Spitfire Spark to Coil

[FlyingCat]

Well, somebody installed that antennea, and there's a cable that would reach the radio if I had one. At this point, I'm fairly certain I'll just patch that hole in the fender and eventually go with something more 21st Century. But thanks.

 

[Bob Claffie]

If you are still having trouble go to the "Fried ignition" thread in the Austin Healey section and scroll down to entry #16. You may need an enlarged schematic of a distributor as there are some tricky connections concerning the power wires, grounds and isolating washers etc. I spent HOURS on this problem on my son's MGB years ago

 

[FlyingCat]

Praise be the Saints! I replaced my spark plug wires and now I have spark! I just need to replace my fuel pump, and this baby should start... "should" being the key word. Thanks to all, but I'm sure there's more down the line.

 

[dklawson]

... there are some tricky connections concerning the power wires, grounds and isolating washers etc. I spent HOURS on this problem on my son's MGB years ago

That is indeed true for the Lucas DM2 and 25D distributors. The proper placement of the insulating washers is imperative. However, this Spitfire has a Delco dizzy so it won't have this particular problem.


I'm glad you got spark now. However, you are not really done with the ignition just yet. You said this is a 1.7 Ohm (ballast) coil. That MUST be supplied normal running current through a ballast resistor (or resistor wire). Failure to include the resistor will result in premature failure of the points and other ignition components. Don't worry about it for just getting the engine started but do address the ballast issue before you start driving the car regularly.

If this car sat for a long time you can anticipate needing to clean the carburetor jet tube, metering needle, and float valve. They tend to gum up with old fuel. Also, if this is the original Stromberg carb you really should fit a new diaphragm as sitting for a long time can cause those to harden. Hard diaphragms won't allow the piston to rise and fall properly creating all sorts of running/driving problems.