installing mallory unilite

Also, the car is a stock '71

I installed a Mallory Unilite last year without incident. See this link for details:
http://www.banzairunnerpantera.com/updates_distrinstall.htm

Make sure you have a ballast resistor. I'll dig around the garage this afternoon to see if I can find the wiring diagram Dennis Quella provided with the distributor.

Cheers!
Garth

...It looks to me that since you have your 'Red' wire (12 Volts DC) Directly coming off of the + side of the coil, and AFTER the Ballast Resister; that You are trying to run the Ignition Module on a Reduced Voltage. The Ballast Resister is ONLY used to lowere the Voltage to the Coil to keep it from overheating; Nothing else. The fix is to move the Red+ wire to the connection BEFORE the Resister, which should be coming from the Ignition Switch 'RUN' position. Also! I Did NOT ground (Brown wire) my system to any 'Bracket' or even to the Engine. I Grounded it to a screw at the sheet metal firewall. Lastly Yes! The Green wire ( MINUS 12 Volts DC) DOES go to the 'Minus' side of the coil, which is also the point where You connect the Tachometer 'Signal' Wire. There should be NO other wires going to the - side of the coil! It fired right up for me, and the Tach and everything else has worked flawlessly ever since. Good-Luck with it! Let us know how You make out. P.S. When you get it running! If you should have any problems with 'Cold Starting' or 'Hot Starting', for that matter; ask us about the jumper wire that goes from the starter solinoid, and THAT wire DOES go directly to the positive side of the coil. The purpose being to Bypass the resister and shoot FULL voltage to the coil upon Starting-up ONLY! I have Not yet found a need to connect this particular wire, here in California. All the best.

Thanks guys.. This gives me a better understanding of what's going on. I'll work on it sometime this week.

Marlin,
From your above post, I have several questions.
I installed a high-torque starter several years ago from Quella ( bypassing the starter solenoid) & an MSD-6AL box & appropriate tach adaptor for my Mallory Unilite distributor last Fall. I have bypassed the two factory ballast resistors mounted on the firewall & not added a separate ballast resistor. Everything is working OK except for very slow cranking speed of the starter as if it's not receiving good voltage. Do you think my problem is at least partly ( if not all ) due to my lack of a Ballast resistor?? Your thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks!

Bob Radefeld
#5042

...Hello BoB! The Ballast Resister will have nothing to do with the Cranking 'Speed' of the Starter Motor. It (The Lack of a Resister) WILL have everything to do with the coil getting Hot enough to butn your hand, and distroy itself. The later Panteras My '74, Maybe '73's did NOT have a 'Separate' ballast resister! Instead they had a Resister wire (Solid Blue). Which, by the way WILL MELT (and the Coil will get very Hot), as in My case; if you have a 'Dual Point' distributor and One of the Point sets stays closed (never opens). Some heat IS normal for the coil, but never THAT Hot! I have since gone to an electronic ignition. NOW, to Your main question of slow cranking! The following comes to mind: 1. How old is the Battery? The connections (Posts and Clamps) must be Shiny Clean where they contact each other, and where the Cable goes into the Clamp, must be 'Solid' and secure. I recommend every New Pantera Owner, first thing, go out and buy the Largest Cold Cranking Amp Battery that they can stuff into the Battery tray. If it is over 3 years old, it is on it's way out! You can verify this by connecting a Volt/Ohm meter to the Battery and Observe the Voltage Drop through the windshield while you crank the engine. 2. You write that Your 'High Torque' Starter Motor is fairly new. I have 'seen', a couple of Brand-New Starters that were faulty from the start. 3. Very rarely the case! But if the contacts in the Starter Solinoid are Badly Burned, this could cause a lose in Amperage to the Starter. Again get out the Volt Meter and connect it to the Post AT the Starter Motor Itself, and Make Sure you are getting Voltage. How Much!? It Should not drop 'Much' below (if I remember right) 10.0 - 10.5 Volts while at Full Cranking. That's about all I can help You with. Good-Luck with it!! #5723

Thanks for your reply Marlin! I'll get out in the garage this weekend & do some testing.

Bob