<VV> FAST versus CRANE CAMS

Bill H. gojoe283 at yahoo.com
Tue Feb 20 22:22:48 EST 2018


                                                                                            B"H
Hi everyone, if you remember a few weeks ago I posted a problem I was having with my 66 Monza's engine repeatedly conking out at highway speeds after driving for about 70 miles.
To be honest, she did overheat severely last summer a couple of times in hot weather during extensive city idling.  And, at one point, I did wash the engine by spraying water, and while I thought I had covered the CraneCams XR700 box, maybe some moisture got into the unit and caused the failure.  I also noticed a slippery covering over the coil body (epoxy leaking)?
Anyway, not wanting to take chances, since my Corvair is my driver car, I replaced the coil and the XR700.  I was a bit surprised to find that the replacement unit was not labeled CraneCams, but FAST (Fuel Air Systems Technology, I think).   Other than the new brand name, the kit was identical to the original in every way regarding appearance.
I did some research on the Internet as to the history of the company and consumer experiences with the new product.  Seems CraneCams went bust back in the early 2000s, and "FAST" took over the company's products.
Some reviews were not positive with the FAST XR700 ignition, including a claim that the product is not made in the USA ("Chinese knockoff").  However the company claims the product IS still made here in the USA, and some customers were happy with the FAST unit.
I installed the new ignition and new coil, and tidied up some poor wire connections.  I also verified the resistor wire being connected to the coil as per specs.  She started like a champ and ran fine.  During local tests there was no problem, and the engine was even more responsive than before.
Yesterday was the big test.  I went upstate to visit Mom.  It was raining pretty hard on the trip home, but Ms. Monza didn't miss a beat.  She drove both ways without any problems, and was actually smoother and peppier than my wife's 2012 Odyssey with less than 30,000 miles.
So I CAN say that from my first experience, the FAST ignition system is as good, if not better, than the CraneCams was.  However only time and miles on the road will tell in terms of durability and performance over the long term.  Rest assured I'm going to do my best to take good care of this unit (along with the car!)
Best Wishes...Bill Hershkowitz66 Monza Sport Sedan, 110 PG A/C


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