[Healeys] Pertronix Ignitor II

[Bob Spidell]

Inspired by our recent discussion about Pertronix Ignitors and coils (again), I called Pertronix to get the lowdown.  In 
my discussion with Pertronix tech support, I asked if they had the Ignitor II for positive-ground Healeys.  Answer was 
no, they'd never even given it any thought.  However, I did mention that there's a fairly large enthusiast base who 
might be interested in such a gadget.  From what I understand, the advantage of the II is that it can actively change 
dwell based on RPM, to give the best performance across a wider range of speeds (the 'original' Ignitor is basically 
electronic points; no active dwell control involved).  It also has protective circuitry to prevent frying itself or the 
coil (e.g. forgetful LBC owner leaves key in 'run' position during beer break).

http://www.pertronix.com/prod/ig/ignitor2/default.aspx

Thought I'd throw this out there to see if there's any interest.  Pertronix said they'd want a commitment of at least 
20-25 before they'd build a batch.  One issue cited was size; there may be some issue with the Ignitor's magnet 'collar' 
fitting under the rotor in a Lucas distributor--anyone using a II on a neg-ground car?--but if the II is the same 
size/shape as the original it will fit OK under a Lucas 26D cap (barely).

Just thought of more 'upside:' I'm currently carrying points as a backup to my Ignitor, if I got an Ignitor II I could 
carry the Ignitor for a backup (switching back to points on the roadside is doable, but it would be a lot easier to just 
slap a known-good Ignitor in).

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a shill for Pertronix, just been very happy with my original Ignitor and can't resist messin' with a 
good thing.   If this happens, I suspect Pertronix would want (at least) one person to commit to a batch purchase.  I'm 
not volunteering to do this--and frankly, I'm not that energetic--but maybe one of the List vendors would be willing to 
make a batch purchase, and sell for a reasonable markup.  If not, and there's enough interest, I might be persuaded to 
arrange this for a (very slight) markup to cover time and expense, etc. (though I suspect Pertronix might only wholesale 
to someone with a retailer's or jobber's license).

Bob


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Bob Spidell           San Jose, CA            bspidell at comcast.net

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