Condenser question for pstephens46

[rodbolt17]

nope.
some vehicles used a dual ballast,some used a heated ballast,some used a coil with an internal resistor AND a tap from the R terminal on the starter SOLINOID.
the reason is the ign coil only needed 7.5-9v to operate efficiently on a 12V system that at speed my be running 14.5.
if you don't need the heat electrical devices last longer cooler.
however for reliable cold starts we hit the primaries with battery voltage then drop it once the engine starts.
as far as point gap goes,you set the gap then check the dwell.
dwell is the important thing.
if the dwell is correct then the gap is correct.
I actually ran across my old dwell meter the other day,wondered would it still work.
don't know of any point types system to use it on..
last one I did was about 15 yrs ago on an old 153 CID mercruiser.
guy's dad owned the boat in the late 60's and he wanted it restored.
dunno what he spent on the hull and the interior but he spent over 8 grand with me.

[zenoahphobic]

Nope what, the ballast resistor?
I can always be clearer, but the point made: why was it necessary to have it there in the first place? Because they couldn't make a coil to run in the voltage conditions encountered, so they made 7.5v to 9 volt (sic) coil that couldn't run on up to 14.5v (sic) so they had to put in a voltage dropping resistor. And you highlighted the additional problem that is with the heat generated in the coil of the system. Dwell was the term applied to the time the points were actually closed. Again depends on what is practical to focused upon (and give a name to), it is all the same electric principle.

[99yam40]

basically the reason to hit it with full voltage was because of the draw on the battery while starter was being used to turn the motor. It would drop available voltage to the ignition system. to make sure there was good spark during that time they sent full voltage. after starting they could drop the voltage using the ballest resister to a lower voltage to save the wear and tear on points and the coil itself

[rodbolt17]

only in the USN would we hit a 5vdc lamp with 25V. that is how the indicator lamps on the LCP and RCP were set up. you got good and changing lamps.
why make a ginourmous coil that can handle 14+V for hours at a time when you can make one smaller than a beer can and use a simple resistor?every manufacture has a spec for point gap,most had a spec for dwell. if dwell is in spec so is point gap.
beats a feeler gauge. the old GM caps with a window to adjust the dwell made life simple. ford and mopar, not so much.
sometimes one would have the cap of several times before you got the dwell correct.

[99yam40]

Trying to remember if I ever pulled the cap back off of any thing to readjust the dwell, I an sure I did.
Usually if it was close after setting with feeler gauge I called it good.
GM did make things so much easier for the techs with the adjustable while running points units

[ausnoelm]

I had a 350 Chevy in a car I once owned, and the distributor had a little "hatch" in the side to adjust the dwell, can't say I ever did, once the points were right, the dwell appeared to be too, gee I wish I still had that car, they are "collectables" now and worth a lot of money, I sold it in 1975 for $2,750 to buy something else, now even a crap one will cost you 100 grand, if you can find one...damn.

[pstephens46]

I had a 350 Chevy in a car I once owned, and the distributor had a little "hatch" in the side to adjust the dwell, can't say I ever did, once the points were right, the dwell appeared to be too, gee I wish I still had that car, they are "collectables" now and worth a lot of money, I sold it in 1975 for $2,750 to buy something else, now even a crap one will cost you 100 grand, if you can find one...damn.

What model car?

[ausnoelm]

A 1970 Holden Monaro, (made here in Aus) there was some later ones exported to the US a few years ago, sold as some kind of Chevrolet over there, the one I had was very limited in production, but readily available, they are now very expensive to buy with any engine in them, they were available in 6 cylinder and a couple of V8s, but the 350 powered ones were great, google HT 350 Holden Monaro.

[zenoahphobic]

A 1970 Holden Monaro, (made here in Aus) there was some later ones exported to the US a few years ago, sold as some kind of Chevrolet over there, the one I had was very limited in production, but readily available, they are now very expensive to buy with any engine in them, they were available in 6 cylinder and a couple of V8s, but the 350 powered ones were great, google HT 350 Holden Monaro.

It seemed to just happen overnight in Australia that these and many other "muscle cars" skyrocketed in value. It was the ability to include these in superannuation and the lack of having to pay capital gains tax upon sale, that made these what I call relatively crap cars, desirable.

However if you really did your sums, taking inflation into account, not really so brilliant an investment. Especially that that car would have needed a complete restoration by now inspite of good regular maintence all those years. Now to get such a high price, it tends to be that they need to be at a higher standard than they ever were when they were made!

I'm talking about a whole genre of Australian cars and not yours specifically. And what I have noticed they seemed to be held in high regard by post war grey men slowly dying out, and are not at all interesting to the younger generation. They see no point in owning such cars, that are outperformed in every way including price by modern cars, and the younger generation (s) simply don't want, nor do they even understand what maintenance means.

Yes I do still remember seeing my first Monaro when they came out in 1970 funnily enough. It did look very sporty compared to all Holdens that had gone by.

[ausnoelm]

A car even more valuable now is the "phase 3 GT Falcon" a good example of one of those will cost you a lot more than your Superanuation to buy now, same era, same price when new, but holy crap, expensive now if you can find one for sale.

[zenoahphobic]

only in the USN would we hit a 5vdc lamp with 25V. that is how the indicator lamps on the LCP and RCP were set up. you got good and changing lamps.
why make a ginourmous coil that can handle 14+V for hours at a time when you can make one smaller than a beer can and use a simple resistor?every manufacture has a spec for point gap,most had a spec for dwell. if dwell is in spec so is point gap.
beats a feeler gauge. the old GM caps with a window to adjust the dwell made life simple. ford and mopar, not so much.
sometimes one would have the cap of several times before you got the dwell correct.

It doesn't make sense when you imply a " ginourmous" coil would be required to run at 14v. because why would a smaller coil plus a resistor put out the same power when the resistor shares and wastes some of the energy available with this setup. It's as stupid as saying why bother with a big V8 when a small 4 cylinder coupled to an even bigger power zapping transmission can put out the same power.
I also don't remember that 6 volt system cars had even smaller coils, or indeed 24v vehicles had significantly larger coils.

[pstephens46]

A 1970 Holden Monaro, (made here in Aus) there was some later ones exported to the US a few years ago, sold as some kind of Chevrolet over there, the one I had was very limited in production, but readily available, they are now very expensive to buy with any engine in them, they were available in 6 cylinder and a couple of V8s, but the 350 powered ones were great, google HT 350 Holden Monaro.

Ah yes. I believe you are writing of the Pontiac GTO. Early Mid 2000s. Cool design for some of us. Small sedan, big V8, REAR wheel drive. I’m a fan of rear wheel or AWD. Front wheel drive can kill in high horsepower. Pontiac never refined the thing, gas prices fluctuated and it fizzled. GM closed up shop on the Pontiac and Oldsmobile lines soon after. That rebadged Holden was doomed from the start. Which was a shame.

Look what Boscoe Sage has created here with this thread.

[99yam40]

GTO was the big thing back in the 60s not the 80s.
big hp was back in the late 60s before they pulled the plug on doing that and the the oil embargo set in in the 70s

And I never heard of a GTO with a 350

[boscoe99]

Funny how cars appreciate, or don't, in value.

In 1967 I bought a 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 442. 400 cubic inches. 4 barrel carburetor. 2 exhausts. Added a RAM air cam shaft and 4.33 ring and pinion differential. Talk about acceleration.

However, it does not command a price today anywhere near what other cars are selling for. Some Mustangs for example.

Having had the Oldsmobile 442 and a 1965, I6, four door, vinyl bench seat, Ford Falcon, I would take the Ford over the Olds. I loved that Falcon. Might have been the part of my life during which I owned it. Were I to win the Power Ball lotto I would be an old graying dude trying to recapture his lost youth by buying another Falcon and having it fully restored. The cost would not concern me.

[pstephens46]

GTO was the big thing back in the 60s not the 80s.
big hp was back in the late 60s before they pulled the plug on doing that and the the oil embargo set in in the 70s

And I never heard of a GTO with a 350

2005 Model GTO (Holden). Not a 350, actually a 6 liter 400hp