help with pertronix ignitor please!

[blkmonday]

i just bought a pertronix points to elecronic ignition kit its the ignitor model 1181lscc its the one that fits under the distributor cap. my car ran before i installed it and now it does not start...doesnt seem to get any spark at all. im pretty positive i hooked it all up correctly. the ignition coil is a super stock accel (few years old...but resistance seems fine) i hooked the wires up according to the instructions for cars without a resistor...a 66 olds with a 425 in a full size dynamic 88 didnt use a ballast resister did it? am i crazy? i dont think they did. the unit fit right in no problem just like the instructions said. ive gone over it twice. are there any common problems i should look out for with this unit? help...thanks in advance
frank

[MagicRat]

As I recall, those cars used a resistor wire for the positive terminal on the coil (it does exactly the same thing as a ballast resistor) , but did not use a separate ballast resistor.

IMO check the wiring again. Make sure the coil is not wired up backwards and the timing trigger is lined up properly.

Good luck.

[blkmonday]

as it turns out...i called pertronix and they were very helpfull. the kit i bought is one that you dont have to pull the distributor to install...easy right? well apparantly it doesnt always fit close enough to the distributor lobes. they told me what it doesnt say in the manual is that the sensor has to be at least 50 thousanths from the highest point on the lobe. ive got way more than that...but then again ive got a re-man distributor in there. so im assuming the setup is somewhat altered from the stock setup. i threw my points back in (GRRR!) and pertronix said to return my unit and theyd send me the other unit that i have to pull my distributor off and install the pickup rings in. the only reason im converting is my points setup (all new by the way) is that my dwell seems to walk around and i cant get it timed 100% i figured by eliminating the points...setting the timing would be easier. the distributor is a rebuilt from autozone...new points cap and rotor. get it dialed in...take a ride around the block, and presto...dwell and timing are off. everything in dist. is tight. i replaced old distributor thinking there was too much play in the dist gear and thats why the timing would walk around. ive had this problem for almost 5 years (had this car for almost 20)....anyways i thought electonic ignition would help....but here i am with the wrong part on a sunny day and my ragtop is still in my garage....at least the top is down...the people at pertronix were very helpfull though...im the idiot that picked the part #...so its not there fault

[MagicRat]

Thanks for the update.

For what it's worth, I put a 1968 Olds 455 in a '81 Cad Fleetwood.

The shape of the AC housing did not leave enough room to install a '73 and later stock HEI distributor, so I used a Crane electronic conversion on the stock distributor. The stock one was worn out so the conversion causwed all kinds of trouble. I eventually got a rebuilt points unit, which works very well.

BTW why not use a stock HEI unit? It should drop right in and be more reliable than a conversion.