Dennis Carpenter coil for 37 - 41

drolston

Well-known member
I have been helping a non-Barn friend with his '39 fire engine. Got it running but died when hot. It was the helmet coil, oozing tar. He would like to keep an original style coil and asked about the Dennis Carpenter reproduction 78-12024-A.


This is a parade vehicle, so it just needs to start and run reliably for a few hours each year. I said the Dennis Carpenter coil should work fine. But my advice was based on no actual experience with those coils.


Do we have a general thumbs up on the Carpenter unit, or should he do the coil conversion thing?
 
I vote for "option C", not listed. Get an authentic Ford script coil and have George Haney rebuild it.
The repop coils are good sometimes. To me, sometimes is not good enough.

I think the conversion looks like crap and is completely unnecessary.
 
Was there a resistor in line to the coil? That needs to be checked before putting on another coil.
 
Listen to "Kube". He has more experience with this stuff than anyone else I am aware of.
 
vote for Skip's coils--I use them all the time, even 12 volt conversions that he does. Save your money -do not purchase a DC coil. I keep coils in stock to fix other guy's rides.
 
I will advise him to send his original coil to Skip for a rebuild. Worth the extra thirty bucks.
 
Definitely go with Skip Haney. He has rebuilt many coils for me over the years and recently he did four '33 to '36 coils for me. Two of these four were for Lawrie, our Fordbarn member and good friend from Australia, which he carried back home with him after attending the Early Ford V-8 Club's GNM in Dearborn, Michigan this June. When Skip rebuilds these coils they function very well and look beautiful!
 
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I vote for "option C", not listed. Get an authentic Ford script coil and have George Haney rebuild it.
The repop coils are good sometimes. To me, sometimes is not good enough.

I think the conversion looks like crap and is completely unnecessary.

The carpenter coil i got off ebay was made in china and lasted 15 mins. at least it was good for target practice. I agree the conversions look like crap. sent an old coil to skip and all is good.
 
We are a carpenter dealer and I will not carry their coils.They are junk

Michael, I've heard about this for at least 3 or 4 years now, and based on the number of complaints I've read here, and on other websites, I totally believe they are junk. I've gotta wonder if you and some of the other Early Ford Parts businesses have complained to the folks presently running Dennis Carpenter's business?.
 
I vote for "option C", not listed. Get an authentic Ford script coil and have George Haney rebuild it.
The repop coils are good sometimes. To me, sometimes is not good enough.

I think the conversion looks like crap and is completely unnecessary.

I'll second this advice.
 
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