I have a Mopar Performance orange ignition box on my 72 Duster 318, I also found an older MSD 5 box that I pulled off my last car in favor of a 6 AL. Whats better a MP orange or MSD 5, is it worth swapping to the MSD 5 box over the orange box?

Its basically a stock bottom end 318 with Edelbrock Performer cam and intake, Holley 650, headers, MSD coil, and MP electronic ignition upgrade, hooked to a 4 spped and 3:91's.

I know the MSD 5 box is the low end, thats why I'm asking, down the road I'll probably pick up a better one.

Butch

The MSD 5 is multiple spark but it's spark comes from inductance while the MSD 6 is capacitive discharge. IMO, a hotter spark. I would stick with the MP Orange box because if it fails it's easy to find a replacement. But if I were to go to the trouble of changing I would prefer the MSD 6.

Kind of funny I see this post as I did exactly the same thing with the same model car 31 years ago....but to answer the question..I swapped the orange box for the MSD 5 and did not gain anything.And for a street car,I doubt you'd gain anything going to the MSD 6 either.

If it is relatively stock and has no issues with the spark plugs fouling you will not see much of an improvement.

If you the motor tends to run rich because of a cam or carburation issue the MSD will keep the spark plugs cleaner and it will tend not to load up as easily.

In an artticle I wish that I had heeded it said that if you r system is running properly you will gain absolutely nothing other than a few bell and whistles with the higher $$ systems. I upgraded and gained absolutely nothing.
Also this from Dulcich I beleive:

I went the other way when my MSD 5C was starting to fail.

Not even a 5C, to a NAPA chrome box special. No change.

We had the MP orange box on my sons 400 Dart for years and he swapped to an MSD 6 that his buddy gave him. No difference at all. Did not start any different or run any faster. So when I got my 63 on the road in 2006 I used the same orange box that is still on it. I shift it about 6200 and trap about 6400 and it never misses a beat. Ron