Crane ignition & Magnecor wires

["David R Johnson" <johnsnd@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bill,

I have some experience with Crane ignitions, but I don't have my International
catalog to hand so I don't know what model you are looking at.  I have had a
Crane HI-6 BTR mounted on my Chevy Camaro Z28 for about 18 months/15K miles.
 It has been utterly reliable for me.  However, on the Camaro mailing list
(1000+ members), this Crane model has a poor reputation for reliability.  The
common failure mode is misfiring followed by total failure, resulting in the
need to bypass it by the roadside.  Some members have had 2 or 3 units fail in
a relatively short time.  The reason for the failures is unknown, although I
personally suspect it may be related to mounting position (exposure to damp) or
how it is connected.  The choice replacement on that mailing list seems most
commonly to be MSD, for which I have seen very few (if any) failures mentioned.
 The MSD is also more compact, thus easier to mount in a crowded engine bay.

My Crane is used with a supercharger (BTR = boost timing retard module option),
and I have added a Crane PS-91 coil.  The instructions were clear and describe
how to interface it to a number of ignition system types.  Crane customer
service is pretty good, with failed units being replaced quickly at no charge
for many users.


Regarding Magnecor wires, I have no experience (I am using Taylor in the
Chevy), but a discussion on the same list indicated that they have a reputation
for being good but pricey.  They profess to be superior to other aftermarket
designs, and back this up with a believable (to me, anyway) explanation on
their web site, which may be found at:

http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/Index.htm

Well worth checking out, if you haven't already done so.

Hope some of this is helpful.

Dave J.
1982 GTV6
1994 Camaro Z28, supercharged (daily driver)

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