No disagreement, but....

You know that I like testing more than theory, and I've been testing with ignitions. Problems that I thought were, and probably still are, air/fuel carb related problems were cured with timing and higher energy spark. And not necessarily at the high end where you would expect it, at the low end where there is often a lean stuble when the throttle is opened quickly before the air/fuel ratio catches up. To cure this you normally run a little richer, but since with most carbs this means running richer throughout the range, it hurts cruising fuel mileage. So if you can cure the lean stuble through a hotter spark which will more completely ignite a lean mixture you'll get better overall performance. I am also as concerned at this point with fuel mileage as I am with power.

I mention the MSD because it has been universally accepted in racing circles, it's very reliable, it's what I tested with, and if you look around they are actually available for little $$.

If the question is whether a sound stock B18/B20 would benefit, I think the answer is still yes, because it could be tuned for better fuel mileage without compromising performance. Its kind of the same deal as the vacuum advance dist in that it gives you more flexibility.

John
V-performance.com