Hello all. I recently joined the club and have been working my way through the forum which I have found very informative!
I am hoping for a few pointers with regard to my recently acquired project - I don't think I have seen the exact query raised previously but apologies if this is recovering old ground.
I have an early Mk4 Spitfire and it is fair to say it has been mucked about with. I didn't pay a huge amount for it, but that was because it had some known issues. By which I mean, I know it has issues but not necessarily how to solve them!
The first thing I need to get to the bottom of is the ignition set-up.
What I know
I know the car has previously had electronic ignition.
Due to running issues, it was reverted to standard points ignition again.
At the same time, it has been fitted with a new distributor.
It's not the right one. It has no mechanical drive for the rev counter.
I bought it with the current owner telling me that 'it will only run if you connect power from the starter solenoid directly to the coil' Yuk.
My limited knowledge of ignition systems and reading of the forum leads me to think that I probably have some combination of ignition components that are not compatible with one another. Perhaps the wrong coil, definitely the wrong dizzy. Rather than just replacing bits though, I'd like to work out what is going on. And then, inevitably, start replacing bits.
So I think my questions are:
1/ How can I tell what output/rating the coil is that is fitted to the car?
2/ The wiring in my car does not appear to match the Haynes manual - but whether the manual is correct, the car is correct or neither is correct, I am not sure. Is there an easy to way to work out whether or not my car has / should have a ballast resistor set-up?
3/ This will be a weekend car - used for the odd show and pootling around. Should I aim to restore the original function or is an electronic ignition set-up just good sense?
Any pointers, queries or questions equally appreciated! Thanks for reading