickup and has mechanical advance. it has two components that potentially can fail, the pickup and the cap



the cool factor would be the dizzy if I have room. however that remains to be seen as the radiator is only a few inches forward of the block



the easy factor would be the FUGLY MSD box.



the low cost factor is the dizzy

the expensive option is the MSD



the only thing holding me back on the dizzy is space and the fact that the dizzy uses a crab cap...... those that know the internal design flaw of these cross-talking beauties know the reluctance

Thoughts?

Scott Danforth

answered my own question. it wont fit with the LS4 damper.

IGN-1A

Hi, Wegner created a front cover for use in Late Model racing.
Their rules stated a Distributor must be used.
Call Casey.

Scott Danforth

Thanks for the suggestion.

I have had a wegner front cover in my hand years ago when my bud ran an LS in his race car. great Wisconsin company. I have also looked at the china knockoffs which are about 25% the cost.

neither will fit my installation. the front cover would interfere with the LS4 damper that I must run, and it puts the distributor where my mezier water pump is currently for my build.

both the Wegner and the knockoffs require the damper pulley to sit a few inches forward of the oil pump vs being larger and sitting around the oil pump, just a few millimeters off the block face.

I cant run normal LS front accessories as it lengthens the motor over the LS4 by 5" which then means I dont have room for a radiator.

I thought of doing a jesel belt drive setup for a dizzy, however that then sits where I currently have the water pump. so I most likely have to run the MSD

Scott Danforth

looking at what it will take to modify a magneto and drive off the cam. https://www.ebay.com/itm/166599289196 may need to keep it belt driven and mounted. can then drive off the flywheel end of the motor and mount where the starter would normally go since I will be having the starter under the oil pan on the LS4

G Atsma

What's the real point of jumping thru all these hoops??
Even if you stay carbureted, the LS ignition system is a model of simplicity and no moving parts. Hook up the wires and go.
This type of ignition will likely be around as long as the IC engine is for the reasons stated. It'll be around WAY past next year....
What's obsolete are distributors AND carburetors. Even lawnmowers are injected now.
Just do it because you WANT to. No moral or practical reason beyond that.

IGN-1A

Dayton Engineering invented the Distributor to ignite the Gas in the lamps at factories BEFORE the Electric Blub was invented.
Lance

Scott Danforth

Im doing it because I am tired of chasing EFI systems that go obsolete, engine electronics that go obsolete or fail, injection hardware that becomes obsolete, TCM's and BCM's that fail. I am tired of MSD components failing and leaving me stranded.

I have been there with EFI motors on outdoor power equipment including a 28 HP v-twin snow blower built to send snow back to god (and that was nearly 15 years ago (FYI, that EFI system went obsolete shortly after it came out)
I have been around EFI since the 80's. I have paid a lot of money to have motors converted, I have built Mega Squirt systems, I have done other stand-alone systems, all became non-supported and obsolete in short order..... I am getting less and less enchanted with automotive electronics

I am doing it because the only thing that I want powered in the car is the starter, lights and the HVAC and I am questioning the AC side. Hence the Luddite build. I even looked at doing magnets and a dual 40 amp stator charging system in a custom flywheel to eliminate the alternator and the belt. A magneto system eliminates the need for a high-amperage charge system, so I can get by with a 35 amp mini alternator.

I am doing it because I can

I am doing it because I need to for packaging reasons as the LS4 is being shoe-horned into a car that is only 11 feet long, so I have to package everything motor related in a 23" long, x 26" wide x 26" tall cube of a space (that is almost 5" shorter length, and 3" shorter height than most LS installations

A carb may be obsolete, however I can still get parts for a 75 year old carburetor and ignition system, and fix them when I am 25 miles from nowhere without cell service.

Forcefed86

iTrader: (4)

$300 MIcrosquirt ECU to factory coils. No reason to overcomplicate it. you'll get full control over ign curve simply plugging into the cam/crank sensor and lots of other I/O's to play with for other things.