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| | | | Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 481 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 481 | Does anyone know or have a meaningful thought on why Chevrolet turned the coil upside down on the 1958 Thriftmaster 235 engine? Just curious. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | Probably not - an earlier discussion on this troubling matterfrom a/the VCCA expert, Gene Schneider: "The coil was mounted with the wire coming out of the bottom up through 1958. From 1959 and up it was mounted with the wire on top. A slight seepage of oil could be seen on the wire down models but never harmed the coil. Mounting it with the wire on top cured the rather common problem of the wire falling out of the coil and the engine stopping dead." | | | | | Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 481 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 481 | Thanks Tim. I know how it was mounted, as I described. I am looking for a meaningful reason why it was done that way. I know of no enhanced performance measures gained for installing it 'upside' down. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | "The coil was mounted with the wire coming out of the bottom up through 1958. From 1959 and up it was mounted with the wire on top.
A slight seepage of oil could be seen on the wire down models but never harmed the coil. Mounting it with the wire on top cured the rather common problem of the wire falling out of the coil and the engine stopping dead. " | | | | | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 7,440 Bolter | | Bolter Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 7,440 | Tim, thanks for bringing up that long forgotten fact. Learned about the coil wire falling out many years ago while driving my ‘50 Chevy coupe to work one very cold morning. Took me about 15 minutes in the freezing, windy weather at 3am to find the simple fix. No flashlight and feeling around in the dark for loose wires was no fun for a 16 year old kid.ðŸ›
Martin
'62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress)
'47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project)
‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily)
‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence)
“I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one!
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| | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,777 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,777 | On muddy roads and/or ones with poor drainage, there was less likelihood of drowning the engine out after hitting a puddle with the high voltage wire pointing downward. Also, the earlier coils with the armor-flex primary wire conduit were usually mounted with the high voltage tower at the bottom, so it might have been a matter of habit at the factory to bolt the later ones on that way.
Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
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| | | | | Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 481 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jun 2005 Posts: 481 | Tim and Jerry or is it Tom and Jerry? just kidding.
I really appreciate your stories and discussions as to why the coil may have been installed with the high voltage wire pointing down.
You two are always helpful to me and many others.
Thanks,
John
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