I found installation to be relatively simple, but time consuming since I desired a professional-looking job and also wanted all connectors to be easily removable to allow quick return to stock ignition. The photos show the installation detail as installed on the right front fender to the rear of the coil. The schematic reflects type and position of all wiring and proper connectors.
The use of the TA-200 adapter is necessary to give proper tachometer readings. This fact was confirmed by telephone with Delta Products, Inc., in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Before drilling mounting holes for the units, position the Mk10B and the adapter in their approximate location. Gently lower the hood to visually determine if you have allowed ample clearance for the right hood stop linkage. This folding linkage occupies a couple of inches just inside the outer fender sheet metal and to the rear of the coil. Keep the CD far enough forward of the shock tower to allow two mounting holes to be drilled through the inner fender with clearance from the shock tower plate underneath the inner fender. Also, check to make sure the adapter allows room for a wrench to remove the rear bolt on the air cleaner bracket. Loosen the coil mounting bracket and reposition the coil terminals in a “left-right” position. This will assure that the wiring will clear the hood locating bracket. Tighten the coil bracket.
Next, locate the two wires connected by a single spade to the underside of the distributor. Determine which of the two wires is the tach wire and strip a portion of the wire insulation to allow splicing the white wire of the adapter. All of my wiring connections are by spade, sealed by crimp and solder. Fashion four short pieces of wire with proper connectors (as per schematic) to install between CD system fiber terminal boards and the coil and tach wiring. The fiber terminal board installed on the coil only serves as a locator and spacer for the 3-wire connection between the tach wire, the adapter white wire and the points wire formerly connected to the coil. Be sure to ground the Mk10B to a bolt on the engine block.
Should you need to revert to a stock ignition, as in failure of one of the Delta components, the spade connectors allow all Mk10B and adapter wiring to be quickly disconnected from the coil, the tach wire disconnected, and the points and ignition wires reconnected to the coil.
The only improvements I find noticeable are determined by “seat of the pants” measurement, plus gas mileage records. Prior to installing the CD system, I was using Bosch W175T30 plugs. With stock ignition and Bosch plugs, I averaged 18.87 mpg on one 1,500-mile journey, having one segment of 690 miles covered in 12 hours elapsed time and giving 19.01 mpg. After installing the CD system and using Champion N10Y plugs, I averaged 19.99 on a 1700 mile journey, with one segment of 850 miles covered in 15 hours elapsed time and giving 20.57 mpg. These journeys were made using air conditioning, radio and all accessories with no obvious consideration toward conserving fuel. I have not noticed any increased power, nor have I felt any change in response or in smoothness of the engine since installing the CD system. However, these particular points are very obvious using a similar installation in my ’73 BMW tii.
Author: Burton B. Bennett
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