64con

I just finished installing a flame thrower coil and a pertronix kit for the distributor in my 62 327 300 hp. The install went well . My question is I thought I saw somewhere that the spark plug gap should be changed when using this setup. Can anyone confirm or deny this please.

thanks

Warren


It's Friday !

jimh_1962

Not sure... I do not remember changing the gap size.

62Jeff

The spark plug gap CAN be widened, but it isn't necessary.

Frankie the Fink

I widened mine from .035 to .040 - some go to .045. However, I detect no difference in how the car runs... I sure wouldn't pull the plugs just for this tweak..

64con

Ok, thanks for replies. Maybe next tune up I'll widen the gap.

Warren

MiguelsC2

Keep an eye on that Flamethrower coil. I have blown two of them. Sent them to Pertronix and they refunded for both no questions asked.

Seems both solid and oil filled crack wide open. Pertronix knows of the problem. But they keep selling em.

My old GM coil still works great. No issues with my Pert II.

MidYearRoadster

no need to widen plug gaps...

dkleather

I also went through two Pertronix coils in three years. Didn't think to send them back but bought a NAPA coil and all has been good now for a few years without a problem. If you're going to drive with the Pertronix, I'd make sure you carry an extra coil with you. My old coil I just happened to have with me saved me twice. Dave

64con

Sounds like I had better carry my old coil with me.Thanks for the heads up!

MiguelsC2

You best solution is to junk the Flamethrower and just run the GM. I bet there is no measurable performance difference between the two.

64con

So I go to start my car and the darn thing just turns over and over and over and doesn't run. I take the flamethrower out and put it the stock napa coil and booya, it runs. I'm very disappointed with the product. The coil basically lasted for one day.

64con

When I installed the pertronix kit the car would not start until I bypassed the ballast resistor. The car would fire but it wouldn't stay running so I bypassed the resistor and the car ran. Can anyone confirm if they also bypassed the ballast resistor.

thanks for the help

Warren

MiguelsC2

Welcome to the club.

Did you read your instructions?

The Pert II and III by-pass the ballast.

Why is Pertronix still selling these junk coils????

This has been well known by Pertronix for over 2 yrs!!!

To be fair to Pertronix, I had an Accel coil fail the same way. Seems the only coil that doesn't fail on a Pertronix ignition,is the stock coil.

There may be an engineering explanation for this, but I haven't found it. Since the GM coil works great. There was no reason for me to waste more time on it.

Dave64

I am using the MSD Blaster coil with no problems...I also bypassed the resistor.

64con

Yes, I read the instructions but the car would not stay running when I had the positive of the ignitor and the ignition hot wired in parallel on the ballast resistor so I bypassed the ballast resistor and wired the ignition wire and red from the pertronix parallel onto the positive of the coil. I was just getting confirmation. It's all good.

Warren

Frankie the Fink

The Ignitor III wants the full 12V (e.g. NO ballast resistor)....I have made the earlier versions work both with or without the resistor however.

Never had a FlameThrower coil fail and I've run 4 on cars that I can think of. Did have a high-performance Accel ignition coil start leaking oil though after a short time on the '61....I think the vibration is too much for them maybe...

magicv8

WOW

Mine lasted a whole month. You got screwed out of 29 days of flame.

Joe's 62

I'm considering one of these set-ups but
don't know which one to get or where.
Suggestions?

Frankie the Fink

Just go to www.jegs.com and type "Pertronix" in the search box -- you can get just the module that goes in your existing distributor or a whole distributor, like I did with this product:
http://www.jegs.com/i/Pertronix/751/D7100701/10002/-1 It fits under the ignition shielding, has a vacuum advance and rev limiter. You may (or may not) need an ignition coil to match and if you are fuel injected (distributor drive) tachometer then you better go with the internal module instead.

OC-1

Yep add another name to the list of short flamed flamethrowers owners.

Wish I knew then what I know now about the rash of flamethrower flameouts.