49 flathead electronic ignition conversion

[Campion2107]

I have a stock 49 v8 with 6 volt positive ground. I was wondering what people are using to convert to electronic ignition.

1283 igniter and 40011 coil From pertronix is what I am thinking of going with.
Hoping this will straighten out some drivability issues.

Thanks in advance!!!

Keith

[corvette8n]

What kind of drivability issues are you having? The stock system should be fine if it’s all working right. You’ll need to troubleshoot each part of your ignition system separate then move on to fuel delivery and compression to see what part is off.

[Campion2107]

Went thru the carb and rebuilt it. New plugs. New fuel pump. New battery. New fuel filter. It ran like it was brand new. Then the trouble started, almost impossible to get it started… would flood. Then if I got it running it was rough and not drivable. New points and condenser got it most of the way back. It starts better but stumbles under throttle and surges. And the choke does not affect it while driving so I am leaning towards ignition

[51woodie]

If the choke has no affect, then I would suggest the driveability is most likely fuel related. How much vacuum is there at idle? A vacuum gauge is your best friend when troubleshooting.

[51woodie]

I should have attached the vacuum chart on my previous post. If you don't have a gauge, they are reasonably priced at many auto supply stores, and can save a lot of headaches and dollars when troubleshooting an engine. As far as rebuilding the carb, I did the carb on my stock '46 59AB because it was running rich. I set the float to specs, the power valve was good and seated well, pump pressure was 3 PSI, but still running rich and poor mileage. I sent the carb and pump to Charlie NY for him to rebuild. When they came back, the pressure of 2.5 was tagged on the pump, and there was a small bag with 2 main jets in it. I called Charlie to ask about the jets, as they were the right size. He said he checked them during the rebuild, and found that they had been drilled oversize at some point. He also said that he had run my carb and fuel pump on his test engine. I now have an engine that runs very well and get about 17 MPG, where I was at about 15MPG before Charlie did his magic. I never would have solved the rich problem.

[51504bat]

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For a while I ran a Pertronix conversion on my 8ba (converted to 12 volts) I ended up changing it out to a Buba Chevy distributor. No issues but one thing to remember is that Pertronix units don't like solid core wires and they recommend their own coil.

[Campion2107]

Thanks you guys for some suggestions. I will track down a gauge… I am sure I have one around the farm somewhere. And as for the Pertronix I have heard the same about the wiring!

[drolston]

Another thing about Pertronix: Those with 6 volts have reported many more problems than those with 12 volts. I ran a 12v Pertronix on my 59a/b engine. It worked fine but I had many problems with the spiral wound spark plug wires required by Pertronix. I switched back to points and solid core wires and have been fine since then. I carry a spare distributor in the trunk, just in case.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by 51woodie

I should have attached the vacuum chart on my previous post. If you don't have a gauge, they are reasonably priced at many auto supply stores, and can save a lot of headaches and dollars when troubleshooting an engine. As far as rebuilding the carb, I did the carb on my stock '46 59AB because it was running rich. I set the float to specs, the power valve was good and seated well, pump pressure was 3 PSI, but still running rich and poor mileage. I sent the carb and pump to Charlie NY for him to rebuild. When they came back, the pressure of 2.5 was tagged on the pump, and there was a small bag with 2 main jets in it. I called Charlie to ask about the jets, as they were the right size. He said he checked them during the rebuild, and found that they had been drilled oversize at some point. He also said that he had run my carb and fuel pump on his test engine. I now have an engine that runs very well and get about 17 MPG, where I was at about 15MPG before Charlie did his magic. I never would have solved the rich problem.

[51504bat]

Originally Posted by 51504bat

For a while I ran a Pertronix conversion on my 8ba (converted to 12 volts) I ended up changing it out to a Buba Chevy distributor. No issues but one thing to remember is that Pertronix units don't like solid core wires and they recommend their own coil.

Not sure if a member here on the Barn sent me an email about this post. I received an email in my junk folder which got deleted. If it was a legit email sorry it got deleted, please contact me again either by email or PM. Thanks

[wga]

51504bat - check your PM

[Campion2107]

Here is what vacuum gauge says

[Campion2107]

Going to check points again and plug gap ����

[Ggmac]

Is it a steady needle ? Its a bit low , check your timing . Just noticed a wire or cable crossing near the spark plug wire on the bottom right of your picture. If its metal it could be shorting ( intermittently)out the plug .

[Campion2107]

Points were perfect .016
Sparkplugs were another story, way off. Set them to .30 and vroom vroom…. Definitely better! Still going to do new wires and cap

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by Ggmac

Is it a steady needle ? Its a bit low , check your timing . Just noticed a wire or cable crossing near the spark plug wire on the bottom right of your picture. If its metal it could be shorting ( intermittently)out the plug .

Good catch. This could definitely be the problem. That looks like the temperature sender wire, which will certainly short the plugs.

[51woodie]

Campion. Did you compare your vacuum readings to the chart I posted?

[Campion2107]

Yes and thank you. I went with the gap and points based on how the vacuum acted and it straightened it right out. I am slightly embarrassed in the fact that I did not gap the plugs properly when I installed them. We will see how it runs on the street!

[aussie merc]

just a heads up electronics dont like voltage spikes and any car with a generator and reg has more than enough to kill any modern electronics yes it can be done but its not a simple buy and bolt. Maybe a brushless alternator and rewiring the supply to work directly off the battery may help but think how deep you want to go as when points are setup correctly they work just fine