Looking for parts. Id like to get the little things locally if i can. I was gonna just order through speedway but if i can save a couple bucks on shipping for the same stuff id rather get it locally. i know the old guys at NAPA can probably help me with this. Plugs for my stock 8BA....what number plug? Champions, Autolites, what...the right ones are what i want Plug wires? ive heard plug wires from some 70s muscle car work nicely... which one? can i get the right wires for my flatty though NAPA? Coil? just a 12v coil with a internal resistor? anything specfic. im changing to 12 volt due to my airbag system. what year cars were GM one wire alternators on? im having a brain fart and cant for life of me remember What other online parts suppliers can i check out besides Speedway for other flathead stuff? I dont get a chance to search too often. thanks!
Plugs for my stock 8BA....what number plug? Champions, Autolites, what...the right ones are what i want champion h10's Plug wires? ive heard plug wires from some 70s muscle car work nicely... which one? can i get the right wires for my flatty though NAPA? get some raja end caps and some solid core wire Coil? just a 12v coil with a internal resistor? anything specfic. im changing to 12 volt due to my airbag system. whichever way you prefer. what year cars were GM one wire alternators on? im having a brain fart and cant for life of me remember use a 12v generator What other online parts suppliers can i check out besides Speedway for other flathead stuff? I dont get a chance to search too often. lots of em if ya search the hamb
yeah and those PowerGen alternators cost 400 bucks. i checked. being pretty broke and also paying for school agrees more with the 40 dollar alternator route and 60 bucks for bracket and pulley. Id rather see a powergen on there too, but my budget doesnt allow right now. Driving the car is more important to me than what the thing providing electricity looks like. Plus, i have hood. When funds allow, ill change it back over
Many flathead guys swear by the Auto Lite 216's, but I have tried out the NGK B6L's (in some stocking #'s they are called 3212's), and I like them the best of all.....I'm staying with the NGK's.... Plug wires depend on whether you plan to have a radio/stereo system in your car.....solid core wires will interfere with your reception and feedback through your stereo........go with the resistor Core type wires, such as those from Taylor Made....... I am running a Mallory Chrome coil concealed inside an old Marvel Mystery Oil Can...along with a Mallory Dual Point Distributor.....have not had any ignition problems at all.....I am also running 12 Volt..... I have an electric fan which draws 40 amps minimum.....and cannot use a generator which only puts out about 30 amps.....so I have made a concession to using an 80 amp GM Chrome alternator.......if I could afford it I'd get one of the PowerGen alternators that is styled exactly like a 12V Generator........that will come at a later time....a great unit.... I have dealt with Speedway Motors for over 7 years and have consistently been very satisfied with their parts quality, as well as customer service.....it's a great company! (And I have contributed to their sales volume mightily!) Hope these suggestions help... Brucie
As a napa parts dude: Plugs: Champion H10 used to be king, but lately the 216 autolite and B6L (3212) NGK are the ones to use. Wires: there are universal 8 cylinder wire sets available. The plug end is already attached, run them where you want them, lop off the extra, crimp on the terminals they give you, and your done. They work good. Coil: Pretty basic. I'd use a GM type coil and a GM Ballast resistor. You can also use a Ford coil (they look the same anyway) Fords usually had a resistor wire, but Ford ballast resistors are availabe and look the same as the GM one, just don't mis match the GM and Ford coil/ballast. Your points might wear out in 9K miles instead of 10k. I think there's even a chrome high performance coil in the premium line. GM One wire: 13-4011-SW, it's 65 amps and probably only 65 bucks. You can still get everything from gaskets to valves from napa for your flathead. My store keeps oil filters, points, caps, rotors, ect... for flatheads in stock.
Thanks. i dont really know anybody around me that has flathead experience, that i can ask questions. so the help is much appreciated.
I have the 21 stud and a guy from Ohio modified one tofit the stock end-frame, original gen pulley screws right on. Tround a hundered bucks lifetime guarantee. http://www.directimagehost.com/is.php?i=104311&img=DSC02517_(2).JPG Buddy's 8RT with a speedway slingshot and pulley on a NAPA alt. some whittling required to get perfect belt alignment but once it's there forgetaboutit. I went to the hardware and got the 7 dollar 54" farmers belts for both thery seem noisy, probably won't last as long as the correct automotive grade. http://www.directimagehost.com/is.php?i=124291&img=DSC03252.JPG
Question. What is the difference in the resistors for the coils. The coils just need a voltage drop, not? Who used internal resistor coils and how did they "up" the voltage at starting? I am using a chrysler resistor on a chevy coil on a ford flathead. Neal
The coils should see about 4 Volts DC if it's a 6V system and 8 Volts DC if it's a 12V system. If you let the full voltage go to the points it will definitely pit up and burn the points in relatively short order. Sometimes as little as 2000 miles. Using a ballast resistor cuts down on the voltage AND current flow across the points which extends their life as it cuts down on any arcing. The usual ballast resistor size should be about 1.8 ohms in order to get the proper voltage to the coil. The car doesn't care if it's a MOPAR, Chevy or Ford piece, just so long as it works. We use a 6 volt coil with an internal resistor as it simplifies the wiring. Either way works. As far as I know there is no way, or need for that matter to increase the voltage for starting as this is the way the system was originally designed and if the distributor is set up properly it will fire off with no trouble at all. Oh, one other thing. With a 6 Volt Pos ground system the ignition lead to the coil (also called the hot lead or the primary lead) should go to the "-" terminal and the "+" terminal should be wired to the distributor. If you reverse the polarity the coils output to the plugs is reduced by somewhere between 18%- 22%. ooopppps! Sorry 'bout the post hijack. Just trying to help with Flatty info.
The resistors are rated for different ohms of resistance. As I recall the Ford is something like 1.35 Ohms, and the GM is 1.5 Ohms. Not a huge difference. You should use the coil that goes with the resistor you use. Like I said, I don't think a mismatch would cause any real noticable difference, maybe slightly less life out of your points. Internally resisted coils started coming later, I don't know of any way to bypass the resistor on startup with one of these.
Factory six volt systems didn't use a resistor in the ignition system...they need every volt they can muster! If you only have four volts for starting you'll have a hard time starting in the winter when the temp drops and so does your voltage... On a twelve volt system, you increase the voltage for starting by running a wire from the START position on the IGN swithch to the + side of the coil. When you release the key, the system reverts back to whatever voltage the resistor allows.
i went to NAPA today to get prices and we came up with using a coil and resistor from a 55-56 or so Ford when they changed over to 12v. 1.35 ohms or resistance. that work ok or should i go with a newer internally resisted coil? sorry for the dumb questions, my knowledge with electrical is just not up to par.
Actually, use of a ballast on the stock Ford 6v system varied. Cars generally used them, trucks of the 8BA vintage did not. I haven't seen any difference in starting performance on the two. If you go 12v, my experience is that it will fire off so quick with a ballast and the correct coil that "hot wiring " (bypassing the resistor) to start them is a waste of time. It's also hard to do on the ones that the starter button grounds the solenoid, because either a relay or diode is required to prevent back-feeding the solenoid in the "Run" position (and diodes have a 1.5 v drop in the "forward" flow mode). If you've gone totally GM, and replaced the ignition switch, starter solenoid, etc, it's a lot easier to do but still not necessary.
NAPA is our friend. It's the only place I can go to get flathead spark plugs, oil filters and most gaskets (even complete overhaul sets) are in stock.
Here's a buncha NAPA numbers: Product Name Item # Price Select Contact Set (Points) - H/D ECH CS749 $16.49 Contact Set (Points) - H/D Pierced ECH CS753 $14.99 Contact Controlled Distributor Distributor Cap MPE FA78SB $8.69 Contact Controlled Distributor Distributor Cap ECH FA78 $18.69 Contact Controlled Distributor Distributor Rotor MPE FA67SB $3.29 Contact Controlled Distributor Distributor Rotor ECH FA67 $5.49 Contact Controlled Distributor Ignition Coil ECH IC7 $41.99 Contact Controlled Distributor Ignition Coil - Epoxy Type ECH IC674 $44.99 Distributor Lead Wire - Ground ECH LW32 $1.29 Distributor Vacuum Advance Control ECH VC915 $17.49 The search returned 10 hits. Displayed are results 1 to 10. << Previous | Next They have pretty much all you need for basic maintenance and some overhaul stuff for flatheads back to maybe 1937. All late flathead coils were straight 6V, early had resistor. Ford 12V used a resistor, I think, too. You can usually get better selection and prices from a resto parts place, but you have to find one that does not sell the cheapest available parts. Some flathead ignition and brake parts from the sleazier places are almost unuseable. Try Spadaro, or C&G. Do not use unmarked-China-Argentina type parts if they are anything that can kill you or make your car stop moving! Napa is a good source for tuneup and brake stuff, with reasonable assurance of quality. Their online site is VERY incomplete and quirky--search a Ford or Merc, and you'll see no 8BA parts; search a pickup and there they are. You really need an oldtime counterman who can actually work a catalog.
Thanks for the verification on this. I know when we removed the old wiring on our current project, a '47 sedan we removed the ballast resistor which was located under the dash. The manuals all show a resistor in the wiring diagram as well. Didn't want to get in a "discussion" regarding whether or not there was a resistor in these as it really is a moot point. As a point of interest we have no trouble at all firing up our flattie with a coil which contains an internal resistor and a 6V neg ground setup. If they're tuned right they'll run with no problem. Can't say about a modified flattie though as we've never had'em, but I'm certain they can be a pain in the a$$.
you thats why i hit NAPA. the first thing he did was hit the books thanks for the help. im still gettin there on undertanding things, as i learn by doing, and being told how takes a few times for me to understand completely. thanks again
Wasn't the '47 6 V Positive ground originaly? Resistors only dropped the voltage to the coil (to minimize points arcing) and didn't affect starter speed. They usually started slow in the winter cause of thick oil and didn't spin fast enough.
The Jalopy Journal
