Well I'm wanting to doing away with my points for a pertroxix ignition system. Does anyone know if there is a resistor in the ignition wire? And if so where is it located? If so can I cut the resistor out, and solder the ignition wire back together, or do I have to run a new ignition wire?
Thanks, Joe

 

There is a dropping resistor for points ignition system integral to the wiring harness, it's sometimes called the "pink wire", it connects to the ignition switch. It isn't pink when it leaves the firewall on the other side. Can disconnect it at the switch and run a new heavy gauge wire directly to the coil + terminal.

 

IF it doesn't have a Sand Bar mounted on the fender well or fire wall somewhere then the wire itself is the resistor

See Image ..



EDIT: I've seen the Sand Bars mounted on the coil brackets too.

 

C0LF-12250-A .. Resistor Wire-Ignition Coil (Motorcraft DY-37) / Obsolete

61.49" long / color coded pink / 1.30-1.40 ohms resistance / #20 gauge wire.

1960/73 all FoMoCo vehicles, 1974/75 all FoMoCo vehicles without DuraSpark electronic ignition.

 

So, Tedster9 if I understand you correct the pink end connects to the back of the ignition switch. So disconnect the pink wire from the back of the ignition switch, and run a new wire from the back of the switch to the positive side of the coil? Then the old wire can be cut back to clean up under the dash and engine compartment. (I'm assuming nothing else runs off the ignition wire?)
Now Lonewolf what's a sandbar, and what dose it look like, and what fender would it be mounted on?
Thanks guys. One thing I really am afraid of screwing up Is wiring.

 

Sand Bar is a Common term for the high wattage Ceramic resistors .... many times in past years folks will re-wire and install one of these Ballast resistors instead of replacing the OEM Resistance wire as it is sometimes hard to find or the Mechanic just doesn't feel like messing with it.... with older vehicles you never know what you will find.

sand bar Common looking Image.......




Typical use of the Sand Bar Resistor..............

 

Ford didn't use those, at least not by '67

Yeah wiring isn't really my forte either. Maybe somebody knows a better way to do it. I'd maybe leave the pink wire harness and connector, so you could reinstall points and condenser in a pinch. I believe the Ignitor 1 instructions say to leave the existing wiring alone including the ballast resistor wire, if using the stock ignition coil. A lot of people like installing a hotter coil with the Ignitor module.

In that case, running straight battery or system voltage by removing or bypassing the resistor wire is OK. Keep in mind this will expose any weakness or defects in the old school points type rotor, cap, and wires. It definitely makes a hotter spark at the plugs, can open up the gap a little bit, to maybe .040" safely. It should start and idle noticeably smoother.

 

That may be so, but it don't explain the countless Sand Bars I have found in old fords older than 67.... in fact two of the Fairlanes I have owned both had Sand Bars one was a 62 the other was a 63 .... Like I said you never know what someone else will do over the years

There is also 2 types of coils Internal Ballast and the other uses external Ballast... the coils normally have a painted label on them (sometimes it's stamped) but you cannot always rely on that as paint gets removed over the years.... I don't want to get into positive Ground or 6 volt cars... so I won't go there

 

you may find this helpful IF you haven't already seen it.......... Pertronix Electronic Ignition installation for Ford Falcon Six: Page No. 1

 

...whew ...

Instead of cutting your wiring harness apart, maybe consider running the IGN SYS directly off BAT VOLT with a remote relay system.

You will still need to follow your IGN SYS manufacturers instruction(s) as to resistance and circuit protection.

Just a thought. No throwing rotten produce please ...

 

Ok, so I CAN or CAN NOT eliminate the original resistor wire? Does anything else rely on that wire? I under stand that some people might want to change back to points, and I can roll up the original wire and tuck it away. I Am also going to replace the cap, rotor, wires, coil, and plugs. I want to run off the original ignition switch to the coil. I want to keep everything looking original just a little more user friendly.
Thanks, Joe.

 

Well, "it depends". Just want you wanted to hear, I bet. The resistance wire was designed to lower the voltage/current that flows through the primary ignition circuit. Point contacts would burn up with excessive voltage/current. Heat. The way the ignition ballast wire worked, it was bypassed at engine START, to provide direct full battery voltage to the coil for a hotter spark. This helps aid in starting in cold weather. When the key is released to RUN, then the ballast wire is in circuit, and the primary ignition circuit operates at a reduced voltage.

If you're going to retain the stock ignition coil, then no modifications are necessary with the Ignitor 1 module, if their instruction sheet can believed. Pertronix has a good website, FAQ, 1-800 phone tech support, and download instructions. But, after 50 years, who knows what the hell ignition coil is in there now. Do you know what ignition coil is installed right now? Where people run into trouble, ignition coils are manufactured with different ohms resistance in the primary winding. Different turns ratio inside changes the high tension voltage output and the number of turns also changes the primary resistance. There might be say, 250 turns of heavy wire in the primary, and thousands of turns of fine wire in the secondary winding.

A low ohm coil designed for a different application coupled with bypassing the factory resistor wire, this can smoke the electronic modules too. Replacement coils will often say "Use With External Resistor". Measure the coil primary resistance to be sure it's compatible with whatever type of ignition used, points or solid state module.

Some ignition coils were made specifically for a points type ignition, and some weren't. 1.5 ohms, or thereabouts, measured from the + to - terminals, is what you want to see when using a points and condenser setup and the resistor wire. It's also what you want to see when using the Ignitor 1 Pertronix module.

What you don't want to do, is buy a gee-whiz bang high output low 0.6 ohm coil, bypass the resistor wire, and install the Ignitor 1. It will flow about 20 amps and roast it. Clear as mud?

I guess the real question is whether the stock Ford mustard top coils can handle a constant full battery voltage or not. Pertronix recommends a minimum of 1.5 ohms resistance in the primary ignition circuit for their Ignitor 1 electronic module. This is the no-frills, bargain basement module suitable for practically every FoMoCo V8 distributor from 1957-1973. Usually has 1281 somewhere in the product code.

The stock points coil is also about 1.4 ohms, or near enough. Pertronix sells a "Flamethrower" 1.5 ohm coil too. It is suitable for full time battery voltage. Or claims to be. Maybe they just want to sell more coils. The Ignitor 1 module will burn up if more than about 8 amperes flows through it. Points were limited to about 3 amperes.

If arithmetic and Ohms Law ain't your thing, just make sure the ignition coil is no less than 1.5 ohms and should be fine either way.

 

,,, damn ...

TEDSTER pretty well nailed it. I'm impressed.

If you are going with PERTRONIX for a street engine, you need (IMO) the IGNITOR II model. Less prone to failure. Now when you decide exactly on which IGNITOR model you want/need, you can use their instruction sheet for proper install. If they call for full BAT VOLT, you need to know what COIL you are using and/or need according to resistance value as it may still need a resistor.

The problem is, if you go to full BAT VOLT with an IGNITOR, you cannot go back to points for a backup as the VOLT will burn the points.

When one gets into hacking an OEM wiring harness, funny things can begin to happen. If you draw supply directly from the BAT and not through the IGN SW, you are going to have a more reliable and hotter fire. But it has to be regulated so that if there is a power surge within the charging system it won't take out the IGN MODULE.

See where we are going? Read up on IGN I and II on their site (not SUMMIT) and get back.

 

Talked to the guys at Pertroxix today, and yes I need a full 12 volts. Where I get that from I need to figure that out. They gave me the part #s for everything I need including a new coil. Went and pick a new cap, rotor, wires, and plugs from the parts store today. Now I'll wait for all the parts to come in and go from there. I totally under stand what you guys are saying. It's just not so cut and dry like I imagine, there's a lot more to it.

 

Why don't you pull the ignition switch and find the terminal with the pink wire. Look at it and figure out how you can run another wire to that same terminal, leaving the pink wire on there also. Once you figure out how to add the wire, put it on there and run it along the original wire out to the coil. Take the original coil wire off and tape it up in the harness for use later if you need it. And then just hook your new wire up.