Discontinued Powerspark electronic ignition for Sprint 44D4 dizzy

[SprintnSideways]

Greetings from the Antipodes...
I've had some discussion with Simonbbc recently trying to get a Powerspark electronic ignition module for the Dolly..
The most recent communication from them indicates that they are not proposing to stock electronic ignition kits for the Sprint any more.
I've also checked Accuspark, and they don't seem to have a module for the 44D4 either.
The only alternatives I have found are the Pertronix Ignitor kits - which have very mixed reviews on life expectancy and cost crazy money - and another called Hot-Spark, which looks a lot like the Powerspark module.... I don't want any external 'boxes' like the Lumenition or Sparkrite, and the 123ignition dizzy replacement is waaay out of my price consideration...

Here's the questions:
1. Are there any other Sprint owners out there who would be interested in getting a Powerspark electronic ignition unit? I think that if there were a reasonable number of committed buyers, Simonbbc might be persuaded to do a last production run of the kits for our 44D4 dizzies...

2. Has anyone heard of or used the Hotspark product?

3. Can any who have had the Pertronix in their cars for a while give any feedback on reliabiity/longevity or performance?

Pete

[marko]

Pertronix have gone way down hill of years late. I made a Mitsubishi unit fit and it's perfect and obvious OEM reliability. I can do these but I'd need your distributor as the Sprint one's are different from the 1500 44D4, of which I have ten of! I've been working alongside a chap who builds the classic ford xflow race engines, which also use the 44D4.

[dursley92]

Pertronix have gone way down hill of years late. I made a Mitsubishi unit fit and it's perfect and obvious OEM reliability. I can do these but I'd need your distributor as the Sprint one's are different from the 1500 44D4, of which I have ten of! I've been working alongside a chap who builds the classic ford xflow race engines, which also use the 44D4.

Marko, please tell us more. Details cost etc

[Carledo]

Pertronix have gone way down hill of years late. I made a Mitsubishi unit fit and it's perfect and obvious OEM reliability. I can do these but I'd need your distributor as the Sprint one's are different from the 1500 44D4, of which I have ten of! I've been working alongside a chap who builds the classic ford xflow race engines, which also use the 44D4.

The 1500 distributor is a 45D4 not quite the same in several respects as the 44D4 fitted to the Sprint, though I fancy the baseplate where the points and condenser fit is the same. But there are problems with rotor arm clearance when trying to fit a 45 kit to a 44 dizzy.

You'd probably need to try your Mitzi conversion on the real thing to be sure it worked.

Steve

[Sundowner]

3. Can any who have had the Pertronix in their cars for a while give any feedback on reliabiity/longevity or performance?

Pete

G'Day Pete,
I bought my Sprint about 7 years ago and it was already fitted with an electronic ignition system. I later learned that it was a Petronix Ignitor. It hasn't put a foot wrong in all that time, good strong ignition system constantly providing easy starting. BUT (there's always one of those, eh?) the car is on Historic rego and consequently, doesn't get a lot of miles put on it. Also, if I have had it for 7 years, and I have no record of when it was installed in the previous owners records that came with the car, then its obviously quite old. I cannot comment on the quality of anything newer from Petronix, sorry, just my experience.
Cheers,
Rob

[SprintnSideways]

3. Can any who have had the Pertronix in their cars for a while give any feedback on reliabiity/longevity or performance?

Pete

G'Day Pete,
I bought my Sprint about 7 years ago and it was already fitted with an electronic ignition system. I later learned that it was a Petronix Ignitor. It hasn't put a foot wrong in all that time, good strong ignition system constantly providing easy starting. BUT (there's always one of those, eh?) the car is on Historic rego and consequently, doesn't get a lot of miles put on it. Also, if I have had it for 7 years, and I have no record of when it was installed in the previous owners records that came with the car, then its obviously quite old. I cannot comment on the quality of anything newer from Petronix, sorry, just my experience.
Cheers,
Rob

Thanks Rob,
All feedback is good feedback... I should go back and check if a lot of the negative web comments are recent - I didn't take much notice of the posting dates, but people seem to either love the Pertronix or hate them - very little middle ground...I wonder whether a lot of the negative stuff is more related to botched installations with incorrect coils and old wiring...
Good to hear you are happy with your Sprint - I can't wait to get mine back on the road.

The guys at Shannons seem to think there are less than 100 Sprints still rolling in Oz...so between you, me and 21 other guys at TCCV, we own around 23% of the remaining fleet...Be interested to try and find out how many are actually still driveable...

[Sundowner]

3. Can any who have had the Pertronix in their cars for a while give any feedback on reliabiity/longevity or performance?

Pete

G'Day Pete,
I bought my Sprint about 7 years ago and it was already fitted with an electronic ignition system. I later learned that it was a Petronix Ignitor. It hasn't put a foot wrong in all that time, good strong ignition system constantly providing easy starting. BUT (there's always one of those, eh?) the car is on Historic rego and consequently, doesn't get a lot of miles put on it. Also, if I have had it for 7 years, and I have no record of when it was installed in the previous owners records that came with the car, then its obviously quite old. I cannot comment on the quality of anything newer from Petronix, sorry, just my experience.
Cheers,
Rob

Thanks Rob,
All feedback is good feedback... I should go back and check if a lot of the negative web comments are recent - I didn't take much notice of the posting dates, but people seem to either love the Pertronix or hate them - very little middle ground...I wonder whether a lot of the negative stuff is more related to botched installations with incorrect coils and old wiring...
Good to hear you are happy with your Sprint - I can't wait to get mine back on the road.

The guys at Shannons seem to think there are less than 100 Sprints still rolling in Oz...so between you, me and 21 other guys at TCCV, we own around 23% of the remaining fleet...Be interested to try and find out how many are actually still driveable...

Here ya go,
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=33729

[AlanH]

Robsport sell the Magnetronic for the Sprint.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-DOLO ... SwaG9XI2yf

I think that Mahesh had one but it failed. I have had one in my Herald for years with no problem at all (perhaps I'm tempting fate here).

[VanIsleSprint]

I had a Pertronix for a while but it failed. I replaced it with a Magnetronic
and I have had good service for 5 years. Jeff Schlemmer at Advanced Distributors
in Minnesota USA used to rebuild with Pertronix but since manufacture has changed
from America to Mexico he went back to points on his rebuilds.

[gmsclassics]

Magnetronic:
seven years and 12,000miles and counting in the Pageant Sprint,
eight years and 5,000 race km in the maple race car, running high revs all the time.

Not expensive, although i found it cheaper to buy ex UK than in NZ, easy to install, then just forget.

Geoff