It’s all about efficiency and power. In the days before electronic ignition, energy to the spark plugs was controlled mechanically. As with any mechanically controlled system, wear takes its toll on precision, causing some slop within the system. Those electrical boxes under the hood have helped control spark and combustion tremendously, but what happens if you want the efficiency of electronic ignition but the retro look of a stock mechanical ignition? Crane Cams has the answer with their XR-i points to electronic ignition.

Crane’s XR-i points to ignition kits cover just about any make or model engine that came from the factory with OE installed contact points. They have a universal kit that covers 4,6,or 8 cylinder cars with negative ground electrical systems. If you are unfortunate enough to have a Lucas system on your vehicle, Crane even has that covered with the XR700 system for Lucas ignitions.

Have No Fear

If the thought of wiring an electrical ignition scares you, there is nothing to fear with Crane’s XR-i electronic ignition conversion. With only two wires to hook up, it is almost fool proof. Spending less than an hour to complete the conversion, you will be rewarded  with accurate timing that is also maintenance free. These are two major advantages that you are unlikely to see with a mechanical contact point ignition system.

Many of us remember the days when you had to check your contact points for proper gap on a routine basis. If you were lucky enough to live in an area where it snows during the winter, the contact points seemed to wait until the worst day of the storm before they decided to close the gap and stop the engine from firing. Trying to set the gap on your points in negative degrees below zero with a bone freezing wind chill factor was no easy task.

Crane’s XR-i points to ignition kits cover just about any make or model engine that came from the factory with OE installed contact points. They have a universal kit that covers 4,6,or 8 cylinder cars with negative ground electrical systems. If you are unfortunate enough to have a Lucas system on your vehicle, Crane even has that covered with the XR700 system for Lucas ignitions.

Applications For The XR-i Kit:

• 1959-74 Ford V-8
• 1957-74 Chevy V-8
• 1957-74 (most) Pontiac V-8
• 1967-Up Oldsmobile V-8

What Are The Advantages?

“We wanted to get to the heart of the issue so we talked to Terry Johnson, Crane Cams’ Ignition Products Manager. According to Johnson, “Chevy guys love this kit because it only takes 15 minutes to install and they have a crisp, accurate ignition system. It’s an easy two-wire hook up and is all contained under the distributor cap so it keeps an OE appearance. Obviously the restoration guys really love that aspect of this kit.”

“The most obvious reason for upgrading to electronic ignition from the points type ignition is maintenance. After you install the electronic ignition, you never have to mess with it again,” Johnson added. This is a major change from the days of checking your contact points for proper gap and dwell.

Besides being restoration friendly by keeping everything under the cap, the ignition system is also regulation friendly as a 50 state legal system with CARB E.O. #D-225-67 authorization. Carrying the California Air Resources Board Executive Order approval suggests that a great case could be made for this ignition system being more environmentally friendly than the older OE ignition systems. “Although I don’t promote it this way, most of our customers tell us that they have improved fuel mileage after installing this kit,” said Johnson.

Making it Modern
Johnson also gave us the key to what makes this system a great choice, “it’s fully digital. That is what makes it maintenance free with fast and reliable engine starts every time. The unit has a microprocessor built into it with our logic written into it. That logic dictates when the system sends a spark to the plugs.”

The older OE style points ignition system was prone to spark scatter because the contact points would contact each other with enough force to create a rebound effect known as contact bounce. Because the electronic ignition system uses a different type sensor to pick up the timing signal, there is no chance of having spark scatter from contact bounce. “The timing is picked up from the distributor cam lobe, and it really only needs the first cylinder signal because of the logic written into the microprocessor, to have pinpoint accurate timing,” says Johnson.

Another nice bonus with the Crane Cams XR-i points to electronic ignition kit is the inclusion of an adjustable rev limiter. OE factory contact points ignition systems did not have a rev limiter incorporated into the system unless an after market type rev limiter was added. “The XR-i system includes a fully adjustable rev limiter from 4,000 to 8,000 RPM to help protect your engine,” Johnson said, adding “the entire unit is sealed, so there is no issues with moisture or dirt, and it has high temperature protection, so it is as bulletproof as an ignition system can be.”

The End Result

Crane Cams XR-i points to electronic ignition system updates one of the most sensitive areas of engine performance by providing a unit that is installed quickly, extremely accurate with ignition timing, has the reliability of digital microprocessor logic, and has protection from heat, moisture and dirt.  All this and it provides protection for your engine with an adjustable rev limiter. Here’s the good news; you get all the advantages of a modern electronic ignition system without the cost of a complicated factory electronic ignition system. This is a very budget friendly upgrade that no one will second guess.