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I have had the 1st version for years, no problems. I am thinking of going to the latest, it has multiple sparks and a rev limiter.
Make sure to keep your original plate and points (or an extra Pertronix) in the trunk in case of a failure. I had a Pertronix fail on me and know of at least four others including one right out of the box.
Guess I'm just old school but I think the HiPo dual point is a pretty cool piece just as it is.....
Quote from s2msMake sure to keep your original plate and points (or an extra Pertronix) in the trunk in case of a failure. I had a Pertronix fail on me and know of at least four others including one right out of the box.
Guess I'm just old school but I think the HiPo dual point is a pretty cool piece just as it is.....
I asked a mechanic about the Pertronix system and he replied with a question, "What do you do if it fails?" I put one in my "A" code hardtop and it runs great, but I have a set of points in my glove box, just in case.
Jim
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I asked a mechanic about the Pertronix system and he replied with a question, "What do you do if it fails?" I put one in my "A" code hardtop and it runs great, but I have a set of points in my glove box, just in case.
Jim
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I've heard that argument too. But....
What do you do if your fuel pump or axle bearing fails? What if the condensor from your points set up fails?
Why dwell (get it?) on the Pertronix? If we live with "what if's" we would need to pull a trailer full of spare parts.
Just know that on an old car like mine, with mostly old parts holding it together and making it go, anything can go wrong, and it won't happen in my garage. Just take it in stride as part of the thrill of owning an old car.
I have had the Ignitor 1 in my car for over 10 years. Starts almost instantly and runs great with zero issues since installed. I was lucky enough to buy an extra new one cheap a few years back that I keep in the car just in case. With all of the bits and pieces I have put into the car over the las 14 years this was probably the best bang for the buck change that I made.
Jack
Quote from 289kfordI've heard that argument too. But....
What do you do if your fuel pump or axle bearing fails? What if the condensor from your points set up fails?
Why dwell (get it?) on the Pertronix? If we live with "what if's" we would need to pull a trailer full of spare parts.
Just know that on an old car like mine, with mostly old parts holding it together and making it go, anything can go wrong, and it won't happen in my garage. Just take it in stride as part of the thrill of owning an old car.
I guess my point (pun intended) was this isn't a "what if" in my case and at least four others I'm aware of, but a "did happen"...not exactly the definition of reliability IMHO, hence the recommendation to carry a backup. That said, lots of people have used a Pertronix without any problems, I can only go with my own experience.
I do carry a bunch of backup parts for things that can be easily fixed on the side of the road - fuel pump, ignition stuff, hoses, clamps, etc.
The only operational component on my 66 "A" code hardtop's engine that is not an original Ford item is the Pertronix ignition. I have a lot of confidence in the mechanical fuel pump, the venturi based carburetor, the alternator with diodes and the nut behind the wheel. Back when I worked for a living, I was in reliability. That job can be summed up in an easy term - "mean time between failures". We applied the principals of that term to off road racing and came to the final conclusion that the weakest link in an off road car, the item most likely to fail, was the electronic ignition. The next item was the clutch.
Jim
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