# New owner and "Ignitor" question



## MO Goat (Apr 7, 2011)

Greetings!

I'm the proud owner of a "new to me" 1968 GTO that I bought off the 2nd owner, who bought it in 1969. It has the original engine, Hurst dual gate, hideaways and a solid body. I've looked through the forums and have already learned alot about Pertronix's Ignitors, but still had a couple questions

My first question is the model. I understand the Pertronix "Ignitor" are popular and I wanted to know what model number is correct for mine. My auto parts store wasn't 100% sure. I plan to use the Ignitor coil too.

Any thoughts on Autolite 8mm wires? Are they okay to use?

Thank you in advance!


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

Apparently, another parts guy that can't look anything up. Anyway, if your going for a Ignitor III, the part # is 71181. Ignitor II 91181. I would think the wires should be fine.


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## 68GTO4004Spd (Jun 19, 2008)

Welcome,
I sure 68greengoat will agree that 68's rock, but are a little harder to find parts for. I have the Pertronix II with 8mm Acell Super stock wires and running the stock coil, my engine is basically stock. I'm the third owner of my car, with the "born to" engine, intake, carb, trans, and rear end, had the car since 1982.


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

Dang right they rock! Not near as popular as other years which make them even more appealing, IMO. Although, they're showing up more and more in this forum.....:cheers

I went with the III. It has a built in rev limiter.
PerTronix Ignitor III

Not sure why the II has all those extra parts.
PerTronix IGNITOR II DELCO 8 CYL


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## Sloan66 (May 7, 2010)

Look at a website called Retro Rockets, they sale petronix and will price match, no shipping. Very good tech support.


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

I would love to get my filthy hands on a sweet black 68 with hideaways.......:cheers Pics???


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## MO Goat (Apr 7, 2011)

So should I skip the original and go with a version II or III?

I have some pix on my other computer that I'll post soon, but the original color is Springmist Green with a black interior and vinyl top. The previous owner put a thick coat of grey primer over it before he got ill to preserve it as well as pulling out the carpet to prevent any rust on the floorboards. The seats and dash are in great shape with only two spots of seam separation on the driver's seat. Original steering wheel and console with some peeling of the vinyl woodgrain on the dashboard.

Thanks guys and appreciate the feedback!


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

MO Goat said:


> So should I skip the original and go with a version II or III?
> 
> I have some pix on my other computer that I'll post soon, but the original color is Springmist Green with a black interior and vinyl top. The previous owner put a thick coat of Grey primer over it before he got ill to preserve it as well as pulling out the carpet to prevent any rust on the floorboards. The seats and dash are in great shape with only two spots of seam separation on the driver's seat. Original steering wheel and console with some peeling of the vinyl woodgrain on the dashboard.
> 
> Thanks guys and appreciate the feedback!


The III version is better than the previous 2. I have one in my Camaro along with the matching coil. I opened the plug gap up to .042 and it starts immediately and runs like a watch.
I bought mine thru StreetSide Performance. They will price match ANY price you find on the net as long as they can verify the web page and ship free over $50. 2 day service from them here too.


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## likethat (Oct 5, 2007)

68greengoat said:


> Apparently, another parts guy that can't look anything up. Anyway, if your going for a Ignitor III, the part # is 71181. Ignitor II 91181. I would think the wires should be fine.


Try to get some of them to pull the books out :willy:

There is a guy at one of the O'reilly's around here, that will pull the books. Most off them are nice guys but every now and again. You get a winner


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## dimitri (Feb 13, 2009)

I have a Pertronix in a couple of vehicles for over 5 years with out a problem. Love them. I did not go with their coil because it is made in China. I put a Napa coil in. Don't forget to regap your plugs .040-.045 inch.


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## xconcepts (Jan 4, 2009)

So what will happen if you don't regap?


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## dimitri (Feb 13, 2009)

You might as well keep the points in. The idea of pointless ignition and hotter coil is to increase the spark plug gap for a better burn in the combustion chamber. I run the factory AC spark plugs gapped to .042". This is one of those impovements you will really feel at the seat of your pants. Also better fuel economy.


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## MO Goat (Apr 7, 2011)

When it comes to the coil, how many ohms should I get?

Is it the .6 one? (Mfg # 45011)

What about a repro version from OPGI that is made in the USA?


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## MO Goat (Apr 7, 2011)

Still stuck.
I installed the Ignitor II and coil to the proper specs and checked to make sure I had a spark. I pulled out the #1 plug and turned the engine to get the piston to the top.
Took the hoses off the fuel pump & blew air through the fuel lines back to the tank (yes, with the cap off) and noticed a leak in the hose going to the tank caused from dry rot. I replaced both of these and then blew air into the tank to get fuel up to the pump. I put in a few gallons of fresh gas, replaced the filter, primed it, turned it over and nothing.
The only thing I can think of is that the fuel pump is bad, the rotor needs to be turned 180 degrees, my #1 piston is on the exhaust stroke or the timing is waaaay off.
Any other suggestions?


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## MO Goat (Apr 7, 2011)

IT LIVES!!!! YESSSS!!!!! Finally, the stars aligned after reinstalling the wires no less than 12 times and the ole' Goat came to life after 10 years of sitting! My ears are still ringing since the headers rusted off at the block, but what a sweet, sweet sound! Soooo gratifying for a rookie wrench!
Now onto the brakes so I can pull it in and out of the garage.
Does anyone have any engine rebuild and body shop recommendations in the KC area?


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

See, persistance does pay off! Congrats!


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## ALKYGTO (Mar 29, 2010)

No satisfaction like figuring it out and fixing it yourself! Way to go and we're ready for some more pictures/vids! :cheers


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

:cheers a sweet sound indeed....smells good also! :cheers


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## MO Goat (Apr 7, 2011)

Okay, my roll has hit a wall. After getting it running (still sounds great!), I did the brakes after watching "Eric the Car Guy" You Tube videos and figured out my brake booster needs to be rebuilt. How the h*ll do you get that thing off?!!! I see the four nuts behind it attaching the bracket to the firewall, but my wrench barely fits and I can't get leverage to loosen them even after multiple soakings of PB Blaster and Liquid Wrench. Is there something I'm missing? Should I drill out the studs from under the dash?

Also, I have a cool video on my iPhone of it starting, but I'm not sure how to upload it to this site. Do people just add it to You Tube and list the link?


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

MO Goat said:


> I see the four nuts behind it attaching the bracket to the firewall, but my wrench barely fits and I can't get leverage to loosen them even after multiple soakings of PB Blaster and Liquid Wrench. Is there something I'm missing? Should I drill out the studs from under the dash?


Don't think so - sounds like you've found the correct nuts. You don't want to drill the studs out, they're pressed into the bracket that supports your steering column. Try a different wrench.. perhaps one of those curved box ends, or maybe a ratcheting box end.



> Also, I have a cool video on my iPhone of it starting, but I'm not sure how to upload it to this site. Do people just add it to You Tube and list the link?


Yep on the you tube...

Bear


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## MO Goat (Apr 7, 2011)

Does this work?

Trailhead928's Channel - YouTube


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Yep!!! Feels good, don't it?

Bear


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## MO Goat (Apr 7, 2011)

Bear, I can't tell you how great it felt! I was on a high for hours! I tried so many times to get it started and the battery finally died. I recharged it and told myself I was going to crank it until something happened so I primed it as usual and after about 5 seconds it roared to life! I think I may have been flooding it by priming it in previous attempts, but I've started it 3 more times since and no worries! The funniest thing was seeing all the crud that shot out the back of the tailpipes and all over my garage walls!
Now if I can get the brake booster removed, I'll be all set. That thing is driving me nuts! I just can't seem to get the leverage. How did they install them at the factory? Put it on before the fenders?


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

MO Goat said:


> Now if I can get the brake booster removed, I'll be all set. That thing is driving me nuts! I just can't seem to get the leverage. How did they install them at the factory? Put it on before the fenders?


Yes, it was installed before the front clip. If all you have is a basic set of combination wrenches, get the box end on the nut and use another box end wrench hooked on the open end to increase the leverage. BE CAREFUL !!! the second wrench will want to spin to the side and cause damage to your hands. A better leverage is a piece of pipe that just fits over the open end of the wrench. You can get that at a hardware store but take the wrench with to be certain it fits inside to avoid multiple trips for the pipe.... not that I would have any personal experience with that...:lol: That's a confined space so the pipe will only be 6-10 inches long. Use a tape measure to see how much pipe you can get in there. 

If you have a lot of under hood work to do, sometimes it's easier to get a friend or 2 and just remove the hood for better access. It can sit on the roof on old towels, cardboard or a moving blanket to prevent further scratches. I shoot a little spray paint around the hinge-to-hood surface before removal to locate it for re-install. Leave all the dirt and grease, etc on the parts before painting and the paint will usually wipe off when done...


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## MO Goat (Apr 7, 2011)

That's really good advice and thanks! I'll try it!


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