I've been asked by many members and non members about my ignition set-up and after writing the info so many times, I figure it would'nt hurt to post the needed info here at CZCC. And now you can send this thread link to others who may be looking for the same info.

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I typically put a lot of praise on the Unilite, versus the worn bearings and parts of the stock distributor. Changing the set-up from points to infra-red is always a great idea but it's like putting a New head on an Old block, the head can't perform optimumly because the pistons and rings are worn. The optical pick-ups of the Unitlite and the Pertronix are are basically the same but the the chassis and bearings of the Unilite were built to work in unison with the Mallory infra-red circuit board. So in short the Pertronix is a band-aid over an untreated, infected wound.

Here's what I have in my 70' and everything works great. Not to mention that it's pretty easy to wire up.

Mallory Unilite, Stock Ballast resistor, MSD 6A, MSD tach adaptor, Mallory Promaster Coil, stock tach.

#1) The OEM tach was designed to work around 1.5 ohms, where as the Flamethrower puts twice the resistance in the circuit (3.0 ohms) and the tach strains under the resistance, therefore only working at half it's potencial.. (about 4000 RPM) on occasion

#2) The wiring is pretty simple. I use male and female connectors, so that the MSD can be bypassed upon failure, if it should occur.

The small red and white wire of the tach adaptor connect to the small red and white of the MSD 6A (and even the 6AL)

I've attached a diagram of the wiring that should be pretty easy to follow. I also included a diagram of Just wiring the unilite w/o the MSD.

On the Unilite....

Brown wire gets grounded to a clean grounding bolt (I use the bolt of the ballast resistor)

Green wire connects to the white wire of the MSD and the tach adaptor

Red wire connects to the datsuns green/white wire on the ballast resistor

On the MSD....

Ground the Large Black wire close to the MSD unit.

Large Red wire gets a (10 amp fuse) and goes to the battery. (draws 1 amp per 1000 RPM)

small White to the white wire of the tach adaptor and they both connect to the green Unilite wire.

small red to the small red of the Tach adaptor and they both go to the black/white wire that was connected to the stock coils (+) bolt

Black and orange sleeved wires go to the Coil (black to (-) and Orange to the (+)

The green and purple wires are NOT used, as they are for a crank type sensor.

#3) Will this work on my stock 240Z tach?

This all works on the Stock Tach. The Promaster coil is rated at 0.60 ohms but I've Never had an issue and I know for fact that the needle will swing to 8000RPM (My throttle stuck when I forgot to instal a return spring on the SU's after I installed them. OOPS

#4) What are the part numbers and prices??

Mallory Unilite p/n 4763901 w/vaccum advance. $389 at Jegs and Summit Racing.

MSD 6A (6200 series) $171 at Jegs and Summit Racing

MSD 8910 Tach Adaptor $40 at both Jegs and Summit Racing

Mallory Promaster Coil W/ correct Ballast resistor $82 at Jegs If the link does work, go to Jegs and type in promaster coil 29440 and make sure the picture shows the ballast resistor http://www.jegs.com/i/Mallory/650/29440/10002/-1#

I use nothing but NGK plugs (BP6ES) gapped at .060 and NGK Blue spark plug wires.

You can pick up the plugs and wires from most auto parts stores. The plugs run about $2 a peice and the wires are around $20 to $35 http://www-b.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/Nissan/240Z/NGK/Ignition_Wire_Set/19701973/W0133-1625833.html

#5) Is it worth it??

Definately worth it. I installed the Unilite 3 years ago and haven't had to touch it once, other than to clean the brass tips inside the cap. I still have the same cap and rotor that came with the Distributor. The rotor has a removable brass arm that can be pulled and cleaned and reinstalled when needed. The total of everything NEW is about $720 before shipping but you now have part numbers and can research them and probably find them cheaper on eBay or elsewhere. I did'nt pay that much because I do a lot of Trade work which results in some great deals from friends and such.

If anyone has pertinent info to add to this thread feel free. I did not however, write this thread to be debated or commented on. What you see is what you get, as all the info is true to the best of my knowledge and current as of 4/23/09 Additional charges for tax and shipping will and can be found on the above web-sites.

MSD Unilite Promastr Ballast wiring.bmp

Unilite Ballast wiring.bmp

This is awesome! I have long since thought my pertronix was a bandaid as well.. great work!

Nothing wrong with a Pertronix for a daily driver - IF the dizzy you put it in is in good shape and not worn out. But these days that's hard to find. So the Unilite becomes a great alternative. Thanks for the guide, Dave.

BTW, I converted your diagrams to GIFs, smaller file size, and browsers will display them so they don't need to be downloaded. We really need to get Dave some decent image-editing software!

One nice thing you get for your $400, other than a brand new distributor, is the ability to recurve the mechanical advance using Advance Curve Change Kit, Part No. 29014.

Steve

Thanks Arne, and you're right about needing some real software but a new computer is in order first.

Like it says though, The write up is there for what ever interpritation you choose. And the pertronix is a great unit but only as good as the chassis it's installed into.

The Full listed ignition system above is on the pricey side but when installed is an awesome system as a whole.

How different would the install be on a FI 280?

Will this setup work on an automatic? My stock Dizzy runs duel points due to emmissions. Thanks for any info.

What did you set the advance in the Unilite too?

What does the spark advance curve look like?

thanks,

Carl B.

dorodax ... similar to Carl, I'm interested in your suggested settings.

I have Dave's setup installed in my 240z with an L24. I was wondering what you set your Unilte dizzy mechnical advance too? Mine is installed straight from Mallory and I am going by memory now... but at idle (~900 RPM) mine's set at ~17 BTDC advanced and at 3000 RPM it's about 40-42 BTDC advanced.

I run 91+ Octane, never get any pinging .. even when I did run 87 Octane on a trip this past summer.

Any suggestions or insight is welcome.

I know I've brought this back from the long since dead, but I just want to make sure I get this right before a drop a bit of money. I've already got the MSD 6AL and was planning on just using a pertronix until I realized that it won't drop in to the Auto dizzy. So I figure I'll just get the mallory unilite w/ mechanical advance since I plan on going to triples sometime shortly after I return from deployment. According to what I read I will need the Unilite Dizzy pn: 4563901, MSD Tach adapter pn: 8910, and I've also got the MSD Blaster 2 coil. How can I determine what the proper ballast resistor would be or should I just follow the instructions that are on the Mallory Website? Here is a link to their instructions, Figure 4 is definitely the one that applies for me. From my understanding, according to figure 4 I don't need the ballast resistor, is this correct?

Edited May 2, 201311 yr by Jonu

Hi Jonu:

Search some of the more recent Threads related to the Unilite's. I would at least seem that the quality of the current product is far less than what they have been. Several people have complained about the Unilite's just dying suddenly - and shortly after being installed - It is possible that today - current owners of the newer production lots - would not recommend buying one.

FWIW,

Carl B.

If you are running a 6AL I would switch to a stock dizzy out of a 1976 280Z and use it to trigger the magnetic pickup input of the 6AL. I recently switched away from the Unilite to this setup and have been very happy with the results. You will have to find a 1976 mount on ebay but it will give you OEM reliability and it's cheaper than the Unilite.