Chinese HEI distributors on E-Bay

[Rick Potter]

I want to upgrade the ignition on my '55 T-Bird. I notice they now have what appear to be copies of MSD HEI distributors, which I assume are from China.

They cost less than half what the MSD system costs, and I am wondering if anyone has any knowledge of them.

No hot rod, just upgrades, and I am familiar with the loadomatic issues. The car is already 12v and has an Edelbrock 600 CFM carb.

Thanks,
Rick

[Chuck Wintle]

i would beware of anything made in china that is mechanical or electronic. Just my personal bias I suppose but i got burned on some electronic gadget that came directly from china and never worked. just try and get your money back if that happens.

[Michael Weber]

I purchased a motorcycle helmet to helmet communication gizmo from China and EBay. Was very cheap and got here surprisingly quick. Worked okay until it didn't after a couple weeks. Contacted the seller assuming they would just ship a replacement since it was so inexpensive. Turns out they wanted me to return the defective module so they could evaluate it to see why it failed before replacing. I could have ordered a replacement for what it would cost to ship (not to mention the time involved) so I just pitched it in the trash. So while the item you want may have a warranty collecting on it is problematic. YMMV

[Myk Rian]

Turns out they wanted me to return the defective module so they could evaluate it to see why it failed before replacing. I could have ordered a replacement for what it would cost to ship (not to mention the time involved) so I just pitched it in the trash.

Which is about what 90% of the Chinese vendors do.

[Bill Orbine]

What are you talking about.....maybe 40-45 bucks more for the genuine MSD? That's nothing.......for a '55 Thunderbird! Not sure where the MSD HEI distributor is manufactured, but I'm sure you'll get the support you need if it the part goes south.

[Rick Potter]

Actually Bill,

With the wires, and coil, the MSD Ready to Run setup is over $300 more. $240 Vs $650. I bought my first '55 Bird for less than that. Did the body and paint, new upholstery, changed out the automatic for a stick, and put a hardtop on it. Sold it at a small profit for $1050.

The reason I am asking is because I suspect the module and internals might be from the same source on either unit.

[Alan Bienlein]

Have you thought about DUI hei distributors for Ford?