Inboard 351w ignition upgrade options - 77 sea ray

[CamaroMan]

Hi all - so bought a nice looking searay yesterday witha 351w.. looking at several ignition upgrade options - something thats reliable and simple..

there are some nascar approved msd boxes and coils - 6aln i believe, also the duraspark upgrade and pf course pertronix..

Any ideas what will be a good way forward and not too expensive?

thanks! will get some more pics later and post of the current setup -

 

[Scott Danforth]

the points that are in there are reliable and simple. not a single ignition system more simple (except a mechanical fuel pump diesel), and they can be troubleshot and repaired in the middle of nowhere and set with a match book and screw driver

nascar approved stuff is not marine approved.

there is no power increase going to an MSD box until you get into RPM's much much higher than you will ever be able to turn the 351W and you then add a supercharger on top of it. so don't waste your money. it wont help

Mallory has both a hall-effect distributor and magnetic trigger for about $300 if you want to go from points, or get a pertronix trigger for your current dizzy

the part number from mallory for the magnetic trigger is YLM554CV

 

[achris]

Personally, for me anything that does away with points is a plus. Yes they can be 'roadside repaired', but if you have electronics there, you generally don't EVER need to adjust, clean, gap, or otherwise 'repair' them. With electronics, your engine never goes 'out of tune', and you have a hotter, cleaner, more powerful spark.

But as far as 'marine approved', I agree with Scott Probably the Pertronix is the way I would recommend.

Chris.....

 

[tango13]

I am a big fan of pertronix. Their ignitor kits are super easy to install, and are affordable. I installed a ignitor kit and a flamethrower coil on the merc 350 in my ski boat this summer, and I immedietly noticed that my motor would start much better.. even during a cold start. I have installed pertronix systems on some older classic cars and trucks and have had zero issues with them

just remember that you will probably have to run an additional 12v power supply to the ignitor module in the dizzy since some of the older merc ignitions had eternally resisted coils that were powered with resistor wire. I ended up running a flame-thrower II coil (only has 0.7ohms of resistance, which works with the existing resistor wire setup), and then adding a full 12v power supply directly to the ignitor system... Some guys on here (including pertronix) recommend eliminating the stock resistance wire all together and running the entire system off a new 12v supply (with a internally resisted 1.5 ohm coil).. I did what I did to avoid having to decomission any stock wiring in order to be able to easily convert back to the stock setup incase I had major issues.

 

[CamaroMan]

thanks - will get her up and running on thee ol points and look into a pertronix later with a matching coil - starter burned out and despite opening / cleaning / re assembling its still seems dead -

can the starter magnets lose their effect? oh well ive ordered a marine approved starter i found on amazon for 75 bucks - mine was a 9 tooth and I think the PO used an auto starter cos there was no padding between the parts like i see on the amazon unit - just as well! Was veryhard finding a starter for my motor..

Do other ford type starters all work on the 70s 351w's? the starter I got said OMC and some other models as well -

 

[Bondo]

Do other ford type starters all work on the 70s 351w's? the starter I got said OMC and some other models as well -

Ayuh,.... Like a Chevy starter is a Chevy starter,...
A Ford starter is a Ford starter,.... it'll fit the block it's intended for,...
But,...
Automotive starters ain't ignition protect, aka: Explosion proof,...
Marine starters Are ignition protected, so you Must use a Marine Rated Starter,...

If yer ole starter is the typical ole style, the magnets ain't magnetic til energized with electricity,...

The newer permanent magnet starters are smaller, lighter, 'n more powerful, though I donno's they're available Marine rated for a Ford,....

 

[CamaroMan]

yeah found a jis rated pmgr starter for 75 bucks, so far works perfect. thanks