Does your truck take the conventional round (actually cylindrical) coil with the terminals on the end? If so, you can read about my adventures trying to find a genuine Motorcraft coil for my '84 351W. The search even stumped my favorite parts guy at my local Ford dealership. In the end, I gave up and went with a coil from NAPA:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...tyle-coil.html


Sorry I don't remember the NAPA number. The guy behind the counter offered several choices for my application. I picked the highest quality (read: most expensive) one and it has worked great.

If your truck has factory air, you can install the new coil like I did and keep the old one installed as a hot spare:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...tion-coil.html

 

 

No idea of the voltage output of new vs. old. Most likely any quality new unit can match the original output specs.

In my overinflated opinion, the big question is durability. All I can tell you about that is my NAPA coil is working fine and has held up so far. I'll let you know in 30 years if this one has held up as well as the original...

 

 

 

 

 

Another question: how imperitive is it that I use a “horseshoe” type connector. My truck does not have one and never has since I bought it. The previous owner just wired the new one into place with eyelet terminals and crimps.

 

It is not it just holds the connectors on to the coil. Before the horse shoe connector it was just stud terminals. and you can even use female spade connectors if you need to.

As for decent quality coils Delphi or Airtex/Wells. All of NAPA's Echlin Parts are made by Standard (SMP) NAPA's stuff is not bad but there is better on the market. Standard's equipment seems to be of better quality than Echlin stuff I think NAPA has been pushing SMP to build their Echlin branded stuff as cheap as possible . I have gotten Echlin stuff made in China and then SMP stuff made in the US and there is a difference. The most recent ust this past weekend. It was an ABS sensor they were absolutely identical in terms of manufacture, component shape, assembly, casting lines, etc but the fit and finish and quality of materials used, rubber wire ect on the Standard part was much better.

Airtex was/is an OEM supplier to Ford (fuel pumps, now fuel pumps and electrical). And so was Wells (electrical components) They are now Airtex/Wells and are still an OEM supplier to Ford. The factory Ford coil in your truck was likely made by Wells in the first place... So might as well replace with it the same.

 

Thanks all for the input/help. So far, the Accel coil is working really well. However, I still had quite of bit of pre-detonation in 1/4-1/2 throttle moments. Rechecked initial timing, still good at 10 BTDC. After reading several forum posts and a few Mustang/Ford Muscle articles, I concluded I had TOO much vacuum advance. Thus following instructions from said articles, I adjusted the spring tension set screw that is inside the nipple going into the vacuum advance diaphragm. I ended up backing the set screw out (1/8th inch Allen) 7 full turns, and man what a difference. My truck gets up and goes now, with little to no pinging. I may still back it out a quarter to half turn and see if that hurts/helps performance at all cause I am getting some very very minor pinging sometimes. The previous owner (or whoever) had adjusted the spring tension set screw all the way in! Thus I was getting full sensitivity on the vacuum advance canister. Hope to see mileage and performance continue to improve the more kinks I get worked out of this truck.