MICK’S WORKSHOP
IGNITIONS DONE RIGHT AND SMOKING AT SCHOOL
At risk of harping on a bit, you may remember that t I’ve had a go a few times on the subject of not being ing mean when it comes to finishing off a project and nd particularly an engine. Something that staggers me is the number of times I’ve seen someone spend tens of thousands of dollars building a really high-end engine, something they’ve put their heart and soul into, and then finish it off with cheap repro carburetors or ignition systems.
I’m not sure whether it’s because they’re running out t of money or patience, but it rarely ends well.
This month, my pet hobbyhorse is ignition systems and particularly distributors. I’ve been using a local brand – Scorcher – for decades. They’re not the cheapest st out there at around $800 a unit, but they’re locally made de and there’s support if you need it fine-tuned or repaired. d. Those last two things are something your average online ne seller that no-one’s never hear of will run away from.
Scorcher is made by a mob called Performance Ignition ion Services, on the eastern side of Melbourne, which is run n by Andrew and Shayne.
“We do get people getting funny about the price and I don’t know why,” says Andrew. “We try to explain to them why it costs so much. They’re built in-house and we get the advance curves spot-on for each individual engine. “We can build a distributor for virtually anything. “The cheaper units often won’t have the timing you actually t ll need d and, d particularly ti l l with ith vacuum advance d units, can cause detonation and pinging.”
That pretty much matches my own experience. When you’re setting up the ignition, it’s worth getting the whole set-up as a matched rig, so distributor, coil and leads. I know that sounds pedantic, but it potentially simplifies those final few steps in getting an engine running right. And believe it or not, the quality of the leads matters.
We’ve seen cases where some modern injected vehicles simply won’t run with cheap and cheerful replacement leads.
Andrew and crew do a few ranges of gear, including a less-expensive line of distributors called Blueprint and they tackle solid state conversions for older cars that still look original. I installed one recently in a 1956 Chev and the customer is pretty happy.
You can find Performance Ignition Services online at performanceignition.com.au