Hi Patrick.

You're probably right: the vclassics article isn't the best way to do it. At the time we put the setup into a 122, we couldn't find anyone who could actually tell us how to go about it, so we did the best we could and hoped that we wouldn't fry anything. I almost get the impression that you're somehow offended by the article. ?

Our use of the diode wasn't related to the ballast resistor - sorry if that isn't stated correctly in the (somewhat outdated) article. We used the diode because we needed 12v when cranking, and the starter in that car didn't have the second male spade terminal you mention. While you might be surprised to find a 120 with a starter that lacks this second terminal, both of my 122s have exactly that; and last I knew, Shayne's 122s were still using these older starters. While we had the coil that came with the '75 system, we really wanted to use the original that was already in the car... mostly to see if it would work that way, partly because we preferred the original, and partly because one of the other systems we'd received didn't come with a coil at all. Our thinking was that if anyone else came across a similarly incomplete setup, that they'd still be able to make it work.

We also weren't sure, at the time, whether or not the coil was or was not internally ballasted, so we erred on the side of caution.

When we put it all together, we relied on a 240 wiring diagram as you suggest, and changed only the few things that we weren't clear on. By all means, put your money on Bosch - but I guess I'm not entirely clear on what additional 'level of complexity' you're speaking of.

I'm also curious -- how are you able to determine that the later style coil provides a better spark? Was your original coil starting to fail?

I apologize that the article falls short. What I will say, though, is that none of the cars in which we installed the Bosch setup had any ignition problems whatsoever after the install. I've removed mine because I have need for vacuum advance; and am now happily using plain old points and condensor. Oddly, the only two items in the whole car that are digital don't work properly.

I think it'd be great if someone who better understood the system and how to best integrate it into a vintage model would rewrite the instructions in order that any readers would have the best information possible. That's the whole spirit of vclassics! I don't have any attachment to the article but I really would like for it to be as comprehensive and correct as possible.

Best regards,

Cameron
Bridgetown