I know what the msd blaster instructions say about using the low resistance coil with alternative "triggers. But in doing many of these installs, I'm saying the instructions are wrong along with being very ambiguous. "might" work in some system installs, but not for IH apps! It's not the first time I've been involved in "wrong" information from msd marketing, and they hate it when ya point that fact out to 'em!
To prove my point...I did exactly what they describe using the blaster ss (0.55 ohm coil) and it fried the pertronix in under 60 seconds at idle.
Those instructions are not written for installation in vehicles which have a "ballasted" or resistive feed to the coil with the switch in the run position! If you add the recommended ballast resistor, the coil will not fire if wired in series with a resistor wire, threshold voltage is reduced way to much to actuate the pertronix. M if you run a direct b+ feed through the resistor and the low resistance coil, the pertonix will go up in flames!
And there is no need to use a coil with low resistance in any inductive ignition system, that is a "mis-match"! You can use the pertronix to "trigger" an msd, crane, pertronix, mallory, jacobs, etc. Cd ignition unit though, and use the low resistance coil for added spark energy! In fact, those cd boxes love the low resistance coil down to about 0.40 ohms, any less than that will be of no value on a street/trail motor, and it's service life will be real short! That is a drag race deal only!
On the side of the pertronix module is a small white or silver label with a code number indicating "which" p-tron module number is installed on the adapter plate. As I've mentioned before, not all the individual electronic module/pickups are the same item, they make many different ones! That label is a heat-sensitive "indicator". If the incorrect coil match is made, the the p-tron carries too much current real quick. It burns "open" internally and that heat sensitive label shrinks immediately, that is a "tell-tale" for pertonix inna "warranty" situation and tells them that someone installed a coil with the wrong primary resistance spec!!!
I cooked one on purpose to prove this theory, I keep it with my "training" parts and samples so I can do show and tell!
This same thing will happen if ya try and run a low resistance coil with a Holley gold box system, or the prestolite electronic distributor with conventional coils. Since msd does not market a "breaker point replacement" unit like the crane, pertronix, mallory system, etc. Then they have no point of reference for which type trigger (or breaker points) will be used with that coil. I call that irresponsible marketing. If you ran breaker points with that low resistance coil, they would prolly overheat and weld the contacts (or melt 'em) in under an hour of operation.
Use the coil with a primary resistance as recommended by pertonix for the application, that would be in the 1.4ohm>1.8ohm range. If you use the pertronix as a trigger for an add-on cd ignition box, then you can use the msd coil you described. However, msd does supply a "blaster" series coil for the correct spec, along with the accel coil, the mallory coil, and the pertronix coil! A coil is a coil if the resistance values are within range and the "turn ratio" is similar. The most important factor is the primary resistance!
Bottom line...there is much "marketing crap" involved with selling these "high performance" upgrades! Ya better be well versed in this stuff to know what can be used with what! That is what we are trying to do with these threads in this forum. Several folks around here know stuff like this and have tried and failed many times with using the latest "trick" parts! Some of it works, much of it does not! And nearly always...the marketing guapo is written for only chryfordrolet stuff and using the latest msd/mallory/dui/accel/pertronix distributor, all of which are basically clones of each other and the original delco hei system, either big cap or small cap!
When dealing with this kinda stuff ya gotta do your homework and look at properly matched components. Look at an ignition system upgrade/swap taking the systems approach and don't mix and match abuncha stuff from many sources! And...do not use systems marketed for "race", drag race, circle track, marine racing, etc. That stuff does not provide the appropriate characteristics for typical daily-driver street/trail use at all!
Much of this kinda stuff I'm dealing with in this thread:
http://www.forums.IHPartsAmerica.com/ignition-tech/644-ignition-system-performance-upgrades.html
In that thread I describe the "low resistance coil" meltdown I forced as an experiment to illustrate my point.
