dbgrigsby93

Just dropped a 408 Cleveland with a Tremec TKO600 in my 73 Mach 1. Our next major hurdle is getting this setup wired and ready to turn the key.

Here's a basic run down of the new ignition toys:
MSD 6AL ignition box
MSD Pro Billet Distributor
MSD Blaster SS Coil

These components all come with instructions that make wiring between components pretty easy but the hardest part to understand is wiring to a switched on source. Any tips or pointers to make the wiring process a little easier will be much appreciated. I'm really looking to learn from past mistakes so I don't have to climb the learning curve alone.

Thank you!

fastbackford351

If you want to wire something to a switched on source then you wire it up to a junction block that is either powered by that side of the solenoid or ignition switch or straight to the ignition or solenoid. ie. key goes on, junction block becomes 'hot'. Get yourself a test light if you don't already have one.

As far as making things easier, don't cobble your connections together and don't splice crap together unnecessarily. If you have a wire that is 6" too short then run another wire. Nothing looks more jinky or will cause you more headaches than a cobbled together wiring system.

I use to subscribed to the solder, heat shrink school but anymore as often as not, I use quality butt connectors crimped and heat shrink. I can't stand to use the red / blue /yellow butt connectors because they are bulky as hell and just look like *** in my humble opinion so bare butt connectors and heat shrink do the trick and are a lot cleaner.

If you have to run a bunch of wires that you have to connect to the same area then cut your wires to different lengths to offset the connectors a little bit so that when you're finished you don't have a nice slim wiring harness then all of the sudden come to an area where all of your connectors are in the same spot so that it looks like an anaconda that just ate a hippo. Spread them out a bit.

Make sure you have a good connection by pulling on the connection to ensure that it won't come loose.

Finally, make the wiring disappear as much as possible either by running it hidden or putting it in wiring loom. If you can't make it pretty, make it disappear.

When it comes to wiring, remember, neatness counts

racer_dave

^^^ all the stuff he said.... I still solder everything, the only exceptions being things I might need to remove, those get quality crimps & heat shrink.

fastbackford351

I read an interesting article and I wish I could remember where so I could post it up and it was comparing soldering vs. crimping. The upshot of it was that unless you were mil-spec certified in soldering that you are probably going to wind up with solders that have a lot more resistance from cold / poorly done solders than if you use butt connectors. Still, having done it for a thousand years, I'm pretty confident in my soldering skills but when I was standing on my head under the dash, it was a lot easier and just as effective to go the crimp & heat shrink route.


This isn't the article I was referring to, but the poop is pretty much the same.

http://www.marinewireandcable.com/20...cable-and.html

racer_dave

I've seen both solder jobs and crimp jobs that were truly horrible. On the crimp side people don't use the right size connector or they crimp it wrong. For solder they don't use enough heat, or too much.

When I first started racing I got in a minor spin/wreck. Car wouldn't restart and had the field barrelling down on me at 130mph. Not a good feeling... at all. I traced the issue to a failed connection in the ignition wiring(I'd bought a used race car from another team) the crimp had vibrated loose over time. After that everything in the race car got soldered and terminal ends were crimped and soldered. I've done my street cars the same way. It's probably overkill for a street car that doesn't have close to the vibration of a race car. But excessive is good, right?

fastbackford351

Too much of a good thing is






great.

dbgrigsby93

Also, I am running a single wire alternator. I've never messed with one before. Should wire straight to the starter if I'm not mistaken. But how is it grounded if it is only running one wire? If I'm out in left field on this one, please help me out.

fastbackford351

Why would it be run to the starter? I have never run a 1 wire alternator so I can't answer to that but running that one wire to the starter doesn't make sense on the face of it. It seems to me that it would be connected to the + post on the battery.

Maybe one of the smart guys has an answer.


Actually, I found a video that seems to answer your question.

racer_dave

1 wire alternator. I run one on the race car- run it to the positive(battery) feed on the solenoid.

67mustang302

I usually solder everything that's not a quick disconnect these days. It's a lot more important with EFI....not soldering EFI connections can cause a lot of interference and voltage headaches.

And yeah, a 1 wire just goes to the + batt. terminal, or you can connect it to a power distribution block if you're running one.