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well to go with your theme, get rid of the msd box.

go with a points distrubter with a petronix setup instead.

not as much control, but less to fail.

however, I must disagree with your assessment on efi setups.

today there is a much wider range of efi setups than ever before.
there is a post from the fast efi guy detailing all possible failure modes and what is likely or not likely to die.

I have converted mine to efi and been running it for 3 years now, others probably longer on more primitive systems.

the only thing that had died on me is the fuel pump, and that was due to poor mounting location.
since mine is one you have to tune, yes I find myself tweaking things still, but with the 3 or 4 self tuning systems out there, you don't even have to play that game anymore.

now it isn't 10 or 15 years old yet like the mustang you are talking about. But lets get real.
15 year old cars don't run like a dream. somethings need to be replaced periodically.

don't know what actual issue you saw, but take a step back and remember what you had to do to your old car to keep it on the road.
what spare parts did you have in it so you could get it running and drive away?

diagnosing a non running condition is the same today as it was 40 years ago.
spark, air and fuel are still needed.
how they get there is a little different, but people forget it is still the same things to look for.



Voodoo aside, the number one problem with EFI is the price. There are some nice bolt-on systems coming out now, but they are far beyond my budget. Besides... while they might be touted as 'simple', they are not roadside fix simple. I can fix a carb, an electric ign system, etc with cheap, junkyard or parts-store parts. EFI... not so much.

As far as living with the old stuff... i had three primary problems with my last two old daily drivers (spanning a decade), one... both were already very beat cars, so stuff was going to happen, and two i wasn't in love with either ov them and didnt want to spend the money they needed, and three... the big one... MILEAGE. I couldn't drive them anywhere.

My Charger... basketcase that it was, only needed its 'roadside kit' (ECU, ballast, jump wire, starter relay, plugs... LOTS ov spare plugs..., coil, spare wires, etc.). I trusted that heap to go anywhere. The other one was a 71 Fury, bone stock, and in 5 years ov driving all over the damn map i lost a fuel pump once, and some very old points went on me once. Thats it. My 68 Caddy...??? Has never once... and i mean not a single time in the 20 years i owned it failed to start for me... until only very recently. And i cannot blame it this time because it has literally been sitting for years and years. It should have died on me in the 90's. As it is, all it needs to start again is a new fuel filter.

Give me a car i LIKE (okay, i love the Caddy, but i cant daily drive it), in better shape, with a good combo and i'll be giddy.