Prestolite or delco remy in my 74?

So I have been doing some research on the "team rush" upgrade and while looking around I found this page http://www.junkyardgenius.com/ignition/jeep/heicompair.html it states that there were two different distributors used in 74... He explains the difference between the two by describing one of the two systems... I am not sure which he is describing however... Mine is not like the one he described. Can anyone tell me the difference between the two? Also is the prestolite as bad as he says?
Thanks
Jake

 

Does your Jeep have a points distributor? And does it have a little lift-up door in the side of the distributor cap? Then it's Delco. This is what I would expect in a '74.

If it has no points, and the vacuum advance canister is plastic, then it's Prestolite BID (Breakerless Inductive Discharge).

Yes.

 

IMO Prestolite was a crappy deal.. I had one in my 75 and tossed it. The ignition module might last 25 years, or 25 minutes. Nothing was upgradeable on it..

 

Thanks Tim, thats what I needed to know... I do have the lift up cap and points. In another thread you mentioned using points to trigger a 6a module. http://www.earlycj5.net/forums/showthread.php?90212-304-Ignition-Upgrade Were you talking about the "team rush" specifically or is there another option? Thanks for all the help I'm trying to learn as I go along but sometimes I feel like the kid in the corner with the dunce cap...

 

"Team Rush" aka the TFI upgrade, is only for the '78 Jeep or later Motorcraft Duraspark ignition. Jeeps after 1978 have a Ford distributor, made to fit into the AMC engine block. Ford made a series of higher quality parts, the TFI parts, that fit these distributors. So the "Team Rush" upgrade puts Ford factory parts onto Jeeps.

Not mysterious. AMC decided to used a cheap version of the Motorcraft stuff on their cars. Ford used a better version on their cars. But the parts fit on either.

You can remove the Delco ignition and upgrade your engine to the '78 and later ignition, then you can do the TFI upgrade. Not possible using the Delco distributor.

The MSD module is a completely different thing from factory ignitions, whether they be Delco, Prestolite or Duraspark. The MSD module uses transistor switching and capacitors to actively create a hotter and longer spark - it's like adding a turbocharger to the ignition coil. You can use any of these distributors to trigger the MSD module - the distributor supplies the trigger, and the MSD module takes over to make the spark.

 

I installed an MSD ignition box in my 73 with the stock Delco points distributor. It's very easy to do, and I only had to ask for help on what to do with the existing wires that attached to the positive coil wire (one of those was a resistor wire). I added some high quality spiral wound plug wires and swapped the distributor cap to a blue one (but still stock Delco). The black caps contain more carbon in them which can could lead to possible misfire/crossfire. The MSD woke my 304 up and makes it run more smoothly. Here is a diagram of how to hookup an MSD to a points system.

 

Which module did you choose? Did you have to change your coil?

 

I chose the MSD 6 Digital and used my original coil.

 

I am using summits version of the msd module. And the msd big ford cap and wires. Took out the prestolite after it was cutting out randomly. Standard coil.

 

This is probably the rout I will go to. Should I change the points and condenser while I am at it?

 

I wouldn't bother. The MSD module takes all the high-current load off the points, and the condensor is no longer required. The old points will continue to work until the fiber block that rubs against the distributor cam wears out. You could put a pencil-point of grease on the cam.

However, I would make sure that the distributor cap, rotor and plug wires are in tip-top shape.

 

As far as wires go is there a certain type of wire I should look for? Right now I have a newer set of napa premium wires...

 

You can't use solid core wires, so check that. I'm using Taylor Spiro Pro.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/tay-74203/overview/make/jeep/model/cj5/year/1973