spark plug gap with "orange box?"

Jun 04, 2005 5 Replies

Hi all,



I finished up my electronic ignition conversion on my '55 Stude coupe a while back, and hopefully tomorrow I'll get a chance to mess with it again. How wide should I gap my spark plugs? Wider is always better, so long as I still have a reliable spark, right? I'm using a chrysler orange box with a parts store stock replacement coil.



thanks



nate


0.035" to 0.040" until you replace the orange box with an HEI module and eliminate the ballast resistor, at which point 0.045" to 0.050".

I understand your preference for the HEI module, but unless I were swapping out the coil as well wouldn't I want to retain the ballast? I have to admit a preference for using the ballast rather than using a coil with an internal resistance, seems to help with lightning-quick starts (I have a starter solenoid that allows for a ballast bypass connection)

nate

No.

Same here. But you're forgetting the third option (no ballast resistance)

wouldn't that cause the coil to overheat? Or is there a HEI-specific coil that's designed to run on a full 12V? (and wouldn't that cause the same starting issue as an internal resistance coil?)

nate

There are HEI-specific external-mount coils. They work well. But I never had a coil-overheat problem using an oil-can type coil with HEI. I usually install an MSD Blaster, 'cause it's a well-made, economically-priced coil with the standard form factor and so goes right in place of old factory coils.

'Course not.

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