I recently bought the Pertronixs II with flamethrower 45,000 coil. I have not installed yet but was wondering if anyone had any advice or recommendations I need to do when installing system ? I have a 327 base model
thanks

 

So a coil volts is based on resistance. If you have low resistance that works fine with an 11,000 volt coil and you install a 45,000 volt coil not much is going to change voltage too much. You are just adding head room. Add resistor plugs and wires now you could have a 25-30K volt fire. This can be seen on a oscilloscope.

If your car was stock with points it should not be supplying a full 12 volts to the distributer. Its will be more like 8-9 volts. The Petronixs system is setup to run on 12 volts. The simplest thing to do is run a new wire from the IGN in the fuse box to the distributer. The factory has a resistor wire running from the IGN fuse.

Compression is load, It takes more volts to fire a plug as your compression goes up so you always want head room in your coil. I would not want the coil to fire more then 18,000 with no load if I had a 45K coil.

 

Hi
I was also told when installing the igniter 2 and coil that 12v power is needed at the coil . If a ballast resistor or resistor wire is in the circuit to remove and run a new wire from ignition or 12v source . Is there a resistor? Or wire ? I did a check and I have 12v at coil with key on - maybe this doesn’t apply to my application.

Thanks !

 

From the factory your car would have had two wire running to the plus side of the coil. One wire came from the starter and supplied 12 volts but only while the starter was engages. This gave you a hot spark during cold starts. The other wire was a resistance wire. That one from the fuse box. It is roughly 7 feet long with built in resistance and that 7 feet is what gives it its resistance.

If you had points you had a resistor, 12 volts can overheat a set of points in a few hours. Which is why you only got 12 volts while cranking. If the conversion was already done the resistor wire may already be gone. If the car was set up with a different ignition either electronic or dual points. Your best bet is too check the power with a volt meter without it hooked to the coil with a slight draw, like a test light. With a good eye you can see the difference with just a test light. The light on the positive wire will not be as bright as normal 12 volt.

The ballast is a Mopar thing, GM did not use ballasts in its domestically built cars that I am aware of in that era. Maybe Ford had them also? I have been a GM guy most of my life with the first year into Mopar muscle, until I realized I had a GM small block budget not a Chrysler big block budget.

 

OP

I believe you have the same post on another 1st gen forum. As mentioned, the Pertronix needs full 12vdc. Like you I also had a 327, 210 hp car with points and did install the Ignightor 2 and their coil.

Look at your + coil wires. Stock has a yellow (goes to starter) and a white fabric coated wire,( the resistance wire) attached to the same spade terminal that is connected to + coil terminal.

You just cut that white wire from terminal and tape it back into the wire loom. Then run a 10 gauge stranded wire from IGN tap on fuse block to that + terminal on coil (leave the yellow wire attached also).

Follow the instructions in Pertronix regarding gap for pick up wheel to module distance and also install shims supplied "if" needed for that and the other larger shims on the distributor shaft if you need those also. Those larger shims require to remove the drive gear on dizzy to install so note orientation of hole (you knock out the drift pin to remove gear) of that gear so you put it back on right.

You should remove the distributor to install the Pertronix in my opinion.