Wait, the ground wire got reinstalled and then the engine stopped missing under high power? That wouldn't surprise me as the failure mode without it being there. I think you're saying it ran fine without it and was reinstalled prior to the late unpleasantness, but one can be sure, if any part was included like that, it is necessary, or they would have left it out. Corporate accounting practices used to track costs down to the 1/4 of a cent. High voltage Ignition is funny stuff, and so is grounding.

OK Thanks for the Picture. Helpful.

  

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That Ground Wire was missing on Mine. Worked fine. I assume One end goes on Point Mounting Screw or in my case Pertronix Module. Where does it attach to the Distributor Body? 

  

That GRD strap (12216) is used in all DIST as the plate mounting will not ensure a good ground. It has to be there.

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FYI.  My 1957 Ford distributor (ball bearing type) had a ground wire running from the point and condenser mounting plate to the inside wall of the distributor.  I know this because I took a photo before I took it apart.   This wire needs to be flexible so it does not interfere with the movement of the plate.  I didn't use it when I changed to a Pertronix module.  This was a mistake as the instructions say this wire is critical.  I reinstalled it and it made no difference that I could see.  Evidently, the ball bearings were ground enough.

Phil,

You may want to just remove the tank, drain it and try to inspect for surface (interior) rusting. A radiator shop can clean a good tank out. If not rusted usually it is gasoline that has varnished that is the culprit.

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His Distributor is like mine with the Steel Ball Bearing Advance Plate. There's 2 Brackets that attach to the Plate and Distributor Housing which I assume would be sufficient Ground as I don't think there is a Ground Wire like the later 2 Piece advance Plates? 

  

I have a stock 1955 glass fuel filter on my engine.  The kind with the clear bowl on the bottom.  I installed a new filter.  My engine was clearly missing from right off idle.  When driving, it would stumble all through the gears.  Not enough to backfire or stall, but definitely missing.  The sediment in my fuel bowls was dark brown very fine dust.  It flushed out easily with carb cleaner. I assume that was rust that got past the filter.

The problem didn't materialize until I ran the tank down to 1/4 full and jumped on the motor.   It's full now and the miss went away.  Right after Christmas I'm putting in a new gas tank just to be cautious.  I'll keep it topped off and see what happens.  No more AAA tows for me.  

Does your distributor still have its point plate ground? Ground for the Pertronix needs to be good - right back to the block or battery. Trying to ground through the moveable point plate  - without the little braided ground strap - the resistance of the bearing/pivot can be variable and disrupt the electronics.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona