[PNW Targa]

I've been scouring the forums for information on upgrades to the stock Bosch CDI ignition system on my 2.2L 911T. The car is running Webers in place of the original Zenith carburetors. It has SSI heat exchangers, but is otherwise mostly stock.

I'm looking at the ignition system both as an upgrade and with an eye toward getting the car to start a little easier. Cold starts take a number of crank attempts and judicious application of the throttle to get the engine to spin above 2000 rpms and begin to warm up. Occasionally I also have trouble starting it when warm, with a number of crank attempts required before the car fires up and idles beautifully. Yes there are plenty of places to make adjustments, but I'm beginning to think that upgrades to the ignition system could be a good place to start.

I'm currently considering two options. First, I've read a number of positive posts about Classic Retrofit's CDI+ system. I like the idea of using new components for the CDI box. I'm also intrigued by the ability to customize the timing curve. Cost here is an issue. The new CDI+ unit along with a new CDI-friendly coil (P***sKl****k) would be around $1500.

The other option would be a new 123ignition distributor. This would also allow for adjustments to the timing curve, but would leave the stock CDI unit in place. Since my original Bosch distributor is likely due for a rebuild ($300), this would save that potential expense (which I may need if I were to go with the CDI+ unit). I also like the Bluetooth PIN option for adding a layer of theft protection. If I were to also put in a new coil along with the 123 dizzy, the cost here would be about half as much as the first option, at around $750.

With either option, I'm also looking at replacing the points with a Pertronix system. At first this seemed to be a no-brainer based on comments, but I've been running across a few posts that question the consistency of the pointless system across all cylinders. Since I don't mind checking dwell and new points are cheap, I may hold off on going pointless. I think I'll at least try out the new CDI+ unit or new 123 distributor and go from there.

What do you all think? The targa runs great once it's going. I'd really like to get it to start more easily and more reliably. I like the idea of playing with the timing curve to see what I can do with responsiveness at different RPMs. With either option I think I'll see improvements.

- Rich