Boy, I did a number on Vera this time, I was so excited after the new carb install, I decided she needed a good wash after sitting under a black walnut tree for 6 months, so I slid down to our local car wash that carries engine degreaser and power washed under the hood, and no I do not need a lecture on my level of stupidity. It ran during and after the wash, then died 5 minutes later. I cleaned every terminal I could find and dried them all which ended in a long tow home. After testing and finding no power at the coil, I found that the signals and fuel gauge do not work and they did an hour before. Hazards are OK. I replaced the ignition control module I had sitting around, which has only 2 terminals on this model and after following a wiring diagram, I find no ballast resistor on the inline 6. Before I go taking off all of the tubing and factory harness tape looking for a short and probing every wire in the thing do you guys have any thoughts? Oh, forgot, if I jump the Battery + to the Coil + she fires right up. I found high resistance on the ignition power to the coil wire, so I replaced the ignition switch, it had melted at one time and the dark blue center terminal was bad. Made no difference.
Thanks, Howard.

 

The brain box (ignition controller) must have a good ground. I'd unbolt it from the body and make sure the ground connection is good. Did you hit the bulkhead connector with the power washer? They are fairly well sealed but over time they might have started to leak and when you power washed it, some water might have gotten in.

 

When you say you jump the battery + to coil+, you mean you are just putting 12 volts directly to the coil+, right? If that works, you are bypassing the ignition module I believe, which seems to me to be the problem. You either got water in it and hurt the box, or the ground was questionable and the water did it in. People tend to overlook the importance of grounds in a car. They are literally half the electrical system.

 

I broke down and am going to put an HEI in it. There is an incredible article here on how to do it. The wife ordered the parts for my birthday! She says that should keep me out of her hair for at least a few days. I'll update after I rip out the computer and check it out.

 

You can do the same thing by putting in a pertronics unit in the distributor.
https://pertronixbrands.com/pages/pertronix-ignition