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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 11:36 AM
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Back to my wiring project. There is a device(ceramic center) with two wire connectors located on the outside firewall of my 63 . What are the two wires connected to? I anticipated this problem and took pictures before I removed the wires. Pictures aren't clear enough to help. If it matters, the engine is a 69 350- no points in distributor.
Thank.
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 12:06 PM
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no points in distributor.
Factory transistor ignition or aftermarket?
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 12:08 PM
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Sounds like the ballast resistor.

One side goes to the ignition switch, the other side goes to the coil. Somewhere in there a wire also goes to the starter (I think, and surely will be corrected if I'm mistaken)
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 12:19 PM
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It's aftermarket. Does anybody have any pictures?
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 12:27 PM
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Yup, that's the ballast resistor, which is used with the conventional point ignition. The pink wire at the bottom comes through the firewall grommet from the ignition switch (12 volts), and the wire at the top supplies reduced voltage (7-8 volts) to the (+) coil terminal.

Exactly what distributor, ignition conversion, and coil type do you have?
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 12:29 PM
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And for what it's worth, here's my world famous wiring diagram showing the ballast resistor
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 01:23 PM
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Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there is already a wire comming from the engine harness that is connected to the top connection. Should I move it to the bottom? I'm in the process of replacing the ignition switch, actually it's already connected, just not secured to the dash. Where does the 2nd wire connect to the ignition switch?
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 02:12 PM
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Originally Posted by ren
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that there is already a wire comming from the engine harness that is connected to the top connection. Should I move it to the bottom?
Can't answer that until you tell us a) What point conversion unit you have (Pertronix, Crane, Breakerless SE, etc.) and where its hot lead is connected, and b) what kind of coil you have.
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 02:19 PM
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Sorry, I don't know what brand it is. Judging by everything else that was done by the dealer, I'm sure that it was the cheapest available. How can I determine the brand?
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted by ren
Sorry, I don't know what brand it is. Judging by everything else that was done by the dealer, I'm sure that it was the cheapest available. How can I determine the brand?
If you don't see any markings on the module under your distributor cap, take a photo of it and post it here, someone will probably recognize it.
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Old Apr 7, 2007 | 04:04 PM
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The only name that I can see is on the rotor cap. it says "standard plus". Does that make any sense?
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Old Apr 8, 2007 | 08:02 AM
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If I took off the rotor cap would I get more info?
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Old Apr 8, 2007 | 10:47 AM
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Originally Posted by ren
If I took off the rotor cap would I get more info?
Yes, remove the distributor rotor, and tell us what you see mounted in the location the points would normally go. If you are not familiar with distributors, then you want to look at whatever is mounted to the distributor under the little metal ears that were hiding under the distributor rotor.

Chances are you'll see some sort of black box of various shapes, with wires coming out of it. We want to know what this box looks like, if there's any writing on it. Also, depending on the type of electronic conversion you have, you may find a magnetic ring, or a slotted metal ring, mounted under the rotor. The ring or slotted ring are the triggering devices for various types of electronic ignition conversions, which are read by the black box with wires you should find there.

If it's possible to take and post a photo of what you find, that would help.

Jeff
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Old Apr 8, 2007 | 11:38 AM
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Thanks for the reply, Jeff. I'm not too familiar with distributors. I'll try to carefully remove the rotor. Regretabbly, due to family obligations today, I won't be able to try it till tomorrow evening.
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Old Apr 8, 2007 | 11:39 AM
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I still haven't mastered the art of posting pictures.
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Old Apr 8, 2007 | 12:07 PM
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Originally Posted by ren
I still haven't mastered the art of posting pictures.
If you want to post a picture, PM me and I'll give you my e-mail address. E-mail the pictures and I'll post them on this thread for you.
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Old Apr 8, 2007 | 12:26 PM
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I'm so technologically challenged that I might have to print the pictures and mail them to you.
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