where’s the ballast resistor?

Ok, so I read the book and it said the compression should be checked at normal operating temperature but I check it at ambient temperature. I'll warm it up later this week and check the compression again (and change the spark plugs on the other side). The old plugs didn't look bad any bad other than maybe running a little lean from the air leak.

Use stranded tinned copper wire of the appropriate gauge ( I use #16 for my ignition coil wire) and high quality crimp-on terminals. (A terminal crimp tool can be purchased at Radio Shack for three or four dollars.) Tinned wire is silver in color. It is available at West Marine and at most marine stores. Auto parts houses usually do not carry tinned wire in my experience. I suspect you should reset your timing.

Everyone's experience with timing will be different. With my engine setup I have found that I seemingly get best performance with 18 Deg initial timing and 38 Deg total advance. With any less initial timing I get a bog when I hit full throttle from a stand-still. If anyone else has better results at different setting I would like to hear from them.

I am glad you fixed the leaks. Did your idle smooth out?

Heres what I came up with,

This is a hinged piece of lexan that is easy to drill and tap and place the components.

Two Stanley hinges were modified to fit under two rear intake bolts, with a sturdy ground feed eye on one; remove these two bolts and the whole thing can get pulled away, else its easy to flip up for full access to the tranny.

Of course the MSD is there, battery switch and starter relay, circuit breaker, a ground block and hot term strip to feed the alternater, choke, aux relay and igniter(pertronix)

The aux relay (on the left)to feed the choke and alternater, so the dash and ignition are not loaded down and the alt sees truer battery voltage. The MSD gets a battery feed and an is activated by the ignition.

Then a wire loom makes it all look purty...

Hope it helps,

BTW, I've seen a friend's boat run a few seasons with a pertronix igniter, while the coil had too little resistance... and the ballast wire/resistor was removed when it should have remained.

The igniter failed suddenly, occasionally would start after it cooled down, then die like you turned the key off above 1500 rpm.
Suspiciously, since the igniter was installed, the dash Voltmeter would bob with every cyllinder pulse at idle; it was yanking too much current (thus too hot) for its electronics and was loading down the ignition wire and the whole dash.

I think 1.5 ohm primary is the mark... if the coil is significantly less, consider the ballast resistor or get a new coil, and of couse understand the instruction sheet thoroughly. hope this helps

Well, I might as well join...

I use a Pertonix igniter to trigger an MSD and can comment, 66....

An igniter alone is a drop-in replacement for the breaker plate...doesn't affect the weights nor springs..it doesn't boost performance..unless the points were crap to start with...it simply runs factory fresh, always starts, no stumble or skip or degradation of performance with time...

However, it sees full coil current, runs fairly hot and can fail without resolve, unless you keep the breaker plate in the glovebox (recommended).

I ran the pertronix for 2 years before adding the MSD.

The difference with the MSD is truly amazing..

First start of the year on a 8-month cold, fogged engine and having it settle out without farting and pumping the throttle...

In fact, when i first energize the key for spring startup, the engine typically turns 1/4 revolution as it fires the fogging oil & residual mix.

Holeshot was drasically improved, it leaps out of the hole, gained 150 rpm and 2 mph vs igniter alone.

One time my bowl floats clogged open when my fuel pump began shreading the check-valve gaskets (took a long time to diagnose and find) and was dumping fuel out the verturies without control..I could still start it and still drive back to the dock to fix, no tow..

You can gap the plugs 70 to 80 thousanths for our compression ratios...

The msd sends multiple, 500v pulses to the primary, imagine the result...fooling around, I've visibly witnessed the spark jump a 2.5 " gap, perhaps larger, with a loud snap.

With good carburation, the perfomance is all you could ask for..
People comment my boat starts and responds to the throttle like an MFI.

I'd highly recommend a long-snout coil, like the MDS blaster 3 coil, because I witnessed the spark cheat around the std size coil, along its top, to its primary ground, and don't want that going on under the hood. The long snout coil cured that and keeps all the sparks where they should be... in the cap and the wires.

My pertronix should last forever now that its seeing so little current.

Polyhead - you can still trigger an MSD with your points..if you like...they may wear the rub block, but won't arc and the contacts should stay nice because the input impedance on the MSD is orders of magnetude higher than a coil; you may still have moisture issues, but you can still keep some 'old school' charm.

I recommend this if your a performance freak or want to really enjoy your boat..You'll loose all desire to dream of MFI.

The Marine model is more money, but supposibly is potted better (for salt) and internally inhibits the single spark sent to the plug closest to the rotor when you turn the key to ON and the system enrgizes..thus is USCG approved. I run the basic 6A model. your call.

Make sure you use good quality marine wires, too. The MSD warns against spiral core wires.

I'll post a pix tonight if you like, you may like how I aranged the electrics...

Hey Jim---I'm far, far, far from giving up. I love my boat. (although a '66 mustang is tempting--year of birth for me and my wife). The '84 was running pretty well at the end of last season (November). There were a couple of things I had noticed then that I wanted to deal with. But we had a pretty wet winter and I let it sit until March. I'm sure that helped deteriorate the electronics and the gaskets. If everything works out with getting the lake house, this won't be a problem. I can take the SN out for a spin in January with little effort.

But, you make it sound like a leak in the throtle body to intake gasket or the intake to head gasket will cause some sever problems. Should I really address this before anymore sking or cocktail cruises? The exhaust leak was the next project. What do you think?    

Jim did you have to "file " the cap down so that it would fit into the sloted portion of the spacer. It ain't gonna fit that there either.

Anybody?? I finally got my pertronix kit in the mail and started the conversion. When installing the rotor over the spacer there is a interference problem between the two. The rotor is a wee to big both on the shaft portion and on the top. Its a little too wide to fit in the cut out. Its a prestolite distributor and even went to auto zone with the part# but no help there. Any ideas or leads??

Hey Jim--I got the one SKIDIM sales for pre 87 models. It was either Prestolite or PMC. I read the instructions throughly and their wasn't anything about not using an electronic ignition coil. In fact I think it said using a coil not intended for electronic ignition could degrade preformance. I'll see if I still have the instructions and check to be sure. This wouldn't be the first time I've been mistaken lately. It sucks getting old!
I'm planning to fix the intakeand exhaust leaks soon, but I need to pull the boat out of the water. It's at a friend's house now but if everything goes right, in May I'll drive it up the river to my new house!

Hey Jimbo, now that you know you got leaks you just have to fix 'em.

After that, disconnect your choke. If you leave the choke adjustment screws slightly loose you can turn the plastic cap to "manually operate" your choke while you tackle your ignition problem. Once your ignition problem is solved then attack the choke problem.

By-the-way, my Pertronix Ignitor electronic conversion instructions warn: "Do not use a coil intended for use on an electronic ignition with this conversion! The coil will damage the conversion module." Are you using a Pertronix electronic conversion?

Ok, I was replacing the coil and I twisted off one of the studs on the new coil. I went to the local auto parts store and bought a 12V electronic ignition coil. I put that one on and didn't tighten the bolts too tight. I found a long wire that was wrapped around it's self 4-5 times that went from the (+) side of the coil to a plug in connection that went to the ignition, I guess. I cut about 5 feet out of that wire and spliced it back together. The wires were silver-colored; I guess they are aluminium.
Anyway, the motor was still hard to start but I think that's related to my electric choke problem. When I got it started it was running much better. It chokes out when I idle it for a while but does fine when I open the hood. I'm sure that's due to the exhaust leak. The idle was a little rough and it surged some at high speed but I think that's due to the leak at the intake manifold.
I think we'll play tomorrow, then I'll work on the intake and exhaust leaks. Thanks everbody for your help.

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All of you are missing the reson for a resistor. If you have less than 12 V.D.C., Nothing functions properly, because it is a 12 volt system.A resistor limits the voltage coming in. I.E., if your alternator @ 4500 R.P.M.'s is putting out 13.7 V.D.C. the resistor will not let more than 12 volts enter the primary winding of the coil. When you switch from breaker point ignition, to electronic ign., your advance curve is comprimised. you are switching from mechanical, or GOD forbid vaccum, to well... electronic... I'm sorry, I'm a dinosaur, I definately prefer breaker point ignition, make it a double... dual point that is.

I ordered the one Skidim sales.

I installed a Prestolite kit. The instructions said to bypass the resistor or resistor wire. My new coil sould be here soon. I'll install it and try to find and bypass the resistor wire (thanks jameski). Hopefully that will get it running well enough for me to be comfortable replacing the leaky throtle body gasket and maybe intake mainifold gasket. I don't want to tear too many thinks apart at once. It makes it difficult to figure out what I did or didn't do right. Thanks everyone. I'll let you know how it goes.