Thread: Never given it a second thought??

Beeutey has a fantastic and SIMPLE electronic ignition upgrade for these, search function here should reveal it all, IIRC it is also in the 'Good Oil' section.

JC

Main thing is the difference between a resistive and non-resistive versions. It would have originally had a resistive coil, fed by a white/purple traced wire by memory which is a special resistive wire lowering the voltage from 12 to about 9 by memory. Differs to a ballast resistive system where there's a small ceramic block with a resistive coil underneath that does the same thing. DO NOT touch if one of these has been running, gets very hot.

With the upgrade to elec ign it should have a newer non-resistive coil. You can get aftermarket, non oil filled coils so there's no chance of failure due to leakage plus they are smaller. Bosch GT40 (GT40-R is resistive version)

In my experience, coils tend to either work or not, and unlike leads etc, do not have downgraded performance before they fail. On this basis, while it may be worth replacing the coil with a new one to forestall failure, don't expect any improvement from it.

Changing ignition components to get a better spark than originally fitted may improve running if, for example, mixture is a bit out or down on compression or the engine is modified, but should make no difference if everything is operating within spec. What it will do is apply higher stress to parts such as leads and distributor cap, making failure of these more likely.

John

High energy ignition systems used with larger plug gaps (like when they were introdude in the 80's) will lead to higher stress on caps leads etc. However if you use standard plug gaps the extra spark energy means a longer duration spark, making the chance of misfiring in lean mixtures less possible. I have seen no downsides with this approach. The higher energy systems I use all need a non-resistor 12 volt supply from the ignition switch to perform at their best.

I have a RRC 2 Door 3.5 V8 electronic ignition with twin carbies and 3 speed
auto box

What do you mean by "electronic ignition" AFAIK from my 81 , they had points, so have you got "Luminition" or have you retro fitted a high energy ignition from say an injection RRC?

The reason I ask is that the answers to your questions are very differnt depending on what you have. The Luminition or Crane or others are just a transistorised switch with no amplifying circuit and to run an electronic coil will fry it in less than one minute. Ask me how I know.

So the best you can do is a GT40R. AFAIR the 81 had a resistor WIRE from the ignition switch to the coil so there is no apparent resistor but it is there.It is white with a blue? trace but is easy to tell as it is stainless steel. There will be a second 12v wire to positive which runs from the starter small spade on the solonoid.
If you have electronic high energy you can run a Bosch ME717 or similar solid state coil but only with 12v so you have to replace the resisitor wire, if your model is an 81 or circa.
Regards Philip A

The wire is white/purple. As it runs across the inlet manifold it tends to get brittle and crack the insulation and causes issues as well. If it's damaged, cut it back to source and replace with a std wire and run a non resistive coil.

Or get a later elec system from a EFI version. It's pretty easy to plump in with only the same (non-resistive) power sources and triggers from dissy.