why all the noise about the problem,the cure is the forddura spark conversion,with the later 57 disy it is verry simple.go to the local wrecker ,get a302 duraspark box and coil with the dist. you have all the parts for30 cn. mark and i have converted 3 so far. the 1 on my 57 ranchero works great,increased the  plug gap. the only isue was forgeting the wire from solenoid to the coil,as pointed out by ted the ford ignn has no run power at the start position. instant startand beter go. Repair parts where ever you go 

Maybe someone asked this a ways back - but the Red wire to the Pertronix module is supposed to be getting full battery voltage to feed its electronics. So you've ended up with it on the "high" side of the coil resistor to get the full 13.5 volts from the ignition switch, Correct? The + side of the factory coil then gets the stepped down voltage from the low side of the resistor. The Pertronix controllers do not like low voltage - period.

The negative side of the coil is wired to the control module (black wire) - and when the system is operating, it is switching the coil ground on and off - just as the points did. The plate to which the Pertronix controller is mounted must have a very good ground to the engine block. Be sure about this - it can cause all sorts of problems as well. The additional resistance that might exist between the point plate and the block, can also be reducing voltage inside the controller. On the Duraspark outfits - I add a specific grounding wire from the distributor to the block.


 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

"I have a black wire connected to the top of the resistor going to the negative side of the coil"

Shouldn't that be the + side? The negative side of the coil should be going to the black pertronix wire.

There is no additional hidden wire going to the coil. I have the red ignition wire joined to the red ignitor 1 wire and plugged into the bottom of the stock resistor. I have a black wire connected to the top of the resistor going to the negative side of the coil.


When I was using the flamethrower1 coil the I had red ignition wire joined to the red ignitor 1 wire and going direct to the + side of the coil and the black Ignitor wire connected to the negative side of the coil.

Do you know what the stock mustard top coil voltage output is?
Thanks Ted

Nat.  Have you checked that your car doesn’t have a 'hidden' resistor wire going to the coil?  Beyond that I’m clueless as to what your 'Pertronix specific' coil problem could be.
 
Regarding the lower compression check on the #5 cylinder, I’ll suggest doing a leak down test.  That will help to verify if you have a ring, exhaust valve, intake valve, or combination of these making for the lower compression.  Performing the leak down test on all cylinders will give you some good baseline numbers.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Hey Ted
I am running the ignitor 1. I have the stock external resistor on the car. I followed the instructions on installation and have spoken to their tech support. The ignitor 1 and flamethrower 1, (1.5 ohm coil) they say to bypass the external resistor. If I run the flamethrower with an external resistor the coil is cooler but the performance is not great. I am currently running a mustard top coil with external resistor and the ignitor 1 and the car is running well. However this past week the #5 spark plug started to foul badly out of nowhere. It is a dry fluffy black soot. I replaced all the plugs. Changed the #5 plug wire, cap and rotor, and reset the timing at 10 degrees. The valve clearance was also checked and are spot on. The #5 plug is not fouling but is a bit darker than than the rest. The cylinder is running about 100 degrees cooler than all the other ones. The compression is about 125 lbs the others 150. Checking the vacuum it was reading 19 and steady needle. It is generally running rougher with a slightly erratic idle  and then strangely it will idle quite smoothly and then idle rough again. The exhaust smell is also bit stronger than usual. I hope this is not a ring issue or I will have park it.

Nat.  Without making me go back and read through all the posts, which Pertronix unit do you have; I, II, or III?  My experience has been that the Ignitor I requires a resistor while the II and III do not.  The Ignitor I also requires a 1½ ohm coil whereas the Ignitor II and III units requires coils with less resistance.  The factory coils will be in the 1½ ohm range.  If you have a factory resistor wire on the car in conjunction with another resistor, that could be a problem.  Likewise running a resistor wire along with a Ignitor II or III unit with the incorrect ohm coil.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I don't get it either, something isn't right but I have no idea what would cause that with yours.
I ran the original Pertronix and flame thrower coil without a resistor for two years and it was a used unit I got from a friend and he had it on his car for maybe five years before giving it to me. Thats why I just put in the Pertronix II and matching coil. I've only put about 50 miles on it so far but no problem yet.

I just installed a 4th Flamethrower coil (epoxy filled) in the stock location without a resistor. It got hot, became hard to start and sputtered all the way home. It lasted 1 day. I put my original 59 year coil back in car as soon as I got home & runs fine.
So much for a HIGH PERFORMANCE COIL.  Its more like a NO PERFORMANCE COIL. I dont get it

How did you check the plug wire? Internal breaks that can cause intermittent problems are hard to find. I usually swap one from a good cylinder and run it for a while then recheck the plugs and see what each cylinder is doing, just a thought.

I installed the Petronix II and Flamethrower II coil this morning and will keep my original as a back up. As far as performance I can't tell the difference between the two or a good set of points adjusted with the proper dwell..