[Baba O'Riley]

My '71 Formula has a distributor from October 1969 that was on there when I got it 30 years ago. This old unit has eaten it. Since I don't have the correct original my electrical guy wants to put in an MSD 8528 Ready-to-Run Pro-Billet Distributor. That's the kind that doesn't require a separate ignition control box.

Has anyone here gone with one of those, and are you happy with it?

Any problems with the install -- wiring, existing coil didn't work with it, issues from the hotter spark it generates, higher voltage to the coil than stock units, anything?

Finally -- any clearance issues with the stock / original air cleaner? The Holley/MSD site says this distributor is 12.7" total height, 8.76" from where it seats in the motor block to the top. The 8528 is specifically for Pontiac motors so I'm hoping MSD thought of that, but just checking.

Thanks and Happy Friday.

[srmmmm]

Essentially plug and play. I'm running an MSD Blaster coil with it. No fit problems yet. Still haven't gotten the shaker air cleaner on it though. Came with a good assortment of springs and limit bushings with clear instructions for adjusting the advance curve.

You get a better image of the fit in the video:

https://www.google.com/search?client...DtH_76piU,st:0

I do like the built-in rev limiter feature.

[Baba O'Riley]

Thanks SRM -- for the coil did you go with Blaster 2, or Blaster 3?

[Ramairnacho]

Does stock.tac work with this unit?

[kingbuzzo]

I had one in my 74 TA before this one. It dropped right in, stock tach, stock shaker.

It somehow fried when I replaced my battery but they sent me a new one with only shipping costs.

My 400 was much more responsive than the stock unit.

[srmmmm]

Originally Posted by Baba O'Riley

Thanks SRM -- for the coil did you go with Blaster 2, or Blaster 3?

The Blaster 2.

[srmmmm]

Originally Posted by Ramairnacho

Does stock.tac work with this unit?

Factory tach works fine with this unit.

[Baba O'Riley]

I'll be putting that MSD 8528 later this week, I'll post back on here as to how well it installs / works and how the clearance is. Thanks for the advice, as always.

[Gary H]

I've put probably 20 of these in customer's cars. All have been spot on, with no issues. I particularly like the multiple advance springs and bushings that come with them. It makes it easy to custom the advance curve for the application.

[Ramairnacho]

Originally Posted by srmmmm

Factory tach works fine with this unit.

This unit is better than stock unit? And the 1 wire tac works you say?

[Formulabruce]

A stock 1975 HEI can do this job for 1/10 th the cost.
Just saying...

[Ramairnacho]

Originally Posted by Formulabruce

A stock 1975 HEI can do this job for 1/10 th the cost.
Just saying...

Ok I'm a bit confused. So what's the actual difference between the 3 and a 70 tac is a 1 wire 1 year only tac that runs on points only I was told. Is this not true? An hei will work with it accurately with out spending $500 at a rebuilding shop? I was told by redline guages that the tac needed to be rebuilt if I was to run an hei unit . Im.confused now. Main machine encouraged an msd unit too saying they are better than hei. Then the tac question and last what about stock amperage on Alternator. I got a service replacement with 65 amp. Will that be enough to run msd, petronix, or hei? Sorry a little off topic

[srmmmm]

Originally Posted by Ramairnacho

This unit is better than stock unit? And the 1 wire tac works you say?

The shop technician didn't have any trouble getting the tach to operate with the MSD distributor, but I did tell the company (D&M Restoration in Greenville, SC) that rebuilt all my gauges beforehand, that I would be using that particular distributor. I don't know if they made any specific adaptation to the tach for that.

[JUDGE3]

my experience and a review search reveals many had the same expensive msd ready-to-quit issues. won't buy another msd product again.

I went to a DUI hei and its excellent. peeled the dui sticker and put the gm sticker on it.

[AG]

Originally Posted by JUDGE3

my experience and a review search reveals many had the same expensive msd ready-to-quit issues. won't buy another msd product again.

I went to a DUI hei and its excellent. peeled the dui sticker and put the gm sticker on it.

Hard to tell the percentage of people having problems when only people who have problems post that info. Personal experience is I have installed two without issue in over ten years and 20,000-30,000 miles. I would never put an ugly HEI in my engine bay regardless of how they perform, but that's personal preference. I just replaced an HEI in my friend's '67 396 Chevelle SS that ate modules last year (something was obviously wrong) and he hasn't had a problem since.

[JUDGE3]

begging your pardon AG, here I was thinking I created a pontiac rembrandt!

I find the best pontiac decals in the right places hide the ugly. I just wish the distributor showed more with the gm decal.

[AG]

Nice looking mill in that engine bay! The HEI is more hidden behind all the bling. I was just offering my personal taste and definitely wasn't a reflection on anything you posted or your Rembrandt (which is a nice one).

[JUDGE3]

I was kidding AG, if anything I agree with you. I hope those who purchase the ready to run have it operate to perfection.

when I had my ready to run, I purchased a black cap and painted the coil black to look stock thats how bonkers I am about a distributor looking good. yes the big hei can look bulky for sure. I do really like not having a seperate coil though.

I can tell you that my expensive ready to run was a terrible unit though. corrosion issues inside, dist cap mound wearing quickly, real touchy with needing a very good ground and very strong 12 volt supply, I even had the computer pc board in it go bad. customer service did not help, at that point I yanked it, sold it to cheap but was glad to see it hit the road.

the bushings and springs it comes with is nice. but that was all that was right for me. and I did consult expert help so it was not my lack of tuning and such.

may be just one of those things, I got a lemon, 100 others get a diamond.

[AG]

I've had one of those MSD caps where the carbon center post wore very quickly. The one on my race car now isn't wearing at all thank goodness.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by AG

Hard to tell the percentage of people having problems when only people who have problems post that info. I would never put an ugly HEI in my engine bay regardless of how they perform, but that's personal preference. .

Exactly. Only those that want to complain will post on the internet. That doesn't account for the millions in service that are perfectly fine. MSD is still the leading ignition manufacture in use today for all of motorsports. Yeah you get a few rotten apples but it's like that with anything you buy.

I've used MSD products for about 35 years and counting, on multiple cars in my own fleet as well as customer stuff, even my daily drivers. To date I've only had 2 problems during that time. One multi spark box was dead right out of the package, and the other was an HEI to MSD conversion where the module failed. Neither were a huge deal.

Both times MSD took care of it very quickly and at no charge. That's how you judge a company

I agree, don't care for HEI's. Don't want to look at them, and to be honest, they have just as much chance of failure as any MSD out there. It's electronics after all