Ballast resistor

[biggreg70]

Would a 1970 f250 with a 360 use a ballast resistor?

[fordman]

not originally. it would use a resistor wire. pink from the ignition switch to the firewall and then it would be a different color out to the engine.

[biggreg70]

if i were going to rewire it could i use a ballast resistor in place of that pink wire

[Hawkrod]

if i were going to rewire it could i use a ballast resistor in place of that pink wire

Just curious, why? It is not like they fail very often. There are literally millions of Fords on the road that use the wire and it isn't an issue so why fix something that is not broken? The way I see it, it is kind of like saying "if I were going to put in a new engine, I would use a Chevy". Hawkrod

[biggreg70]

im rewiring the whole truck with a painless and they give you one with the harness.

[mk]

I think very few people would do that for the heck of it. A friend bought a '67 Fairlane rewired by some amateur that didn't understand the Ford wiring and it's got a mopar resistor that seems to be working so far...


mike

[Thunderfoot]

im rewiring the whole truck with a painless and they give you one with the harness.

Yes, if you are rewiring the truck you need to use a ballast resistor or a resistor wire for the coil, unless you are upgrading the ignition system to one that uses full 12V to the coil then you don't need it. FYI the you can get a new resistor wire at the parts stores if you don't want to use the ballast resistor, but both do the same thing...

[biggreg70]

Thanks Thunderfoot