How did you wire it?

 

It's wired properly. The guys at MSD walked me through trouble shooting it.
The box fires, sounds like a problem with my new, out of the box distributor.

 

OK, back to square one. I removed the MSD box and reinstalled the Chrysler electronic ignition. It will fire but not stay running. As soon as I release the key, it stops.
The computer is throwing a '42' code.

"42 Automatic shutdown relay circuit open or shorted".

I 'think' the computer is unhappy that the distributor is not hooked up.
Is there a way to trick the computer?

 

I believe the asd is not being used with the motor swap, I'd have to look at the wiring diagram to be sure. I would put the msd unit back in(it's better than the stock mp one). You need positive power(12v +) when the ignition switch is in the on position and during crank. You have to look at the wiring diagram for the switch to figure that out. The wiring for the mp unit is a bit different because of the ballast resistor. It gets two sources of power one during crank and another for run.

Why do they say that? You can check the coil pick up(two wire) with a multimeter to see if it's working. If there was an issue with it the mp unit would do the same. Not sure what the resistance range needs to be for that particular box but i know the msd6a will work with it.

 

Going from the 360 to the 383, the only things (factory) not used are the two coil wires and the distributor. I think the computer isn't happy.

The guys at MSD thought the distributor might be at fault.

Ya, once I get this sorted out, the MSD box is going back on.

I've got a separate 12 volt wire coming up from the starter solenoid for 'start' power and another from the main wiring harness for 'run'.

Here's how the system is wired:

 

You can bench test the msd unit and the mp one with a 12v battery, coil and a distributor(with the two wire pick up). The spark generated from the coil goes to the ground wire. Might be a good idea to test the msd unit to make sure it works prior to installing it.

 

MSD unit works. Generates a nice strong spark when the coil wire is grounded and I use a jumper across the two distributor leads.

I think I'm going to call Bouchillon Performance.

 

It should work with the pick up coil. Check the air gap, It should be .008 If not that may be the issue.

 

Checked the air gap.
Do you think the truck needs the charging system rewired to a 'non computer controlled' style? Something like this:

 

The charging system really isn't relevant, As long as you have 12v power it will work. They use the ballast for normal"run" and bypass it when cranking due to the amp/voltage drop from the starter. It's not designed to be used with the ballast but can be with out for testing purposes only. Continuing to use it that way can burn up the controller. I would get the msd working! Easier to install(dont need two power feeds) and better then the mp ignition.