Mallory has been producing top quality racing parts for almost eighty-five years, and their new CT Pro Ignition system is another winner. In a dirt track race car, there is no other system that is more complex than the ignition. For most of us, what happens in the ignition box is pure magic. The engineers who design these systems practice the very misunderstood black art of electrical timing, and we don’t care how they work, as long as they do work. Realistically speaking, however, more dirt track races are lost by broken ignition systems than any other reason (not caused by contact). Mallory is combating that problem with release of the CT Pro line of ignition systems, developed specifically for circle track racers.
We wanted to investigate the magic that happens beneath the extruded aluminum housings of the CT Pro ignition box, coil, and distributor, and take a look at how to install and set up the CT Pro system in your race car. Hang on, because we are about to ignite this rocket.
Mallory’s History
Mallory Electric was founded in Toledo, Ohio on Friday the 13th in 1925. Anyone who thinks that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day to start a company should consider Mallory's eighty-four years of continuous operation as a builder of high performance racing ignition systems. The company’s founder, Marion Mallory Sr., moved the company to Detroit, Michigan in the early 1930’s, at the suggestion of his close friend Henry Ford. The relationship between Ford and Mallory resulted in Mallory supplying “original equipment” ignition systems for Ford automobiles through 1948.
When Marion Mallory Sr. died in 1963, he had hundreds of patents in the automotive industry. For many years, Mallory was second only to Thomas Edison in patent holdings. Following his father’s death, “Boots” Mallory moved the company to Carson City, Nevada, where the company continued to focus on performance ignition systems. Mallory ignition systems were used in sixteen race winning cars at the Indianapolis Speedway, from 1961 through 1983. In 1976, the Mallory family sold the company to W.R. Grace Inc., and after a few more ownership changes (Super Shops Inc., Echlin Inc., DANA Corporation, and Performance Products International), Mallory was ultimately purchased by Prestolite Performance and subsequently moved back to Ohio, where it all started.
CT Pro Ignition Control. The CT Pro Ignition System
Approved for use in the ARCA REMAX Series for the past four seasons, the CT Pro Ignition system has logged over 657,475.45 miles in 100 races without a single in-race failure. Now the CT Pro system is available in part, or as a complete system for local Saturday night racers. It was time for our Sport Mod project car to get a new ignition system, and we wanted a dependably reliable ignition system with some real heat to it.
Besides reliability, we were looking for spot-on timing accuracy to make the most of our almost bone stock small block Chevy engine. In this class, where every little bit of performance counts, and when you can get steady performance gains with an adjustable rev limiter for protection, you have to jump all over it. The CT Pro was the unanimous choice for our project car. We talked with Paul Grabowski, Brand Manager at Prestolite/Mr Gasket, the parent company of Mallory, about the CT Pro Ignition system.
CT Pro Endurance Racing Ignition - Part Number 6864M
The CT Pro Ignition box features a single stage rev limiting system, developed specifically with circle track racers in mind. Grabowski explained that the rev limiting system was, "designed with smooth rev limiting, to eliminate the unloading of the chassis at critical areas on the track." The digital rev limiter is fully adjustable by turning two weather proof rotary switches, in 100 RPM increments, from 1,000 to 9,900 RPM. The ignition box can be operated on any negative ground electrical system with a distributor, and it's a miser on electrical consumption. "This system delivers full voltage with a supply of ten to eighteen volts, and can operate with a voltage supply as small as eight volts," states Grabowski. The ignition box is compatible with 16-volt battery systems, and can handle a momentary spike of twenty-four volts in the case of jump starts.
Installing the CT Pro Ignition Control.
Utilizing unique heat and vibration technology, the electronics in the ignition box are fully encapsulated for protection, and it comes equipped with a 6-pin weatherproof connector that fits most popular harnesses. The box will work on 4, 6 or 8-cylinder engines, and is adjustable by rotating the “CYL” selection switch to the appropriate position. The highlight of the ignition box is the CT Pro diagnostic LED system.
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An LED indicator light is located next to the RPM rev limiter rotary switches. When the ignition switch is activated, the LED light will rapidly flash three times, to indicate that the system has power and the microprocessor is running properly. In addition, the LED will flash when receiving a trigger signal from the vehicle. If the LED doesn’t flash when cranking the engine, the problem is limited to the triggering circuit. If the LED flashes but there is no spark at the plug, the problem is isolated between the coil and the spark plug. The diagnostic LED can be a real time saver when you’re trying to find a problem in the pits between races.
Used in conjunction with the CT Pro Distributor, the ignition box automatically retards timing on start-up by ten degrees (for ease of starting), then advances the timing to its normal timing for higher performance.
About Mallory's CT Pro Ignition Box:
- Single stage, fully adjustable rev limiting.
- Fully encapsulated for protection from the elements.
- Protection from heat and vibration.
- Works with 4, 6, or 8-cylinder engines.
- Diagnostic LED incorporated for troubleshooting the ignition system.
CT Pro Ignition Coil. CT Pro Ignition Coil - Model Number: 30460:
The CT Pro Ignition Coil is designed to work with Mallory’s CT Pro Ignition system. "After a substantial amount of testing, the CT Pro Coil is the only coil that is recommended for use with the CT Pro Ignition box," Grabowski tells us. "Our engineers designed these units as matched components, built to work together." The installation instructions with the ignition control amplifies that point: "The only coil suitable for use with the CT Pro Ignition control is Mallory’s CT Pro Coil P/N 30460......No other coil from Mallory or any competitor would withstand the stress."
The coil features the same internal and external construction as the CT Pro Ignition box, such as the aluminum exterior housing with cooling fins, the shape of the unit, the unique potting material for cooling and vibration control, and the same heavy duty circuitry. "These components are all hand made, mostly in Cleveland, Ohio," Grabowski explains. "This allows us to have a greater quality control, having human hands touch every part, plus it helps keep people employed, which is an important thing."
About the CT Pro Coil:
- Manufactured with an extruded aluminum housing for cooling and vibration control.
- Heavy duty circuitry for circle track racing.
- Hand made in the USA.
CT Pro Dual Magnetic Pickup Distributor. CT Pro Dual Magnetic Pickup Distributor - Model Number: 6648204
Another perfectly matched component to the CT Pro Ignition system is the CT Pro Distributor with dual magnetic pickups and large cap. It features locked advance for maximum high RPM stability, lightweight billet aluminum housing with ball bearing inner shaft control, and an adjustable collar to raise or lower the gear drive depth. The CT Pro Distributors come with the bronze gear drive installed, and a steel gear drive is included with the package for applications requiring a steel gear.
About the CT Pro Distributor:
- Features Dual Magnetic Pickups.
- Large Cap design.
- Locked Mechanical Advance design for high RPM stability.
- Lightweight Aluminum Housing.
- Adjustable Collar for decked blocks.
- Comes with Bronze and Steel gear drives.
Installing the CT Pro Ignition System on our Dirt Track Car
Our K9 project car, an IMCA modified turned into a three link sport modified dirt track racer, needed some serious help in the ignition area. With a well-worn, bone stock, small block Chevy 350 engine and two-barrel Holley 4412 that is required by the rules, we were looking for any performance advantage that we could get our hands on. A stock HEI ignition just wasn’t going to cut it. Mallory’s CT Pro Ignition system was the best place to start in getting our race car reliable. With Mallory’s history in racing, we were hoping that some of the Mallory magic could work a miracle on our modified.
Installing the CT Pro Ignition Coil. Mounting the Ignition Box and Coil
Dirt, heat and vibration are the worst enemies of electrical components, and Mallory has that covered with the design of the ignition box. However, we didn’t want to take any chances, so we chose to mount the box inside the cockpit on the firewall, closest to the center of the car. This would shield it from any track clay that would be slinging around.
The ignition box can be mounted in any position, so there is virtually an unlimited number of mounting places, with the only restriction being the length of the wires. However, Mallory sells a ten foot, 6-pin harness that works with this unit, so even wire length is not an issue. Checking the mounting position for routing wiring is important though, and we double-checked to make sure that the wires would not be close to sharp edges, or either hot or moving surfaces.
Even though the box is shockproof, we chose to add shock mounts between the ignition box and the firewall for added protection. Holding the ignition in place, we marked the spots where we would drill holes in the firewall to mount the box. We wanted to mount the coil near the ignition box, so we chose the spot on the other side of the firewall where the ignition box would be mounted.
Before we moved on to the wiring, we took a final look at the end plate of the ignition box to confirm that the switches were set to 8-cylinder and the rev limit was set to 6,500 RPM.
Routing the wires for the ignition system.
With the ignition box and ignition coil mounted solidly on the firewall, we moved on to wiring the units. Electrical work scares many dirt track race car builders, but there is little need for concern with the CT Pro components. The coil only has two wires - a positive and a negative - and the ignition control box has a 6-wire connector that needs to be wired in. The only area of real concern is making sure that your engine and chassis are grounded together well. A bonding strap between the engine to a paint free metal surface on the chassis will eliminate those hard to diagnose (and fix) electrical problems. As far as the ignition box wiring, the 6-pin connector should be wired as follows:
Pin A: Red. 12V switched power source.
Pin B: Brown. Tach Signal.
Pin C: Black. Coil "-" Negative.
Pin D: Orange. Coil "+" Positive.
Pin E: Green. Distributor Mag pick up "-" negative.
Pin F: Purple. Distributor Mag pick up "+" Positive.
In addition to the 6-pin connector, the ignition box has a separate 2-pin connector for the main power leads. The larger red wire connects directly to a positive battery junction, and we opted to connect it to the positive side of the starter solenoid. The large black wire connects to the chassis for a ground. Routing wires away from heat and sharp edges, we held the wires to the firewall using small rubber lined adel clamps. This keeps them out of the way and they're less likely to be damaged. All told, this took about an hour to do in a stupidly hot Southern California garage.
Dropping the CT Pro Dual Mag Pickup Distributor in place. Installing the Distributor
Because we were starting with a fresh(er) engine, there was not a distributor to remove. The good news with this is that there was less work involved. The bad news was not being able to perform a one-to-one distributor swap, therefore no reference point had been established for timing.
If you are in the same position and are installing a new distributor on a recently rebuilt engine, the best place to start is by first setting the timing statically. Our harmonic dampener had degree markings up to 90 degrees around the dampener, so we started with the timing pointer set at 36 degrees and installed the distributor in the engine block, making sure that the drive gear and oil pump drive were fully engaged.
The CT Pro Distributor has an adjustable collar for engines that have had the deck height changed, so it would be a good idea to loosen the collar on the distributor shaft, bottom out the distributor on the oil pump drive, and then retract it 0.030 of an inch and tighten the collar. Then the distributor can be removed and the drive gear coated with engine assembly lube or a good moly-based grease.
Reinstalling the distributor and cranking the engine over a few turns will move the grease on the drive gear, and show where the drive gear and cam drive are meshing. By removing the distributor, the mesh pattern will be clearly visible. If the mesh pattern is in the middle of the gear, it is perfect and nothing more needs to be done. But a pattern lower or higher on the gear would indicate that the collar needs to be adjusted to raise or lower the distributor gear.
Well-protected spark plug wires give us the ability to drive through a firestorm and not burn a plug wire.
Once the distributor is set and the hold down bolt is tightened, the mag pickup wires can be connected and the spark plug wires can be installed. A word of caution about installing the plug wires: Use high quality plug wires, such as those from Accel. Because of the header location on our modified car, we chose Accel's Extreme 9000 ceramic boot wires. The wires and boots need to withstand very high temperatures, and these wire ends are rated to withstand heat up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Even with that assurance, we decided to add some extra insurance with Mallory's firesleeve, which comes in a five foot roll that you can custom cut to any length you desire. Short of driving through Dante's nine circles of hell, a burnt spark plug wire would not be an issue.
The ARCA RE/MAX version of the CT Pro Ignition system with dual components. Getting our roll on
Now that we had our ignition box, coil, distributor and inferno-proof spark plug wires installed, it was time to light the fire on our beast. After a few cranks of the starter and the fuel pump primed the carburetor, our engine started and ran like a champ. We installed a timing light to fine tune the timing, and couldn't resist taking a few trips around the industrial complex to wake up the office workers in the nearby buildings. By our estimation, the CT Pro Ignition system's individual components can be installed in under two hours (conservatively), and when you're done, you will have a full-on race ignition that has proven itself in three seasons of ARCA Re/Max racing.
That's good enough for us.
The CT Pro fired our rocket and we were on rails. Source:
Mallory Performance
Website:
www.malloryperformance.com
Phone: (216) 688-8300