Spitfire Coils

[Triumphgt6]

I have a 1967 Mk111 Spitfire, finished building last year. Used all summer but last twice out in November, the car has stopped suddenly and refused to re-start . First time after 15 miles around the village roads, next time after less than a mile. Next morning, starts straight away. No fuel problem and going to change distributor to electronic. But it has been suggested that the coil could be at fault, because it gets hot!!. I used it in the summer when the weather was warm. Can this be so about the coil?

[Clive]

Possible. 

Only real way to tell is to substitute a known good coil, which is where borring one off a friends car is helpful. I have done that by simply cable tying it in place for the test (ie when the other one is suspected of failing, just swap the connections over) 

As a thought, you do have a 12V non ballasted coil, 3ohms resistance? 

Other potential failures are rotor arms if less that about 12 years old, and indeed points, condensors and caps of a similar age.

Really it is a matter of elimination. 

[Pete Lewis]

this could also be a classic case of the coil polarity is reversed  this can cause al sorts of peculiar stops and starts 

make sure the neg goes to the dizzy and the pos  has the white ign feed 

Pete