Flamethrower Coil


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By Nat Santamaria - 16 Years Ago
Hey guys.

My 57 T-Bird has the 312 and has a Pertronix Ignitor module. It appears to have a standard coil on it. (I can’t tell for sure)

It is still hooked up to a coil resistor, so I am assuming it is a standard type coil. I had read the Flamethrowers are internally resisted so I am guessing I bypass or remove the external coil resistor? I am wanting to change over to get a better combustion and hopefully reduce the over-rich smell. I have had my Holley 4160 rebuilt and I have adjusted the carb. My plugs have a sooty deposit indicating an over-rich mixture. I have since increased the plug gap to .045 as per the forum article and that alone has made a significant difference. The rich exhaust smell has reduced by 50% and carbon coming out of the tailpipe has also been reduced and my idle is smooth and even. My thinking is that by adding a Flamethrower I will further reduce the sooty deposit, smell and add a bit more power and increase gas mileage. My ignition wires are new and are the concourse Ford style from Casco -Do I need to upgrade the wires as well? Also is running premium fuel a good idea? I currently run mid-grade.



Many thanks
By GREENBIRD56 - 16 Years Ago
Putting serious sparks through carbon graphite style plug wires can lead to reliability problems - the newer style "magnetic suppression" type with silicone (versus the old "hypalon") jackets are a better choice. Taylor 8mm have worked well on my outfit and others I know of - think of doing an upgrade.

The Pertronix Ignitor - the earliest type "points replacer"  - will (usually) reliably operate a coil/ballast resistor combination down to 1.5 OHMs total resistance. If the coil is at least 1.5 OHMs resistance (and this is usually a value you find on a spec sheet, measure with a meter, etc.) - then you can simply run the coil with the ignitor without the ballast resistor. The old coil out of my '56 was about 3.0 OHM's - so running it with an "Ignitor" - without a ballast resistor - it wouldn't be a big deal. You could do that this afternoon if you wanted (using the original coil) - the spark energy will increase by the ratio of increased voltage to the positive post of the coil. If it goes up from 8 volts to 13 volts - that's 60%. 

Another good tip that may solve a future problem and jack up the effective coil voltage at the same time - run an auxillary ground out from the pivoting "point plate" in your distributor where the ignitor module is clamped - right down to the block. The better the module is grounded - the more volts through the coil. 

By HT32BSX115 - 16 Years Ago
I used a Pertronix igniter and coil and a later dist from a 292 on my 239 before I pulled it.....It worked extremely well.. I am planning to use the same one on my 292.



I also have a 4160 but I have not played with the jets etc yet. (it's the marine version from an OMC 460.... I may just replace it)



Do you know what jets you have in your 4160?





If you're running rich, you may need to put slightly smaller jets in it. A hotter ignition might not solve the problem completely.



If you have the timing set correctly and you're not pinging on mid you may even be ok with regular.
By Nat Santamaria - 16 Years Ago
Going back to the wires, even though they are the Concourse style, they actually have wire core running through them rather than carbon. Would I still need to upgrade?
By GREENBIRD56 - 16 Years Ago
I don't think there is a problem - if you have the type of plug wires with the monel metal or stainless wire spiral wrapped over the center core - it will do the job. You just don't want one of the old style carbon core wires in there.

The Pertronix "Flame-Thrower" coil is shown as 1.5 OHMs internal resistance so it should run just fine without the ballast resistor.

By Nat Santamaria - 16 Years Ago
I installed the Pertronix Flamethrower coil. I checked the dist ground strap while I was at it and lucky I did. It was hanging on by 3 small strands of copper wire. I made the repair and then extended a ground wire from the distributor to the engine block and secured it using the coil mounting bolt (convenient). When I loosened the screw to remove the ground wire the pertronix module/plate it moved from its original position. Will I have to re-set the timing? It seems like I have rough spots in the idle as I rev the engine up and down. What are the specs for timing. I have a 312 with Ignitor module, Flamethrower coil, a new stock style set of wires, Autolite plugs which I gapped at 0.44, Holley 4160, Fordomatic Tranny.



Thanks