QuestionIn re: to Sarah's new coil, we have the same old type and cannot figure out how to disconnect it. We got coil off fire wall, but the cable goes from coil to ignition with no way to disconnect it? The back of the coil has a large flange, so it won;t pass through the firewall and the "armored" cable seems not to be detachable from coil or ignition unit??? How do we get it off?
AnswerHello Bob,
I've had the same dilemma on my Packard. Here's what I did:
The flange seems to be the best component to attack. I took a Dremel with the cut-off wheel attachment and cut the flange off right where it meets the cable. If you're careful, you won't cut the wire doing this. Then remove starter button and rest of the cable through the dash.
I found that looking closely at the starter button assembly, the cable, which looked like one piece, was actually flanged into the back of the starter button housing with 2 rivets that I drilled out. As I wasn't concerned about absolute authenticity, and since my wiring was shot and shorting to the metal coil anyway, I simply rewired the starter button to the coil conventionally using shrink tubing for protection, and grommeting the firewall pass through. I suspect OEM replacement parts have coil and starter switch separated for easier service and what you're struggling with is the original coil/switch assembly.
One more thing. Remember that this is a single wire, internal condenser system versus more modern coils that have 2 wires with the condenser external to the coil. You'll need to get the correct replacement if you want to stay original.
Best of luck on this fine car!
Bob
