Pertronix ignition install

[Anonymous]

Okay, I'm thoroughly confused. I have a 69 falcon with 200 engine. I have bought a Pertronix Ignitor and Flamethrower coil for it. But after reading numerous posts on this forum and considerable other research I am practically paralyzed . My wife drives this car daily in the winter and it needs to be reliable. Mainly I'm confused with the ballast wire/resistor situation. Do I need to remove the ballast wire? If so, how do I do it right? How can I leave it so if I need to reinstall points I can? I assume that the Flamethrower coil has resistor built in ?

 

[ludwig]

Read this and fear no more:

http://www.geocities.com/a65ragtop/VM_F ... iring.html

These instructions worked perfectly for me. I have the Pert II w/ Flamethrower and it is going strong, even with all the rain hereabouts. I have never had a lick of trouble with my Pertronix II.

 

[CobraSix]

First things first. Welcome.

Secondly, get a voltmeter or multimeter and check you voltage at the coil with the ignition on. If you are getting 11-12Vs, then you don't need to bypass anything. Else, use the above stuff.

Problem is that many cars have been worked on over time and many have had the ballast wire/resistor removed like mine did.

Slade

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

I simply installed my pertronix to the coil and it worked fine (has a resistor wire on it) I have had no problems with it either. infact I just swapped it into a 71 dizzy with no problems (from my 62 loadamatic)

 

[Anonymous]

Be careful when you run the wires out of the distributor, make sure they are well clear of the rotor. I didn't on mine and they wrapped around the shaft .

Bob

 

[61Futura]

I think that with your new coil, you'll need to run a new 12v ignition wire to the coil. You also have to have the 12 volts there when you turn the key to the start position. Make it easy by using the old coil positive lead to power a relay that switches battery power to the new coil. That covers ignition and start voltage. And it should remain that way even if you put points back in. The coil is still a 12 volt coil. Read the instructions with the coil & make sure it was meant to be used with full 12 volts and no ballast. I would think the 12 volt coil would draw less current than the 6 volt coil with a ballst resistor. If the current is the same, the 12v coil should have twice the power. The points are current sensitive, not voltage sensitive. They would see the same voltages either way, zero when closed, 12-14 volts when open.

P.S. make sure you fuse the new power lead near the spot you get the power from.

 

[Russ]

I tapped into the ignition wire right before the ballast resistor and ran the new wire to the coil[full 12 volts] leaving the original wire intact, coiled up and zip- tied out of sight. I put my points in the glove box and if I'm out on the road and the pertronix quits, I can easily put it back the way it was and be on my way. I have had no trouble with the pertronix II and have had it installed several years.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for everyone's interest in helping me. I' ve tried getting info on my 68 Buick Electra from various Buick forums and let me tell you- they could learn a thing or two about being helpful from you guys! Back to my pertronix install--- if I tap into the wire ahead of the pink ballast wire and save the ballast wire as Russ suggests, would I have to reinstall the 6 volt coil if I ever have to reinstall the points?

 

[addo]

You wouldn't have to. If, for example, you were installing the points because your Pertronix failed in the middle of nowhere you could happily run with the Flamethrower coil.

The 6V deal is about points contact life, and given that we are mostly an over-attentive bunch with our engines this is unlikely to be a problem!

Were you to upgrade in a heavy-duty fashion, with a multiple discharge ignition system or similar, you would have to consider the capacity of the original supply (part before the resistive wire). For these situations, rewiring or a relay can be a smart move. But, yours will be fine as the current demands are much closer to stock.