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Typ 3,
Last week I installed the Crane/Allison X700 pointless ignition along with
Pertronix Mag Plus Flame Thrower 8mm spark plug wires. I will add a Crane
coil (40,000V) once it arrives this week, but a few comments about this
system and its installation.
Contrary to what you might have read in the "tech section" of various VW
magazines, this is not really a simple bolt-on job. At least not for Type
3 owners. You can't just open the distributor, drop in the new parts and
drive away happily. Anyone who has ever spent an hour changing the spark
plugs on a T3 will know that there is not a lot of room in a Type 3 engine
compartment for movement.
The first job was to cut all of the spark plug wires to the correct length.
This is not easy as you have to also put all of the end pieces on the
wires after you have correctly chosen the plug wire length. These wires
are so thick that you can not use the orginal plastic wire holders, which
mount on or around the fan shroud. The wires themselves are very nice and
I cut mine a little longer than the old ones. This gave me some extra
length and helped to hide the wires in the end. You do have to remove all
of the plugs to attach the metal end pieces to each plug. You end up with
about one meter of left over plug wire - the coil wire itself is about 50cm
long. This wire is quite expensive and worth saving for a rainy day.
I built a mounting bracket for the brain-box of the ignition, which I
welded to the driver's side engine compartment wall, just above the place
where the electrical wires from the rear turn signal come into the
compartment. It was to this bracket that I attached the brain-box of the
ignition system. Unfortunately, it is pretty much out of sight (it is
really nice looking and a cool addition to the engine), but it is also out
of harm's way and gets enough air to keep cool. I also built a bracket for
the coil. I wanted to move the coil off of its original mounting place on
the fan shroud. I welded this bracket as well to the same side wall of the
engine compartment and the coil is now easy to remove and all of the wires
to it are easy to get at. The coil is also hidden somewhat, and when using
an electric fuel pump (mounted at the front of the car), the engine looks
bare, but uncluttered. I like this simplified look.
Installing the new parts in the distributor was probably the easiest part
of the whole job. Points and condensor out - new parts in. One tiny screw
was all that was needed to attach everything. You do have to use a stock
Bosch rotor though. There is not enough clearance under the 009 rotor to
spin above the new "points" that are inside of the distributor.
The instructions with the ignition were easy to understand and once I had
everything attached to the car and the distributor back in place, the whole
job was finished by connecting the wires to the coil, grounding the box to
the generator and cleaning up the wires. It looks best to try to hide
wires or tie them together. Then you have just one clump of wires neatly
together intead of lose wires hanging here, there and everywhere.
I did all of this work during three consecutive evenings and already when
only the plug wires were installed, I noticed a slight difference. Once
everything was online and the timing set, I was a bit surprised by the
improvement. I do not have any scientific evidence other than "I know how
my Square drives at all times" or then seat of my pants experience, but
something is different. Even when cold, the idle is smoother and overall
running is much improved. Moreover, acceleration is noticably smoother and
quicker. I won't make any claims that I have somehow unleashed hidden
horsepower, but it has made the driving experience better. I am really
pleased, and surprised that there were no problems once it was installed.
The Bosch Blue Coil makes approximately 17,000V and the Crane coil makes
40,000V (wires are rated to handle up to 40,000V), but I do not think that
there will be any further improvement with a more powerful coil. I am
satisfied anyway at this point.
In the U.S., this system with plug wires and the coil will cost about
$195.00 (it was 65% more that here in Finland). The rest is up to you.
There should not be any added costs if you do it all yourself, which is
quite fun.
I am not an agent of nor representative for any of the abovementioned
products. Just a Type 3 driver who enjoys working on his car! Mail me if
you have any thoughts.
Patrick
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P a t r i c k J o e l M o r t o n
Owner of, "Helmut", a 1963 Pearl White,
Resto-Cal Custom Volkswagen Beetle &
"Urs", a 1967 Baltic Blue Squareback,
which will eat all of my money for years to come ...
E-mail Address:
patmor@utu.fi
Home: +358 2 469 8535
GSM/Text: +358 40 502 2654
Home Address:
Rauhankatu 28 as 27
FIN - 20100 TURKU
Finland
"The older I become, the farther away I am from the
potential that I once had."
-- Patrick J. Morton
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