RE: IML: 56 Ballist Resistor

["Chad & Teresa Smith" <hemi_powered@xxxxxxx>]

Jeff:

Don't know what to tell you here...I am just a medical transcriptionist with 
a passion for old cars.  All I know is that I have had the car for three 
years now, and that ballast resistor has been in there the entire time.  I 
drive the car alot, and I have never had any problems of any kind with it.  
That's my 2 cents.

Teresa

> From: JCantor791@xxxxxxx
> Reply-To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: IML: 56 Ballist Resistor
> Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 20:29:22 EDT
>
> Teresa,
>
> Thanks for the suggestion.   My local NAPA store has this one in stock and
> for much less than the one that they had been able to find listed with the
> correct resistance range which must be made of unobtainium given its 
> several month
> lead time.
>
> But this brings up the question of resistance range.   The 56 FSM that I 
> have
> indicates that the ballast resistor should be between 0.66 and 0.735 ohms.
> The 74 P/U unit you suggested is 1.2 ohms.   Being that I'm a mechanical
> engineer not an electrical engineer, I'm not sure if this really matters.   
> It is
> my understanding that the purpose of the ballast resistor is to cut the 
> voltage
> going to the coil so as to protect it from the full 12V (or greater) of the
> system.   In this case, I would assume that a resistor that was larger 
> would
> knock the voltage down TOO far and risk preventing the coil from producing 
> a hot
> enough spark while too small a resistor would risk frying the coil with too
> high a voltage.   Of course I'm not sure what happens when the resistor has
> gone to an open circuit as I believe the current one has.
>
> So, the question to all you electrical guru's is: should I keep searching 
> for
> the right resistance range or is this close enough?   Or have I completely
> miss understood the circuit and perhaps miss measured the resistance's and 
> my
> current resistor and coil are just fine?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Jeff
> '56 Sedan
> Trenton, NJ
>
>
> From: "Chad & Teresa Smith" <hemi_powered@xxxxxxx>
> Subject: RE: IML: 56 Balist Resistor
> Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2005 06:37:17 -0700
> Reply-To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Jeff,
>
> The ballast resistor was junk in my 56 as well...I will tell you what I 
> did.
> ? I walked across the driveway, opened the hood on my husbands 1974 Dodge
> pickup, examined it..huh, sure enough...same darn thing....stuck it in my
> car, and away I went... You can buy a new one for a 1974 dodge pickup
> without problem.? Got any friends with 1970s dodge pickups with a 440?? I
> have been driving the car for two years on the ballast resistor...no
> problems.
>
> Teresa Smith
>
> >From: JCantor791@xxxxxxx
> >Reply-To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >Subject: IML: 56 Balist Resistor
> >Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 06:55:40 EDT
> >
> >I have all of the needed parts to do a tune up on my 56 except the 
> ballast
> >resistor which does appear to have shorted out.?? Bernbaum is not able to
> >get
> >these currently so I'm looking for suggestions for other sources.?? I've
> >tried
> >the local sources including NAPA with no success.
> >
> >Thanks
> >Jeff
> >56 Sedan
> >Trenton, NJ




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