This project came about as we were trying to equip an Accord with MSD's SCI-L ignition. To our dismay, neither MSD, Crane Cams nor Moroso carry a distributor cap to run an external coil. We've witnessed internal coils catch fire from getting too hot when running this type of ignition system. It'll also overload a stock coil.
We broke out the catalogs and started scouting an alternative. We stumbled onto a Chevrolet distributor cap conversion for HEI from MSD, so we bit the bullet and bought nine Power Tower units, even though we planned to use only one.
Don't expect any power gains out of this project. Think of it as insurance. One misfire at high rpm can cost you an engine. So far, we've run about 25,000 miles on this converted cap without incident. Using a few simple tools, we made an external coil cap from a stock Honda internal coil cap in about 20 minutes.
Mark Fontaine owns H&A Performance, A Honda/Acura Shop in Antioch, Calif. He performed this project on his 2002 Accord LX.