Posted By: 70duster340
Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 02:00 AM
Has anyone here used this product? Sounds very interesting. How does it compare to the GM HEI upgrade? 
Rev-N-Ator
Posted By: bigdad
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 02:20 AM
I bought one for my 67 race car ..
Only reason I did , was after 2 chrome box failures this season ..
And costing me late round wins
Their claim of 40 horse ..
But, it didn't make car misfire like the chrome box so ...
Only reason I did , was after 2 chrome box failures this season ..
And costing me late round wins
Their claim of 40 horse ..
But, it didn't make car misfire like the chrome box so ...
Posted By: 70duster340
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 02:24 AM
So, how well does the GM HEI work?
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 02:41 AM
The HEI conversion is no better than an MP ignition box,UNLESS you upgrade to an aftermarket module like the Accel Mallory . HEI from the factory pulls dwell at high rpm.
The Accel doesn't,but current is still limited due to heat issues You can only put so much current through it before it overheats due to area available to displace heat. Thus the reason you need to properly mount them.
Keith
The Accel doesn't,but current is still limited due to heat issues You can only put so much current through it before it overheats due to area available to displace heat. Thus the reason you need to properly mount them.
Keith
Posted By: RapidRobert
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 02:48 AM
There was a comprehensive thread regarding this awhile back if you can retrieve it. If it ain't pulling out dwell like alot of ign boxes do that's OK but I look at it as just a pri current switch & prefer to go with a killer coil/less ballast or next step will be an E coil/no ballast. the 40 horse claim should be a tip off. The old saying about frauds/cons: "if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is" (not true)
Posted By: 70duster340
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 03:07 AM
So, using an aftermarket ignition module such as the Accel Mallory will be a better alternative if putting together the GM HEI conversion?
Posted By: Rollin Hand
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 03:10 AM
Ya you buy a $50 GM style HEI module instead of the $200 rev nader.
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 03:42 AM
If I was stuck using an HEI module that would be the one to use. 50 bucks give or take and make a heat sink plate and wire it in. Not my ideal ignition but better than a parts store plug in replacement ICU .
Keith
Keith
Posted By: bigdad
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 03:49 AM
Keith ..
I read thru the long post about it , were you did a lot of testing .
By reading that , I made my purchase
Now ..
Not trying to put words in your mouth ..
Has your opinion changed ??
Maybe I'm just reading it wrong , I can be confused easy ??
I read thru the long post about it , were you did a lot of testing .
By reading that , I made my purchase
Now ..
Not trying to put words in your mouth ..
Has your opinion changed ??
Maybe I'm just reading it wrong , I can be confused easy ??
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 03:57 AM
No change in my opinion,the Accel HEI outperforms parts store boxes,not the Rev N Nator
I have tested every plug in replacement I could get my hands on,its still the best. It runs with my dyno mounted MSD and the Accel digital300 I've run in my personal car for ten or so years.
The 40 horsepower gain subject has been beat to death,those gains are against a parts store box that pulled more dwell than the MP units.
Keith
I have tested every plug in replacement I could get my hands on,its still the best. It runs with my dyno mounted MSD and the Accel digital300 I've run in my personal car for ten or so years.
The 40 horsepower gain subject has been beat to death,those gains are against a parts store box that pulled more dwell than the MP units.
Keith
Posted By: bigdad
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 04:06 AM
I'm basically happy with it so far
Next year, in the spring when weather is nice
I'm going to buy another chrome box and do back to backs on it
maybe I'm crazy but, I think the chrome box outperforms it but they just don't live
Mine is mounted inside the car, properly
Next year, in the spring when weather is nice
I'm going to buy another chrome box and do back to backs on it
maybe I'm crazy but, I think the chrome box outperforms it but they just don't live
Mine is mounted inside the car, properly
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 04:17 AM
This is the car I just built for my wife to bracket race. So far I have seen just under a tenth gain with the Rev N Nator over the Chrome. But to be fair,the car only has a handful of passes so far and our tracks are closing for the winter.
Posted By: bigdad
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 04:27 AM
I was not able to back to back the test
but, there was no gain , if anything slower
Hard to be honest cause we got a lot of wind late in the year ..
Motor sounds better and fires quicker with the chrome box ..
It doesn't come up on the chip as fast on the trans=-brake and my reaction times slowed after the change ..
Consistency of car wavered too..
could of been many things but ? doubt it
Jury is still out, not ready to say either way yet
Most likely I'll swap to a brand name ignition at some point
I am not impressed so far ...
The claims they make are silly
but, there was no gain , if anything slower
Hard to be honest cause we got a lot of wind late in the year ..
Motor sounds better and fires quicker with the chrome box ..
It doesn't come up on the chip as fast on the trans=-brake and my reaction times slowed after the change ..
Consistency of car wavered too..
could of been many things but ? doubt it
Jury is still out, not ready to say either way yet
Most likely I'll swap to a brand name ignition at some point
I am not impressed so far ...
The claims they make are silly
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 04:37 AM
Yep,give it a chance. They offer a money back guarantee.
When I first took her Coronet out I had some detonation.
Pulled timing out and slowed down.
Took me a while to figure it out but it was the shift light. An MSD wouldn't let the light work,the Rev box had detonation but the Chrome didn't . Changed the shift light and now no detonation with the Rev box . Must have screwed with the signal from the pick up or something.
Keith
When I first took her Coronet out I had some detonation.
Pulled timing out and slowed down.
Took me a while to figure it out but it was the shift light. An MSD wouldn't let the light work,the Rev box had detonation but the Chrome didn't . Changed the shift light and now no detonation with the Rev box . Must have screwed with the signal from the pick up or something.
Keith
Posted By: bigdad
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 05:17 AM
From the posts you have made
And I know you have many hours in testing it
Seems like many things are not compatible..
I made the swap, late in the season and I'm on the fence
My car was dead consistent previous ..
On fire up, motor barely spun over and fired before ..Now, it takes a couple cranks
and , it does not sound the same
it kicks butt down low, 60's good but lays downs on the 2-3 shift
MPH is is the same though
for lack of a better term, seems like it surges a little
Its just not the same car with it
And I know you have many hours in testing it
Seems like many things are not compatible..
I made the swap, late in the season and I'm on the fence
My car was dead consistent previous ..
On fire up, motor barely spun over and fired before ..Now, it takes a couple cranks
and , it does not sound the same
it kicks butt down low, 60's good but lays downs on the 2-3 shift
MPH is is the same though
for lack of a better term, seems like it surges a little
Its just not the same car with it
Posted By: dobie
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 09:30 AM
I bought one in July at Carlisle and installed it after returning home. Ive noticed no difference really. I dont race however, so that might account for something. My RR runs the same. It always was easy to start and it still fires on 2 or 3 cranks.
Im not unhappy with it, as it seems to work fine as a ECU. Then again, im not sure it was worth the $200 either.
Im not unhappy with it, as it seems to work fine as a ECU. Then again, im not sure it was worth the $200 either.
Posted By: mcmopars
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 10:43 AM
/i had one,i really liked it.did i get alot more hp? no.it did run better though.i could not get my tach with shift light to work with it.my tach would jump all over the place.so i rendered it usless in my application.went back to chrome box
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 03:01 PM
I know Ive mentioned it before,but the perfect tune with any one ignition system wont be correct when you plug in a different one. But even perfectly tuned,most guys cant feel a ten hp difference . If you have a lean or rich condition and put a better ignition system on something that was marginal before it will change.
If you have an ignition that pulls dwell,tune around it,then change to a system with a better dwell curve you will need to change things. Its the same thing I see with guys going to an MSD and not seeing a difference. Or an out of the box carburetor. Things need to be tweaked to get the most out of them.
Everything I test gets run through the wringer. I keep coolant and oil temperature within a couple degrees use the same fuel,and test several times to make sure its not an anomaly .
I realize not many guys can do that,but I try my hardest to give guys good fact based information .
Keith
If you have an ignition that pulls dwell,tune around it,then change to a system with a better dwell curve you will need to change things. Its the same thing I see with guys going to an MSD and not seeing a difference. Or an out of the box carburetor. Things need to be tweaked to get the most out of them.
Everything I test gets run through the wringer. I keep coolant and oil temperature within a couple degrees use the same fuel,and test several times to make sure its not an anomaly .
I realize not many guys can do that,but I try my hardest to give guys good fact based information .
Keith
Posted By: DaveRS23
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 03:31 PM
Quote:
/i could not get my tach with shift light to work with it.my tach would jump all over the place.
My AutoMeter tach jumps around a lot at idle. I switch to a different box and the tach needle is steady. The tach steadies right out when I touch the gas, but twitches quite a bit at idle. It is worse sometimes than others.
I have left messages with Troy, but have not gotten any return calls. Yet.
Posted By: ademon
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 03:51 PM
Wasn't there a Standard ign brand ECU like $40 , that performed better than the orange and was about the same or better than the chrome ? 
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 04:03 PM
A few years ago,yes. Now they are imported junk like everything else. Not sure if its true or not but rumours at one time said that's what Don at FBO was using but he had to go a different direction when they changed who made them.
I have tried several over the counter control units with no luck. I was thinking there would be something decent without a rev limiter bit have had no luck.
Keith
I have tried several over the counter control units with no luck. I was thinking there would be something decent without a rev limiter bit have had no luck.
Keith
Posted By: RapidRobert
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 04:17 PM
The standard motor products (LX101 iirc) was the gold standard for good parts house boxes. I bought one the other day & to my dismay it said made in china in big bold letters.
Posted By: moparfan53
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 04:23 PM
Posted By: Swedcharger67
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 05:53 PM
Quote:
...
If you have an ignition that pulls dwell,tune around it,then change to a system with a better dwell curve you will need to change things...
Not sure I understand what you mean, can you please explain?
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 06:53 PM
Our older cars used points,the time the points are closed is called dwell. A big gap gave short dwell,A small gap gave larger dwell. Then we went to an ignition control module to open and close the circuit without points that would wear.
Most ICU s have a set dwell period. If the dwell falls off due to electronics not being able to control it,timing also falls off as dwell directly affects timing .
If you ignition was to pull timing at a certain rpm,most likely a tuner would try to compensate by adding mechanical or vacuum advance .
Now you unplug that ignition and plug in a new one that does not pull out dwell(timing) and it acts like you have added more total timing at that point.
Thats why we need to recheck timing with different boxes Reverse polarity on an MSD systems pick-up coil sometime and watch
Most ICU s have a set dwell period. If the dwell falls off due to electronics not being able to control it,timing also falls off as dwell directly affects timing .
If you ignition was to pull timing at a certain rpm,most likely a tuner would try to compensate by adding mechanical or vacuum advance .
Now you unplug that ignition and plug in a new one that does not pull out dwell(timing) and it acts like you have added more total timing at that point.
Thats why we need to recheck timing with different boxes Reverse polarity on an MSD systems pick-up coil sometime and watch
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 06:55 PM
Whoops,should say watch what happens. Different systems pick-up the signal from the pick-up coil differently.
Keith
Keith
Posted By: ThermoQuad
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 09:26 PM
Good grounding is very important. You can't have too many grounds.
A properly phased distributor is required.
It makes a difference...
A properly phased distributor is required.
It makes a difference...
Posted By: mikemee1331
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/25/13 11:30 PM
keith, have you ever found what coil seems to work best with the Rev-n-ator box? i've tried my best to keep up with the threads but my eyes glaze over with all the repeat threads here and on the other Mopar sites.
Posted By: a12superbee
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/26/13 04:38 AM
Quote:
keith, have you ever found what coil seems to work best with the Rev-n-ator box? i've tried my best to keep up with the threads but my eyes glaze over with all the repeat threads here and on the other Mopar sites.
These are tough threads to follow.
Keith, could you please list your preference in regards to all these different systems?
The rev limiter aside, where do you place the rev-n-ator among the plug and pray chrysler boxes?
Please.
Posted By: dobie
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/26/13 09:16 AM
Not that I want to answer for someone else, but when I bought mine from Mancini Racing at Carlisle they recommended the Blaster 2 coil, which I picked up as well. I swapped both at the same time.
Posted By: BB65Barracuda
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/26/13 10:45 AM
I also run the blaster 2 with mine!
Posted By: mikemee1331
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/26/13 11:56 AM
Quote:i thought i had read that too but i wasn't sure if it came from Keith doing an actual dyno run or if it came posters saying they were using one. i was also curious about any e-coil testing.
Not that I want to answer for someone else, but when I bought mine from Mancini Racing at Carlisle they recommended the Blaster 2 coil, which I picked up as well. I swapped both at the same time.
Posted By: 1972CudaV21
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/26/13 11:20 PM
In this world of high-tech computers and programmers for Mustangs, 'Vettes, etc., why can't we get a simple ignition box that can be monitored with a laptop computer and be able to make some adjustments? There really should be no mystery here.
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/27/13 01:00 AM
As of right now,a Blaster2 seems to be the best choice as far as canister coils are concerned . I actually had my best results with a Mallory Promaster 29440.
Troy is supposed to be sending some coils my way to test as well as a new upgraded version of the Rev N Nator that should take care of the issues you guys are describing.
Keith
Troy is supposed to be sending some coils my way to test as well as a new upgraded version of the Rev N Nator that should take care of the issues you guys are describing.
Keith
Posted By: MPerry
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/27/13 01:10 AM
What about a blaster 3? Is there much difference between 2 & 3? My 29440 had crapped out and the local speed shop only had a blaster 3. It seems to work well.
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/27/13 03:04 AM
Yes,the blaster3 runs the same,same specifications,just has the taller tower.
Keith
Keith
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/27/13 03:15 AM
Even if it didn't have the limiter,the Rev N Nator runs Bette. I have been trying to find a box that performs as well without a limiter with no luck yet. I ran a Chrome box for several years along with an add on limiter but the cost of the two now is at least as much as a Rev N Nator and doesn't perform as well.
Keith
Keith
Posted By: a12superbee
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/27/13 09:52 AM
Quote:
Even if it didn't have the limiter,the Rev N Nator runs Bette. I have been trying to find a box that performs as well without a limiter with no luck yet. I ran a Chrome box for several years along with an add on limiter but the cost of the two now is at least as much as a Rev N Nator and doesn't perform as well.
Keith
Thank you. It looked as though that's what you were saying but wanted to be sure.
Posted By: mikemee1331
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/27/13 12:35 PM
thanks Keith!
Posted By: 70duster340
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/28/13 03:01 AM
I certainly hope that nobody here believes that I started this thread to bash the Rev-N-ator. I just wanted opinions about how it held up to other ignition systems. I chose the GM HEI because I have read good things about that particular modification. Gotta be careful about where I spend the bucks. Not too much to go around these days. 
Posted By: CompWedgeEngines
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/28/13 03:12 AM
Keith,
Have you ran the new style FBO box ( aluminum framed box) with appropriate coil (such as 1.5 ohm Pertronix etc)to compare as well?
Have you ran the new style FBO box ( aluminum framed box) with appropriate coil (such as 1.5 ohm Pertronix etc)to compare as well?
Posted By: Dunnuck Racing
Re: Rev-N-Ator - 10/28/13 04:13 AM
I ran the new FBO along with the coil Don sells with it. I don't recall the resistance of his coil off the top of my head though. I probably have it written down in the shop.
Since I'm honest,Ill admit it runs well. I cant say much else on the subject because of Don though .
Keith
Since I'm honest,Ill admit it runs well. I cant say much else on the subject because of Don though .
Keith