Mayday, Mayday....Engine died.

[Dutchbird]

Are you in for the "A-Bombers Old Style Weekend" just outside Uddevalla?: http://www.a-bombers.com/undersida.asp
They go for custom cars and "normal" american cars up to ī56 .
I doubt my ī63 wheel covers will qualify my car to an "custom".... Perhaps a few strokes with a pin-strip brush will do the trick?

Yep, that's the one.
I've spoken some friends last weekend, a few are leaving for the festival (again) next week and one couple is already saving money for 2010.

If my time arrives one year, I request for a Flyby..........

[Anders]

If itīs sunny, I go there myself.

[Dutchbird]

Please keep me informed if so...............

[JohnG]

hi Anders

I will make this test simpler.

You are going to run a jumper wire from the + post on your battery to your coil and then try to start your car.

You will need a couple of alligator clips ideally. A hardware store should have them. 3' of decent wire with one alligator clip on each end. (preferably a smaller one and a larger one)

The only question is where to attach it on the coil.

The coil has two wires currently attached to it. One goes to the distributor. Ignore that post. Go to the other post opposite it. Hook your wire up to that one.

Try to start the car. If it has gas in the carb it should start.

As soon as you have tried it disconnect the jumper - do not leave it hooked up long.

If it has gas and still does not start, I would wonder if your Pertronix died. But all of this is independent of gas considerations.

If it did start I would worry about wiring problems between your key switch and the coil.

As always, look for broken or disconnected wires.

John

[scumdog]

Happiness again.

Check you have power to the coil when you turn the key on - but not to the 'start' position.

The symptoms sound like when a ballast resistor craps out - the car will start but dies as soon as you stop twisting the key.

That's because the power to the coil when you twist the key is a different circuit to the circuit when you let go of the key.

Yup, much as I said - not a faulty ballast resistor but still same symptoms as no power to the coil except when the key was twisted to start the car!!

Alway good when it's a 'cheap' fix eh!

[tarps3]

here is a very crude drawing of what I was talking about.
The ceramic ballast resistor can be removed from the circuit.

it is only there to protect the "stock coil".
If you have a Flamethrower coil, you need to bypass the resistor as shown. This coil needs a full 12 volts.

[Anders]

I warned you. You are talking to an idiot here.
How should the wireing look like if I remove the ballast resistor? This "looks" like I have it now. I think.....

[tarps3]

your stock wiring should have a wire coming from the other side of the ballast resistor to the + side of the coil instead of the "new wire" I'm showing.

I think that's the wire you said had fallen off and caused your car not to start - right? You will remove that wire.

You can leaving your ceramic ballast resistor in place if only to give you a place to connect all your wires to.

On my truck, I had a thick resistor wire instead of the ceramic thing. I think the '60 Birds have this too.
I simply disconnected the wire and ran a new wire form the ignition switch directly to the coil.

If your ignition switch wire (as shown in the diagram) is long enough, you can run it directly to the coil and delete the "new wire" in my diagram.

You can also run the red wire coming from the distributor cap directly to the + side of the coil. It's the same thing as running it all the way to the ceramic resistor.

I've attached another sketch showing the simplest configuration possible. It completely bypassses the ceramic resistor. It's how my truck is wired.

keep in mind: this only works if you have a coil that can handle 12 volts. It won't work with a stock coil. The stock coil will fry without the ballast resistor.

[JohnG]

Anders, you may still have one job to do. You say you have a ceramic thing, which is the ballast resistor. You need to find out, for your particular coil IF you are supposed to use it or not ("it" being the ballast) or remove it entirely.

Alot of the info is on the box Pertronix sent it in.

The difference is good or poor spark...

John

[Anders]

Will check all your ideas. My Pertronix was already insalled when I bought the car, so I need to find out more there as well.
But I am truly greatful for all tips that comes in, and that you are spending so much of your time on me and my problems.

Thank you very, very much!

[GTE427]

Check the Pertronix website, all the info is there if you don't have it from the previous owner.

[Dutchbird]

If itīs sunny, I go there myself.

Hi Anders,

Going up North for "The Old Style"?
Have a great weekend anyway!

[Anders]

Iīgoing in one hour from now, with my friend in his Chrysler New Yorker ī56.
Canīt get Ruth out of the garage as I am doing a new driveway to my garage....

[Dutchbird]

You lucky .......

ENJOY!!!

[Thunderhans]

spare ballast resistor?

Anders,

It's a pitty you don't live in the Netherlands. I found out yesterday that my ballast resistor needs replacement and I could use yours. After getting dizzy laying on my back under the dash (hate that position) I found out the ballast resistor is in the engine room, on the fire wall.....

Anyone in the Netherlands with a spare ballast resistor reading this?

For the other experts, I drove yesterday with the resistor by-passed (stock coil and braker points) and it works fine. The car starts better then before (I do not have the 12V direct feed to the coil during starting, some previous owner did not need/ understand that....).
What kind of problems can I expect (besides burning the points) when I do not re-install a ballast resistor?

Thanks.
Hans