A dumb question about motors, distributors and coils.

[Helper Monkey]

It has been so long since I worked on a car with a distributor and a coil that I forgot where the coil sits at. I have a 41 Plymouth and I am going to use the Revell 354 c.i. motor pack in the car. I have a prewired parts by park distributor with coil. I have no idea where to place said coil. Not sure if it mounts to the fender, firewall or the motor. Please help a forgetful person remember.

I looked at a bunch of 331 caddy motors pics but I can not make out where the coil rests. 

[peteski]

Coil sits wherever the owner installed it (since it is not a factory stock setup). Some sit on the engine,next to the distributor, others on the firewall.  You could mount it on the inner fender if you wish.  There is no single correct location. But I would mount it reasonably close to where the distributor is located (to minimize the length of wire run). Now if this was a factory stock model then the coil would have to be mounted in a prototypical accurate location.

[espo]

Since your building a Hot Rod, as has been pointed out , you can mount the coil where ever you want. In the 1:1 scale the coil is usually mounted as close as possible to the distributer to minimize any loss of current. Another reason to mount the coil to the firewall was to help minimize the effects of engine heat on the coil.

[Helper Monkey]

Thanks a lot guys. 

I vaguely remember doing that on my freind's Trans Am GTA like 15 years ago. Just takes a little something to jog that memory lose. 

[MGL]

On the 41 plymouth the factory coil is mounted on the firewall as in the picture at this link http://www.secondchancegarage.com/classic-car-photogallery1/1941-plymouth-special-deluxe-eng1.cfm , you can see the rear most wire coming up from the distributor is going to the coil. I used a Parts by Parks distributor on the last 41 plymouth I did and set the coil in the depression molded in the fire wall for the kit supplied coil.

Edited November 3, 2015 by MGL

[Lizard Racing]

If possible, research the 1:1 car, or one similar.  As stated above, coils can be mounted almost anywhere.