Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

I have been helping a non-Barn friend with his '39 fire engine. Got it running but died when hot. It was the helmet coil, oozing tar. He would like to keep an original style coil and asked about the Dennis Carpenter reproduction 78-12024-A.


This is a parade vehicle, so it just needs to start and run reliably for a few hours each year. I said the Dennis Carpenter coil should work fine. But my advice was based on no actual experience with those coils.


Do we have a general thumbs up on the Carpenter unit, or should he do the coil conversion thing?

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

I vote for "option C", not listed. Get an authentic Ford script coil and have George Haney rebuild it.
The repop coils are good sometimes. To me, sometimes is not good enough.

I think the conversion looks like crap and is completely unnecessary.

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

Was there a resistor in line to the coil? That needs to be checked before putting on another coil.

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

Listen to "Kube". He has more experience with this stuff than anyone else I am aware of.

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

vote for Skip's coils--I use them all the time, even 12 volt conversions that he does. Save your money -do not purchase a DC coil. I keep coils in stock to fix other guy's rides.

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

I will advise him to send his original coil to Skip for a rebuild. Worth the extra thirty bucks.

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

Definitely go with Skip Haney. He has rebuilt many coils for me over the years and recently he did four '33 to '36 coils for me. Two of these four were for Lawrie, our Fordbarn member and good friend from Australia, which he carried back home with him after attending the Early Ford V-8 Club's GNM in Dearborn, Michigan this June. When Skip rebuilds these coils they function very well and look beautiful!

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

The carpenter coil i got off ebay was made in china and lasted 15 mins. at least it was good for target practice. I agree the conversions look like crap. sent an old coil to skip and all is good.

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

I am another vote for send the oozer to Skip Haney, it will come back looking like new and working better then new.

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

We are a carpenter dealer and I will not carry their coils.They are junk

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

Michael, I've heard about this for at least 3 or 4 years now, and based on the number of complaints I've read here, and on other websites, I totally believe they are junk. I've gotta wonder if you and some of the other Early Ford Parts businesses have complained to the folks presently running Dennis Carpenter's business?.

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

I'll second this advice.

Re: Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41
 

I just went to Autozone and bought a 6 volt coil. Standard over the counter part. Works fine. No resistor needed.