Tech advice sought on coil

Jon B

I am incredibly ignorant of automotive ignition systems. Could someone please tell me which terminal on the coil (pos or neg) is attached to the ignition switch, and which to the side of the distributor? I'm trying to explain how to hook up an aftermarket ignition switch to a friend who's equally ignorant. In my '37 the coil terminals aren't identified with markings; the "top" terminal is connected to the wire that travels (through a shielded cable) to the ignition, the "bottom" terminal goes to the side of the distributor. But I suspect he has a newer aftermarket coil with (+) (-) markings, not the original Hudson coil like mine. So I don't know how to tell him to hook it up!

Jon B

Thanks for clarifying, Ken. My friend's car is a '37 Terraplane just like mine, but (I suspect) there are a number of non-original tweaks under the hood. So, I need to be prepared to speak to him in terms of those tweaks (like a non original coil, if it's that). Anyway, thanks again for 'splaining that.

Jon B

Correct. The cloth-covered wire inside the armored cable eventually shorts out on the cable, with catastrophic results. So, many late-thirties ignition switches have been replaced with aftermarket switches (no armored cable) and thus there's no need to stick with the original style coil that mates with the armored cable. (My cable shorted out several years ago but luckily we have people in the Club who can rebuild them.)