69 Z10 Ignition problem/ electrical?

[Jeremy]

Not quite a Super Car but I have found this site best for more technical questions. I have a 69 Z10 with a 300 Hp 350, The last time I drove the car I noticed it was running a little ruff, I thought it needed new points. Changed the points and did not fix the problem. While I was working on the car I noticed the cotton braided wire to the coil was hot to the point it was starting to smoke. I am guessing this to be the resistor wire? I pulled the block loose from the fire wall and cut the loom open and found no short or damaged wire. I seperated the fuse block from the inside of the car and found no damaged or pinched wires. the wire is only getting hot in the engine compartment side of the fire wall, not inside the car. Could this resistor wire be breaking down causing resistance within the wire itself? I ordered a new engine harness thinking the resistor wire might be bad? I did change coils also but no difference.

thanks for any help or suggestions guys.

[WILMASBOYL78]

Chances are that wire is bad between the coil and the fuse block. Try running a jumper wire for 12 volts and see what happens. Just had the same thing happen on one of my BB cars. When that resistor wire goes for good the car won't run at all.

wilma

[Pantera]

The safe way is to get a ceramic ballast resister (ala 57 chev) and put it inline in place of the defective hot wire and run it from the wire harness outlet to your coil.

Your coil actually runs on 9v. to keep from destroying the points. If you run 12v very long they (your points) will transfer metal (pit or burn) and will not last too long.

PS: be sure to change the condenser too.

An experience I recently had, with regard to HEI distributor use, in my 69 Nova with big block, was having to cut the original resistance wire out of my original harness and using a larger guage wire to handle the "draw". My old resistance wire was causing the same problem as you desribed. No problems afterward, and the engine seems to be running better and the cam seems to be "hitting" harder. I guess the spark has been strenthened.