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Didn't say if it ever ran good?
If the electrical system is not working the electronic ignition won't work either, so that has to be addressed - first. If it's been like that for a while, I'd replace the battery too. I don't like troubleshooting when the power supply is in question. Then at least you know that part is not in question.
Best to contact Pertronix as the total resistance is crucial for performance, may have too much or too little. Their tech guy was a big help for me when I put mine in. I'm familiar with the 12V- ones, and the ballast resister was by-passed, if I recall. I used their coil as that's another resistance possibility and it was much hotter than stock. I recall the 6V+ 23 series doesn't have any added coil resistance and if you use the wrong # coil with one, it won't run well even with points.
Having the cap and rotor contacts "burn" is not a good sign. Kinda indicates the spark is happening more in the cap than the plug. So ditching those resistance "R" plugs would be easy fix. Make sure using the correct plug gap for the new ones.
Once that's sorted, I'd check the timing too, when they don't run good at higher rpm could be not enough advance, but sounds like an ignition woe...
We kinda forget the old days when we had points cars and the frequency of the "tune-ups" we did. We're spoiled by the modern systems.

Yes those points should be aligned. Looks like the reg was not made right in the first place. Bend em back. Then to test it, just reattach it with the cover off. Around 13V or so at the generator you should see the cutout contact pull in and even higher than that the voltage contact should vibrate on and off to regulate the voltage, though it may not be easy to see. Just keep an eye on the generator voltage as you rev the engine between idle and highway speed.

Jim - ha, you're right! I've gotta say yes, really, it runs very well. It idles smoothly, almost silently, it has no issues with light to medium acceleration, but it becomes resistant/disagreeable once you're accelerating past 40 or so and try to move it along further. It'll go 55-60, but it gets to missing a lot trying to get there. Once the direct drive engages and the engine slows, the ride smooths out. I will say, too, for the record, that it's a 327 mated to its original and presumably un-rebuilt Ultramatic. I'll verify six degrees again, too.

I'm using their .6 Ohm Flame-Thrower coil on there (their literature recommends this for eight cylinder applications). I do have an email in to Pertronix with a bunch of these questions, and generally just verifying I'm on the right track with what I'm pursuing as solutions.

Owen - will keep an eye out for the 303s, too, if these 295s don't work out.

HPH - yeah, that's the sense I had as well. I'll mess with them a little more and see where we end.

Thanks, guys!

I used to have a very HOT 6 volt coil. I don't remember who made it, but it would throw a spark close to 2" on 6 volts. It could not be used without a resistor in the primary circuit because sparks would jump around inside the distributor cap and cause the engine to misfire badly. If you removed the distributor cap and cranked the engine, sparks would jump from the coil wire contact to one or more of the plug wire contacts.

I've found that most stock ignition systems work very well and give very little trouble.

If you have ongoing issues with points, it's because something in the system is not right.

I've had far more trouble,inconvenience, and expense with older model electronic systems (Mopar in particular) than I ever had with point-type systems.

The most reliable starting, smooth-running cars I've ever owned have been equipped with stock 6 volt electric systems.

By the way, you may as well look through the electrical section starting at page 7 to find the various specifications and tests for the generator system.

https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/servicemanual5556/Sect08_Electrical.pdf

Hey gang - wanted to share the feedback I received from Pertronix...

- weak or no charging system will cause the ignitor to operate at low voltage and will cause issues at load conditions. For me, my generator is good, but the regulator preventing any charge getting through the system ultimately handicaps the performance of the ignitor.

.6 Ohm coil and suppression wires are correct

- he suggested it didn't matter if the spark plugs were resistor-type and focused more on increasing the gap (.03-.05).

He also attached the following troubleshooting guide to sort out a variety of issues tied to ground resistance. Hope this helps anyone sorting their electronic ignition! Will share an update once I get some new parts intalled.

Attach file:

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IGNITOR POSITIVE GROUND TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE .pdf Size: 269.44 KB; Hits: 34

Yep, the new aftermarket voltage regulators are pretty much garbage. Standard Motor Products makes them for just about everybody. They are not set right out of the box. You must do that yourself. Read your service manual. It tells you how to do it. So will a Motor Manual that covers your year range.

Never remove the voltage regulator cover with the battery cable hooked up. If the cover touches one of the wires or relays inside, it will fry everything.

First, you must align the contacts so they are square to each other. Bend the fixed contact rather than the one connected to the armature.

Second, you must set the armature air gap. This is done with a feeler gauge.

Third, you must set the contact gap. Feeler gauge again.

Now you install the regulator on the car and adjust the following:

1. Set your cutout relay with a voltmeter on the generator terminal of the regulator by idling the engine. The relay should be open. Now speed the engine up slowly until the relay contacts "float" or just barely close and note the voltage reading. It should match specification, or about 6.4 volts. Bend the tab on the armature spring to adjust.

2. Set your voltage regulator relay. The manual will have a temperature chart for what voltage it should be at various ambient temperatures. A thermal temp gun helps with this. You do this one with the voltmeter on the generator terminal, the engine at 1500 rpm, and the headlights on. The manual will have the spec, but it should be about 7.1 volts. Bend the armature spring tab to adjust.

3. Finally, set your current regulator relay. This one is a bit tricky if you don't have a carbon pile and an amp clamp. The best tool is a Sun VAT-40. Basically, you put a heavy load on the battery to send the generator up to maximum output then read the amps coming out of the generator. The spec will be in your manual. It should be about 40 amps. Bend spring tab to adjust. Just leave it alone if you don't have the right tools. This setting is the most tolerant one. Close enough is good enough on it.

4. Put the cover back on the regulator and recheck the voltage setting. The presence of the cover changes the setting, so you might have to fiddle with it a bit.

If you have a dead battery, hook that up then jumpstart the car to get more draw when setting the amps.

Like Joe said, it's not super critical, and if you trickle charge your battery and drive only at daytime, you probably won't hit the amp limit on your generator anyway.

Hey Red - I completely missed this. I threw the new regulator on the car, it started charging and running well. That said, looks like I need to go back and review.

I want to practice the procedure you outlined on the old voltage regulator. I've opened up my manual and, well, I've got some questions.

The manual refers to the "Circuit Breaker" and "Current Regulator." My three connections refer to the Armature, Field, and Battery; which is the breaker and which is the regulator?

Also confused by what the difference is between the air gap and contact gap.

Will do some more digging on the forum, too. I see I'm not the first to have questions on all this. Thanks for outlining all this.

I would suggest you go to the literature archive and download the Autolite Generator Training Book and browse thru. It has all the definitions you asked about as well as theory on how regulators and generators work together to charge the battery.

While the book and photos may be older than items in your car, the theory still holds. The inside of the regulators will all look somewhat similar but details and where specific components are located inside the regulator is not a constant. The actual placement and how an item looks can vary between brands or even between models from the same brand.