replacing resistor wire. help.

hey gang -

so after trouble shooting, the resister wire on my '62 caddy has bitten the dust.
I'm having a hell of a time finding a replacement. Sure I could replace the whole sheebang with a new ignition - but i want to keep the points and retain as much of the original system as possible.

can i replace the resistor wire with an appropriately rated ballast resistor?
anyone know what the rating is on the original resister wire?

any advice or direction would be great. I'd like to get the caddy out on the road before the snow starts flying.

 

You can just add a ballast resistor. The original rating I am not sure but think it just reduces to around 6 volts.

 

thank's 42 chevy.

yeah, i' thinking it knocks it down to 9 volts... can't be sure.

it'd be awesome of someone with a caddy running a 390 with an original resistor wire running to the coil could grab the volts at the coil. that would be awesome.

 

That would be great. Hope I helped a little.

 

If you have access to a '62 Shop Manual it should provide that info under 'troubleshooting'................


Ray

 

Hnstray -- got the GM manual right here. it's pretty thin on the subject of this resistor wire. several mentions of it, but no mention of voltage at coil. weird i know.

 

Follow it back to the box, replace it with standard wire. Then run a resistor, They run like 5 bucks.

 

for ballast resistor try a 1966 chevy 283 , Borg Warner part # RU4

 

Yup

 

A ballast resistor is the easy way but if you want to replace the resistor portion of the coil wire, it can be done. You will need a donor harness to get one from. I restored a 66 SS396 and the PO cut the resistor wire in half when he pulled the engine. The resistor portion is easy to spot once the wrapping is removed. It's an odd looking piece of white textured wire hidden in the engine compartment harness leading to the coil. I just went back beyond the strange looking wire, cut and spliced it into my existing harness. Still working fine as far as I know. I'd bet a 100 bucks you could harvest one from any model GM harness from those years. It may not be worth the effort for you but it is very doable.

 

I'd be willing to bet you could use one from any car/truck of that era.

 

Ballest resistors look out of place on cars that didnt have them originally, it should be 8 or 9 volts on ANY car, because it is reducing the voltage that goes through the ignition system, and pretty much all american cars run identical ignition systems in principal, points, coil, ect. One other option instead of a ballast resistor is a coil with a resistor built in, just remember you are running one like that incase it goes bad or you'll fry points every 40 or so miles.... I know this because i got a faulty wiring harness once on my first rewire job...

 

It can be mounted out of sight so it's not out there in front of God and everybody. Just say'n.

 

Standard GM resistor for that era is 1.7 ohms.

 

yep, NAPA, they're all basically the same resistance, differences are how they are mounted.

 

thank you gentlemen. very helpful. i'll mount it up under the dash, nobody will be the wiser.

seriously. thanks.

 

Just keep in mind that it gets hot. Mount it where it wont touch any other wires or anything that will melt.

 

Agree with under the dash idea.

I have a Unilite small distributor discretely hidden behind the cross ram with the MSD 6al with rev limiter and other assorted goodies mounted on the INSIDE firewall where no one can see them.

With a black high voltage coil hidden inside of a finned aluminum cover under the hood, things look reasonably vintage and yet the system works as modern as can be.

Perfect!

 

Just run a standard wire from the ignition switch , and an internal resistor coil rated at 1.5 ohms. Pertonix makes a Flame thrower, 40,000 volt coil in a 1.5 ohm, or a 3 ohm. The 1.5 ohm, is part no. 40011. The 3 ohm part no. is 40511. Either will work, but 1.5 ohm probably the best.

 

Several years ago, I found an early 60s Chevy in a wreaking yard and took out its stock resistance wire. I've been using that resistance wire successfully in my hotrod ever since.

 

thanks all. installed a ballast resistor from a '66 chevelle, under the dash, and away from other wire interference.

the caddy fired up, and kept running . total success. 9.25 volts going to the coil at "run". a bit more than what's needed, but fuck it... hot is good.

fully documented the install in my service manual, so in 30 years when my son is working on the car... he knows what's what.

thanks again for the advice.