Thread:

Where to place that new coil bracket?

Okay...I have a BB Chevy 402 with an Edelbrock manifold and a single Holley double pumper carb. I'm putting in a new marine breakerless magnetic triggered distributor with a new external coil and new coil bracket with a new ballast resistor attached to coil bracket as recommended by the manufacturer of the distributor. Where do you guys recommend mounting the external coil/coil bracketon a jet boat? On the motor? If so, where on the motor? Show some pics of how yours are setup if you can, I am pulling out the old Excel Supercoil (non-marine) with coil in cap HEI type distributor and junking it as I have had too many issues with it. My 402 BB motor has over the transom Bassit water injected headers if that makes any difference for considerations for the coil bracket placement.

I want to get this right the first time!

Thanks.

Mike in Misery.

I don't believe you need the ballast resistor anymore. Be creative, probably could bolt on the head

Originally Posted by SS 201

I don't believe you need the ballast resistor anymore. Be creative, probably could bolt on the head

Actually I do have to use the ballast resistor to prevent burning up the Mallory marine distributor magnetically triggered (no points), per the instruction manual for this brand new marine distributor I bought new from ebay. All the different types of installation instructions (that came with) show either a resistor wire setup or a ballast resistor between the coil hookup to the distributor on the positive lead. I have a Mallory Marine coil mounted in a new chrome bracket with a mount for the ballast resistor from JEGS. I put a small rubber flat washer between the mounting tab on the coil bracket and the Ballast resistor to prevent the porcilan from any harsh vibrations. The new Mallory coil wire is about 30 inches long, so I can trim that to fit the location....wherever...Just wondered if most people mounted the coils on the motor...or the intake manifold...or found somewhere else to put these so as to prevent the moisture and heat getting to the coil.

Ballast resistors are only necessary, along with that yellow wire from the starter "R" terminal to step down voltage to the stock points to around 6 volts while running, from 12 volts while starting. They are not necessary and probably won't even work on an HEI setup.

Some Mallory unidark distributors required the ballast resisitor to be used, but a mag pickup distributor should not. Read the instructions.

I mounted the coil to back of one of the heads...seems not to get too wet back there...at least not wet enough to cause any problems.

Originally Posted by lbhsbz

Ballast resistors are only necessary, along with that yellow wire from the starter "R" terminal to step down voltage to the stock points to around 6 volts while running, from 12 volts while starting. They are not necessary and probably won't even work on an HEI setup.

Some Mallory unidark distributors required the ballast resisitor to be used, but a mag pickup distributor should not. Read the instructions.

I mounted the coil to back of one of the heads...seems not to get too wet back there...at least not wet enough to cause any problems.

My instructions for my distributor are very clear, they do state to use a ballast resistor. If I don't use one, Mallory warns the the distributor internals can be damaged. No points on this distributor. Thnaks for the advice on the coil placement. Looks like I will mount it close to the distributor on the head.

Mike

Originally Posted by Mikes1975StarbuckJetBoat

My instructions for my distributor are very clear, they do state to use a ballast resistor. If I don't use one, Mallory warns the the distributor internals can be damaged. No points on this distributor. Thnaks for the advice on the coil placement. Looks like I will mount it close to the distributor on the head.

Mike

Sounds like you have the marine version of a Mallory Unilite. This is NOT a "magnetic breakerless" distributor. It uses a photo-optic trigger, hence the name UniLITE. The Unilite does indeed require a ballast. Wire it as per Mallory instructions. There is very little to worry about in terms of mounting the coil or ballast except, you should keep the coil as upright as possible.

rex marine makes a billet bracket for the oil cooler that will also fit the standard coil, have several customers that have mounted the coil with these , looks really good, makes an easy mount.

Is this the YLM series dist. ? I was looking at one of those and if I remember it said the resistor issue had to do with the coil you use.
I think there was a chrome canister type and one or two of the big box types that could run without a resistor.
Yes the YLM's are magnetic breakerless, YL's are points