i'll say I did it extra hard by using VR cam and crank, where more MS folks will tell you to use Hall. I just piped in an extra shielded cable for the dizzy. Flawless victory.

 

I think that it's also splitting the product into a few classes; The budget stuff being MS1 and MS2 and then the MS3 being where development turned to after a while and that's where the improvements are. Maybe Microsquirt and related systems. The documentation quality has gone down over the years for MS2 IMO. I also think a lot of people do "budget" builds and the quality and learning curve of the engine etc. that are connected to it come into play as well. I know that it has historically for me anyways.

If you want to talk about something that got almost totally abandoned I still have a megashift here. I did eventually get that working but it sure as heck took a lot of help to do undocumented stuff and compensating for wrong documentation to get it going especially around CANBUS to the MS2 I was running. I think it was Ashford who helped me, I have a couple threads here. Ended up getting banned from their forum for it because I said I was having trouble with VR input noise. I ended up later replacing their whole VR Input setup with an IC instead and it worked way better. Maybe one day I should offload that and see if I can get a few bucks for it.....

 

I in an odd way compare it to Microsoft and Android products. Their allowances for customization sets stage for massive alternative configurations. Everyone gets to tinker and tweak.
Unlike the constrained Apple world.
Yea I heard many horror stories about megashift.

 

I already have modded my setup to utilize the Hall version. With the coil step moving forward (cautiously hopeful) I will then test VR setup first again. There are some pot adjustments possible to bring it in. If this does not work I will swap it for the Hall version.
The caps are actually the same size along with OD of rotating leg inside it. Key difference is VR is not a full half moon. Not sure how the shorter "moon" will play out with the Hall.
Time will tell.

 

The one I did, I just backed out the pots 100%. They say 7 turns or something in the manual? I just kept backing out until I heard the click of the set screw, which took a stethoscope to hear.

 

Well I now believe to have full spark success.
1) old timing light was only good for a few tests then would blink out.
New one works as is supposed to.
2) The above mentioned new timing light brought to light (see what I did there? ) that I can be a compete dumbass.

Random checking of coils was working out well when testing from memory. Not so when referring to my cheat sheet.
Tip: when making a cheat sheet be sure to actually list the firing order correctly with the alpha order.
End result is my setup requires the fuel pump to be on. All 8 tested properly. I also reconfigured the settings to be COP wasted spark and semi sequential.
Retested with those settings and all still test fire correctly.
Not brave enough to test fire startup. Need the weekend for solid free time.

Energized I moved on to my Mustang's exhaust. This has absolutely nothing to do with thread but does allow for a picture.

Time for a beer...
Cheers all. #ad
#ad

 

That looks fun. Probably popping a valve cover on my heap this weekend, think #5 is giving me issues still.

 

Somehow I didn't know you had the Mustang. You need to start a thread on it too!

We've got a 66 here that I bought my wife for Christmas a few years ago. Collecting parts for it now.

 

Yea I keep busy.
Mustang is just a cruiser that has been basically completed for a bunch of years.
Only future plans for it will be throttle body injection. Exhaust is only because a muffler went bad.
Falcon I have started a thread on here. Been sitting a couple years again now.
Plans for it are for it to remain NA as well. Mostly a reassembly of parts. It was my brothers and he kept collecting parts for 30ish years. Then finally admitted to himself he will never get to it.
With Challenger coils proper (fingers crossed) it will slow a bit so I can pound out Falcon. Oh and yes house stuff to keep the wife happy. #ad

 

Spent about 4 hours today cleaning the garage. Finished the Mustang exhaust last night.
Most of the cleaning was just nervous energy trying to get up the nerve to attempt starting the Challenger.
Finally built up enough nerve and tried.

No fire initially as ECU was sitting on passenger seat not connected...

Plugged it in and it fired up immediately.
Happy to report Challenger is now running on spark distributorless with the LS coils.
I had pulled it apart to make some adjustments for cam trigger and never plugged it in.
I had to sit, drink a beer and let success soak in.
4+ years getting to this point.
Still on wasted spark. The pot adjustments and also removal of a jumper were made for it for the VR cam trigger v/s hall effect.
Hopeful that when I plug it to Tunerstudio it will show the proper signal to allow full sequential switch over.
If not I am just going to drive it anyway. #ad

 

Congrats!​

 

Awesome!!!! Congrats!

 

Thank you.
It does feel good.

 

Took it out for a test cruise. Still a very basic and safe ignition tune. Have not hooked up the wideband yet. Will try soon though. Know this thing already runs pig rich and don't want to F it up before I am able to work on adjusting fuel.
The thing that forced this reboot of wiring was one of the electric fans seized up. They were wired with a patch job with relays because I could never get the controller working properly. Mfgr stated that fans I was using would not work with PWM. Now different fans that WILL vary speed and controlled still did not work. Sh canned that and purchased another brand PWM. $170 later, wired it up and it does not F!@# work. When powered up, LED's are supposed to light up. Nothing...
Absolutely know it is powered correctly. POS out of the box.
I expect smple things like fans to be the no brainer crap that shouldn't take up precious time over and over.
Not going to hotwire them again. Return and and another purchase coming.
Test drive was good with exception of fan issue. That is the plus I am hanging on to.

 

You say simple, but I don't usually use PWM fans. Simple is an on/off fan with relays being controlled by the MS.

 

That was going to be my next venture.

All is fixed today now. I handed myself the dumbass award today. Apparantly trying to out do the controller not being plugged in.
Had 2 fuses. One blown from previous fan issue and a good one.
Yep mixed them up and installed the bad one. Smh.
Short test ride went perfect today. Was about 90 deg. and it stayed steady at about 200deg for the win.

 

Small update...
Have been out driving it around. Couple trips to work as well. It definitely runs much smoother on the low end. My timing curve is waaay conservative compared to what I figure I was getting with distributor. Dies off the power band when hitting mid range rpms. More so than before. As my hearing is shit. I cannot hear pinging. So cannot tell when gonna too far. Better to be safe and allow continuation of this plan.

Opened up connector and soldered in the 4 IAC wires and closed back up. Now to figure out the plug end.
Ended up using one from a Jeep. The way it mounts made fabricating an adapter manifold for it simple. That too is made and mounted.
Not sure if I mentioned it here before. But I cut up plenum to move face rearward about an inch. This will allow for the usage of a silicone adapter. Which in turn will make the charge piping simpler.
Step by step by step...

Mike.

#ad
#ad

#ad

 

well i had another sleepless night and i was cruising around the forum and found your thread after suggesting i take a look. all i can say is WOW. you have some seriously mad skills, your build looks amazing and your attention to detail is next level. i wish i could fabricate parts the way you have. i will definitely be following your progress.

 

Appreciate you reading thru it.
Been a machinist (plastic injection moldmaker) for over 30 years.
Hence my comments on work required.
Also at this time I still know very little about legit turbo requirements. Hence X2 on my comments to listen to those who are in the know.
When I eventually bolt them on. I know that it will be just another starting point for more learning.
Enjoy your ride to the end. Take it a step at a time and you will get there.

 

Bump to top from 12 (sadface) pages back.
Falcon gone, my happy place car is back on.
Car raised for exhaust replacement. Then the "while I am under there" kicked in.
With the 6 year progress hiatus, my mindset now is that I will try and complete everything touched. No more half way jobs.
This iteration I was only going to finish rear forward to down pipe.
Now all including all the turbo piping will be done.
Pulled interior to weld in frame connectors as well. Cold side and hot side. All is being touched.

#ad


#ad


#ad


#ad


#ad


#ad