I'm with you on the eliminating-the-ECU track. That's what I did...I'm using Weber 45DCOE's on my 2 liter Zetec. Looks glorious - none of the miles of wires, hoses, senders, plastic plenum chambers, etc. that clutter up so many modern engines & make them look like a plumber's nightmare.
Of course, if you're using a modern engine (i.e., one without a distributor), you'll still need something to tell those plugs when to fire. Lots of folks hereabouts are using Megasquirt/Megajolt for such functions, and it sounds pretty straightforward. Back when I first started down the Locost road, MS was a build-your-own-circuit-board proposition, well beyond my skill set, so I got a standalone ignition system for my engine from Ehrlich via Quad4Rods.com (unfortunately, Q4R seems to be gone, their website up for sale).
It's a simple as you can get, and is based upon an OBD1 GM 4 cylinder ignition module, changed to permanent "run home" mode, albeit at full power. It has a total of 4 wires: (+), (-), wire to the crank sensor (adapted onto the main crankshaft pulley), and a tachometer feed wire. It uses standard, bolt-on, GM coils, available at any auto parts store. The bottom pulley is modified by having a few holes drilled & tapped in its front face to hold a reluctor wheel, and a bracket holds the simple pickup sensor. It's set at 10* static advance, and feeds in a bunch more as revs climb.
Honestly, I think this system could easily be adapted onto virtually any modern distributorless 4-cylinder engine with ease.
Does it work? While I haven't fired my engine yet (soon, grasshopper, soon!), I understand that a Zetec engine, on Webers, with that same Ehrlich ignition module, set a world land speed record at Bonneville for 2 liter engines.
The beauty of it is that, if you don't want EFI (and all the electronic falderol that goes with it), which I was dead set against, it's dirt simple and should be very reliable. One, single sensor, and no moving parts.
_________________ Scratch building, at continental-drift speed, a custom McSoreley-design framed, dual-Weber 45DCOE carburated, Zetec-engined, ridiculously fast money pit. http://zetec7.webs.com/
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