INTERMITTENT IGNITION ISSUE

I hate to do this, but I’m going to throw some parts into this, in one fell swoop. I think the intermittent nature of this ignition issue calls for this approach, instead of utilizing the process of elimination. There doesn’t appear to be any way to take an educated guess to narrow down a possible solution, so I don’t break down and get towed home numerous times.

When this issue first began with the Pertronix Ignitor III in 2021, I replaced the mechanical voltage regulator with an electronic voltage regulator. What’s odd is that I also had to replace the voltage limiter when my gauges quit working shortly thereafter. I also noticed that my ground strap from the block to the firewall had broken off. After making these changes, the ignition issue went away for the rest of the summer, but returned and got worse in 2022.

I originally purchased the Pertronix coil with the Ignitor III. I also tested an MSD Blaster coil from another car. I don’t think it is the ballast resistor because I bypassed it for the Pertronix. I also installed the correct spark plug wires (72 and up) when I installed the Pertronix.

Are there any additional thoughts on what defective parts could cause a loose connection/open circuit for only a second, eventually causing the engine to die, followed by immediately being able to restart the engine? The ignition switch seems possible. What about a defective ammeter or bulkhead connections?

As far as a short circuit to ground for a second…could a defective alternator, bulkhead connections, starter relay, battery etc cause this to happen?

Are there any recommendations on where to buy the best quality ignition switch, bulkhead connectors and engine wiring.

A couple of years before these issues occurred, I hired Instrument Specialties to convert one of my ammeters to a voltmeter. But when I read the Mad Electric Ammeter Conversion Instructions, I thought all that rewiring was over my head, so I didn’t install the voltmeter. Last week I removed my gauge cluster and I am going to install that voltmeter and hopefully figure out the wiring. I also think I will change back to the Pertronix and see what happens.

Thanks for all the feedback.