Technical eletronic ignition

Am considering changing to a electronic ignition on my 39 ford pickup ( has 42 merc 29A engine) . also considering changing the whole system to a 12 volt neg ground. My 6 volt pos ground seem to be working ok , havent really check it out , all lights work, amp meter shows charge , have a door mulit meter but it is out at lake on pontoon and keep forgetting to go get it while running did have to charge battery up after sitting for just 2 days but I have done little driving and lots of starts since last week and the battery is new. So I can get the pertronix eletronic ign for the 6 volt pos or for a 12 volt neg. both are about the same price. Should I go ahead and convert the system to 12 and get the 12 volt pertronix or stick with what I have an get the 6 volt ele ign?

 

I would do the upgrade to 12, and use voltage reducers where needed

 

I'm on the other side. Since the advent of the Optima battery, there is no reason that 6 volts won't be adequate. It is a given that your electrical system is in decent shape (good grounds and connections), but we're car guys and we do that as a matter of course. If you do decide to stay 6 volts, I would avoid the Pertronix setup. The 6 volt systems seem to be much more trouble-prone than the 12 volt systems. I do a lot of work with 6 volt positive ground systems (my tachometer driver and power booster) and the toughest part is designing and adding the circuitry to deal with the "dirty" power produced by 6 volt generators.

Bottom line, if you're staying close to stock you can stick with six volts, if you're making a "Hot Rod" go with 12.

 

I've been driving my sedan with a stock '42 Ford distributor since 2006. Was rebuilt by Jim Linder (Bubba), and sparks on 12 volts negative ground. I see no reason to do any electronic ignition conversions.

 

The only reason I ever considered electronic ign was I installed one in a 47 ( has chevy 350) ford years ago and it has been trouble free, before I did that . car would sit for some time and I would have to either file points or replace and you all know the aggravation of points on a chevy engine especially sitting in an ole ford coupe with minimal hood clearance. I recently installed a set on a 41 cadillac 6 volt( hope i have better luck tubman) and I was thinking on this 29A flathead , it would be one less thing to check in the event of a miss or whatever could be wrong though. Gotta admit, the setup is or has been so far on the 47 a reliable system.

 

I am somewhere in between stock and hotrod. . I like the stock look with the exception of tires ( like wide whites and a bit wider tire overall tha these 600-16) and maybe heads and intake. other than that I can live with upgrades that really are not seen but do improve overall performance.

 

I feel your pain, if it’s going to be a driver, I would convert to 12 volts with electronic ignition and an alternator in a heart beat! If you are looking for ignition parts, give Brillman Company a call.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Sitting in the turning lane in the Wagon when it's 98 degrees and your electronic ignition decides today is the day I quit working will make you rethink why you opted for this instead of keeping you points.

I removed the offending electronic ignition and haven't had any problem since. HRP

 

It's only a matter of time, you will....

 

Amen HRP.

 

I think I actually cleaned my points once in the 13 years the car's been on the road. That was after it spent the sub-zero winter in a Morton building that might have been a little damp.

 

I’ve run an Msd on my flathead pickup now for 10 yrs with not one issue.
Now the coupe has an original.
On second thought I burnt up an ignition box jumping it one time.
Only reason I bought it was because the flathead I had didn’t have an original and thought I’d try the new ones made specifically for Flathead’s.
I’d do it again.

 

If 12 volts was better than 6, manufacturers would have gone to it. If electronic ignition was better than points, manufacturers would have gone to it.
Wait......

 

Got some good points here ( pun intended)

 

btt

 

Two points (oh no!) to consider. With regular use and minimal maintenance, points will give you plenty of notice that things are going wrong. Electronic ignitions have a bad habit of abruptly dying at inconvenient times. I also firmly believe there is a big difference between OEM electronic ignitions and aftermarket units.

The last time I was dead on the side of the road was when the shiny silver "magic box" in my '79 Ranchero decided to give up the ghost.

 

been using Pertronix for all my flatheads for 20 years or so, im convinced....................

 

I convert to HEI. put the old dist ,coil and wires in a zip lock bag under the seat. So far haven't had any problems.

 

My avatar sports electronic. Happily. No going back. Carry spare module. Thought I needed it once. Nope. Cap cracked.

Ben