Ignition: Mark 10 CDI

[greyben]

Does anyone here have experience running a Mark 10 or other capacitive discharge system on a 6 volt car?

[StudeRich]

Sorry I do not, most people that understand these would Probably need to know what Co. Mfg. this thing. Malory, MSD, Excel other?

My question would be WHY run one? Keeping it stock, saves a ton of hard to find answers and Parts.

[Skybolt]

Mark 10, from what I have read over the years, was a kit that you built yourself. You ended up with a fine product but I'm not sure about anything in 6 volt. They were not manufactured by any of the big ignition companies but it did have its followers. I picked up an old Mallory CDI, in 12 volt, and ran it for years. I now have a second. If you have one then why not use it. It works the same as any other CDI.

I guess they do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPI91gzkrT8

An old ad showing the Mark 10 can be ordered assembled or in a kit.

https://books.google.com/books?id=8v2VW0V9p8wC&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=Mark+10+CDI+6+volt&source=bl&ots=ZMybxXhW8K&sig=jtGDYcaFEFSNU1aY0BgsDTPviso&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xHsXVdLsEcnuoASmjYD4BQ&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Mark%2010%20CDI%206%20volt&f=false

Len

[RadioRoy]

There are at least two possible problems with putting a transistorized system on your car.

-the first is 6 volts. Transistorized systems, especially older ones, drop anywhere from .7 volts or higher. With a 6 volt system you might not have enough voltage overhead to fire the coil, especially when cranking.

-the second is positive ground. Almost all these systems are designed for negative ground. Positive ground would require different types of transistors and would not likely have been on the designer's radar.

EDIT: I just watched the video, but am still suspicious about firing under compression while cranking. Call me a skeptic, I guess.

[Mike Van Veghten]

While I do know these were not kits, At least the one I (and my dad) had was not, these were pretty much the first C.D. ignitions made for the masses. They were not like todays multiple spark CD ignitions, they were a single spark design...which was their problem.
A VERY short single spark. If your engine was tuned "VERY" good, they worked ok. If you were a little rich or lean...they were not so good.

I have no idea where they came from, but my grandmother gave both myself and my dad one at Christmas one year. A gold aluminum box, not unlike the MSD 7 series boxes of today. This was back in the mid or late 60's.

For nostalgia, mount it on the firewall with some wires going into hiding. I don't know of anyone making a 6 volt version. Call MSD.

Mike

Update - per a post below, at the time, I know of no kits that were available in the area where I was in SoCal. That does not mean they were not in other areas.

[Skybolt]

To Roy, if the link to the ad is working you are right about there being positive ground versions available, in 12 volt only, but no 6 volt positive ground units.

To Mike, the Mark 10 can be purchased in either kit form or fully assembled, just read the order form for full details.

From post #3 https://books.google.com/books?id=8v...20volt&f=false

Len.

[PackardV8]

The Delta MK-10 was available as an assembled unit or a kit. The advantage was the points were only a trigger and thus didn't develop the pitting and oxidation. They were the first commercially available aftermarket capacitive discharge ignition I ever saw. They were everywhere for a few years, but there were the problems Mike mentioned.

jack vines

[Mangusta1969]

Back in the day (late 60s and early 70s), I had Delta Mark 10s and Mark 10Bs on several different cars (Porsche 356A, DeTomaso Pantera, and several Corvettes). All of my Mark 10s and Mark 10Bs worked flawlessly and I never experienced a single failure, although there was a single button you could press that would bypass the CD ignition system and return your vehicle to its stock setup.

As far as I know, Delta (from Grand Junction, CO) actually produced a 6 volt system. My Porsche 356A was a 6 volt car, but I converted it to a 12 volt system prior to installing the Mark 10 CDI on it. Using the Mark 10 on my high compression (10.5/1) Porsche motor really helped to reduce plug fouling and fiddling with the ignition timing as the points never wore down.

[Gunslinger]

I remember the Mark 10 was available from Radio Shack under their name either fully assembled or as a kit where you wired, soldered and assembled it yourself. I worked part-time at Radio Shack for a while and remember those kits. It may have been a clone of the Mark 10 but my memory is that it was the Mark 10 under the Radio Shack name.

[greyben]

Thanks for the feedback. It appears that not many are experienced with the Mark 10. The Delta Mark 10 was produced in Grand Junction, CO as noted in post 8. It was also sold under the Heathkit, Archerkit, Knightkit and maybe other brands. It was introduced about 1970 and initially was produced in both 6 and 12 volt positive and negative ground versions. These units were reliable, easy to install and effective. They could also provide a strong spark at higher RPMs than other ignition systems of the time making the popular with hot rodders.

Having a background from the military in electronics and doing my own vehicle maintenance I found the concept of an electronic ignition intriguing. The first vehicle I used one on was a new '73 Datsun pickup. It ran close to a 100k miles on the same set of points and I'm not sure, but I think the same plugs. In the 80s and 90s I used these units on all my driver Studebakers. Only two units were involved, one of them a $10 yard sale bargain. I logged about 200,000 miles total without a failure of any kind. As noted in the previous post they were very reliable. Also, I never changed points or plugs once these were installed. The longest mileage I remember for a Studebaker was about 40k. At that point there was negligible wear on the plug electrodes or the rubbing block. They were also portable and could be moved from car to car in less than 30 minutes. The most common problem with them was crossfire. They needed some attention to the type of plug wire and the routing of same. The units I had more than paid for themselves in the period they were used.

Recently I came across a 6 volt positive ground unit and am installing it on my '55 Pres. Initially there was some misfire which instigated this post in hopes someone out there had experience the same. I have replaced the coil in hopes that might be the fix. These units also do not like weak coils.