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Tech advice sought on coil
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I am incredibly ignorant of automotive ignition systems. Could someone please tell me which terminal on the coil (pos or neg) is attached to the ignition switch, and which to the side of the distributor? I'm trying to explain how to hook up an aftermarket ignition switch to a friend who's equally ignorant. In my '37 the coil terminals aren't identified with markings; the "top" terminal is connected to the wire that travels (through a shielded cable) to the ignition, the "bottom" terminal goes to the side of the distributor. But I suspect he has a newer aftermarket coil with (+) (-) markings, not the original Hudson coil like mine. So I don't know how to tell him to hook it up!
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Jon, it is simple, if your friend's car is positive ground, the negative terminal of the coil is attached to ignition switch, and the positive (ground) terminal is attached to the distributor breaker points terminal. All the breaker points do is act as an on/ off switch between the grond and coil. The duration the points stay closed is the "dwell" and is measured in degrees of rotation of the distributor shaft. Is your friend's car an old 6 volt positive ground system? If it is the more modern 12 volt negative ground, then the positive terminal of coil is attached to Ignition switch, and usually there is a ballast resistor between the coil and ignition switch.
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Thanks for clarifying, Ken. My friend's car is a '37 Terraplane just like mine, but (I suspect) there are a number of non-original tweaks under the hood. So, I need to be prepared to speak to him in terms of those tweaks (like a non original coil, if it's that). Anyway, thanks again for 'splaining that.
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Correct. The cloth-covered wire inside the armored cable eventually shorts out on the cable, with catastrophic results. So, many late-thirties ignition switches have been replaced with aftermarket switches (no armored cable) and thus there's no need to stick with the original style coil that mates with the armored cable. (My cable shorted out several years ago but luckily we have people in the Club who can rebuild them.)
