Vintage Thunderbird Club International

56 Tbird - I am installing a Pertronix II with the Pertronix II coil - no resistor. While the instructions are okay, one thing bothers me. The main harness has two wires that go to the factory coil and resistor - a brown wire and a red wire. The instructions only show one wire going to the coil (besides the distributor wire) .

The question is - are both wires ( red and brown) connected to the + side of the coil ? I had the same setup on the car a number of years ago but had to take it off for reasons unrelated to the Pertronix and it seems to me that at the time I only ran the red wire to the coil. Others have told me that both go to the + side of the coil. Can anyone straighten me out ? Thanks

I have a 56 with a Mallory unilite distributor that is basically the same as the pertronix kit, mine is hooked as follows, the brown wire from the harness is on the plus side of the coil the red wire from the harness is on the ballast resistor, the red wire from the distributor is on the ballast resistor with the red wire from the harness. The black wire from the distributor is on the minus side of the coil.

Thanks, but as I noted I am not running a resistor (recommended by Pertronix)

ranchbird wrote: ↑Fri Jun 17, 2022 12:48 am I have a 56 with a Mallory unilite distributor that is basically the same as the pertronix kit, mine is hooked as follows, the brown wire from the harness is on the plus side of the coil the red wire from the harness is on the ballast resistor, the red wire from the distributor is on the ballast resistor with the red wire from the harness. The black wire from the distributor is on the minus side of the coil.

If you're not using a ballast resistor than your correct the red and brown wire would go to the + on the coil, the only difference between yours and mine is the red wire from the harness on mine is going through the ballast resistor and then to the + side of the coil.

I don't know if this is the right place to put this post, but I was talking to the shop owner I use and he has vast experience with old fords as a Mustang specialty shop but will work on almost anything.
He mentioned he has been seeing a good share of Pertronix failures. He is old school but knows his stuff. His conclusion is that leaving the ignition on but not running is frying the control module. I have also read that grounding the module is VERY important and also mounted to solid metal to help as a heat sink. High temps are not their friend.

I have heard that the Pertronix I went south if the ignition was left on without the engine running. Nor sure about the II which I have or the III, but I am very careful about this. If there is a question, contacting Pertronix is the best plan.

ward 57 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:03 pm I don't know if this is the right place to put this post, but I was talking to the shop owner I use and he has vast experience with old fords as a Mustang specialty shop but will work on almost anything.
He mentioned he has been seeing a good share of Pertronix failures. He is old school but knows his stuff. His conclusion is that leaving the ignition on but not running is frying the control module. I have also read that grounding the module is VERY important and also mounted to solid metal to help as a heat sink. High temps are not their friend.

This is from the Ignitor II brochure..

Leaving the key in the "ON" position without having the engine running for extended periods is no
longer a problem with the new Ignitor 2 technology. The unit will shut itself down in such a situation
to prevent any damage. Whilst this safety feature will prevent damage to the unit, it is still
recommended to avoid such situations where possible.

My wife's cousin's husband has been using a Pertronix 1 in his 65 Mustang for years without issue. For any aftermarket parts that are installed, I recommend following the manufacturer's instructions; the manufacturer can't be blamed for the consumer's failure to do so.