Ignition woos

The 74B has logged about 3400 miles since the rebuild and has run sweet until tonight. I took the car out on an hour drive and parked it for about an hour and half. When I returned, I fired it up and it just didn't feel right.

As I drove (limped) the 35 or so miles home I noticed the following symtoms:

1. Engine completely missing - almost like a plug wire was disconnected. I believe the roughness increased through the trip.
2. No power at all
3. Tach reading low - 50 mph @ 1400 in 4th, idle @ 0 - 200
4. Temp appeared a little low (I'm in Texas)
5. Massive, run-on backfiring at at times.

Later, I hooked up a light and got such a slow pulse I couldn't even check timing.

I am guessing its the Pertronix electronic ingition, but its strange that the car purred on the way up to the lake and then bang - problems.

Any ideas to guide me? I guess this is why we all know, love, and drive LBS's.

Thanks,

Bill

e-mail the Petronix guys!! I wonder if is the coil though!! Let it cool down and see how it runs!! GOOD LUCK!!!!

see if you distributor has come loose

Sounds like a timing problem, as well.

Grounds....they can do really weird things when they get bad. Check every connection you can get to that involves ignition. You can do a static timing check to see if the distributor has turned. Any possibility that the timing chain may have jumped a cog? Pull on each wire from the ignition unit all the way to the pickup inside the distributor. If one stretches inside the insulation, there's your problem. I know, 'cause mine would run fine, then quit like somebody turned off the key. Turns out when the vacuum advance rotated the plate inside the dizzy, the wire opened up, then when the RPM dropped it touched back together. Could you have a bad plug or high voltage coil wire that's arcing? Another head scratcher!

Mine was doing the same thing account the vacuum hose going to the brake assist was perished and when it got hot it just went all to hell.