Picked up this 26/27 coil box from ebay: need help seeing what's salvageable. Pictures included

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: Picked up this 26/27 coil box from ebay: need help seeing what's salvageable. Pictures included
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Matthew Atchinson on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 04:11 pm:

Hey guys,

I recently picked up 2 26/27 coil boxes for my T off of Ebay. Got them both for $26 +$15 shipping: not bad. The one is pretty shoddy so I'm only posting pictures of the one here. I want to know if the wiring looks salvageable: it looks ok to me. I know really the only way to know for sure is to test it though. Also, I am trying to identify this timer that came with it wired up. Does it look ok to use? Is it original? Also, why do the inside 2 spark plug wires look very different from the outside two? Is this right?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Matthew Atchinson on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 04:13 pm:


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Matthew Atchinson on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 04:14 pm:


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Noel D. Chicoine, MD, Pierre, SD on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 04:21 pm:

All the contacts and fittings look good to me. The FIRST thing I would do is purchase a Fun Projects coil box repair kit and replace all that wood with it. Either do it now or do it later! Use the original contacts, not the reproduction ones. The originals hold their spring tension. The material in the kit eliminates any shorts through the wood WHEN it gets wet. I don't see a top to the box. You'll need it and a gasket to go between the box and top as well.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 04:31 pm:

Salvageable? My TT doesn't have any parts that look that good. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 04:43 pm:

I agree with Noel about John Regan's Fun Projects coil box kit. A good investment. John is now supplying the correct contacts too, if you need any of those. Be sure any you get come from him, so you don't wind up with any of the ones Noel mentioned.

The timer looks like the regular Ford type, and from the pictures looks OK to me. How's the roller?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 04:46 pm:

I cleaned the contacts of very old wiring for my last car and it works great. I agree with Noel on the wood. Too porous to be reliable.
Rich


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Matthew Atchinson on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 06:47 pm:

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm just a broke college kid so i bought this one because it looks quite usable: guess I was right. I will definitely invest in a wood kit some time down the road. So you guys think even the wiring looks ok? That's great! Now for the other question: why are the spark plug wires different? The outside (black) two have a sort of hollow fitting like a tube whereas the inside two have just circular flat pieces. Any ideas why? The timer did not come with a roller but I have a few at home so it should be ok. Would a tifer timer roller fit this one?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Matthew Atchinson on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 06:50 pm:

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: My grandfather has a very unique looking late coil box. It's for a 1926 Model T powered worthington golf tractor for mowing. The coil box is set up like a 26/27 T, but is all metal, lid and all. The back panel is even metal. When you open it and look in the bottom it looks as if there's a ceramic like coat on the bottom? Anyone ever heard of a coil box like this?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John F. Regan on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 09:07 pm:

Make absolutely sure that all spark plug wires you use have a solid conductor wire at the center of them. Modern wires typically are powdered carbon and those will result in coil damage in short order. Your coil box has not been rewooded properly because the back panel should have grooves in it to allow those contacts to sit in and thus not interfere with the insertion of the coils. The bottom strip is not the correct one for the box but is out of a later '13-'25 coil box and there should also be a groove in the bottom for the correct contact strip to sit in. The correct 26/27 contact strip is slightly different in that it has the mounting holes in different spots and it consists of an overall shorter piece. You can compare the differences if you go to my site and look at the pictures of the coil box contacts. There are also line drawings available with the installation instructions for the 26/27 coil box liner kit. Those will show you what you are looking for. The terminals installed in the back are the correct 26/27 contacts but check them carefully if you disassemble this box and look for any cracks or badly worn areas. These contacts are in fact "springs" and it is important that they be tensioned just right so that when the car hits a bump the coils still maintain contact with the box. The coil box kit installation instructions can be downloaded for free along with other useful T info. Check it out at www.funprojects.com


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Halpin on Thursday, October 31, 2013 - 11:44 pm:

Matt, my late 27 has an all metal coil box with a metal lid.


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