High-Voltage Coil Creates Hole in Pistons?

64bird wrote:

> I have a 64 Thunderbird with a rebuilt 390 (stock) with aftermarket
> intake, carb, and cam. I read a post somewhere that adding a
> high-voltage coil can cause the spark to jump and thus burning a hole
> in stock pistons. The idea is that the engines were not designed to
> handle more than 30,000 volts. I just want to know if anyone has an
> opinion about this? Do you agree with this assessment?
>

Complete horsefeathers.

However, there's no need for these "super duper monster mega coils!"
that the speed shops like to sell. A number of years ago, we were
looking for an automotive coil to use in a piece of research equipment
(completely non automobile related) and we bought an measured quite a
few to see what the peak voltage they could put out was. The best
performer? A generic stock-looking coil from K-mart. The worst
performer? That gigantic bright yellow plastic cased coil Accel used to
sell.

Not possible. And those high-voltage Pep Boys special coils are
nothing more that a way to separate you from your money.

In article .com>,
says...
>
>I have a 64 Thunderbird with a rebuilt 390 (stock) with aftermarket
>intake, carb, and cam. I read a post somewhere that adding a
>high-voltage coil can cause the spark to jump and thus burning a hole
>in stock pistons. The idea is that the engines were not designed to
>handle more than 30,000 volts. I just want to know if anyone has an
>opinion about this? Do you agree with this assessment?
>

Totally bogus!!!!!!!! The spark will only jump to the gap of
the plug because it is closer, and, there isn't enough spark energy
to do that kind of damage even if you broke off the ground side
of the gap, and it did arc to the piston (Which it still won't)

We used auto coils for a ESD torture test box several years ago. We
found that the best thing for our purpose was a double-top-tit round
coil used on Onan stationary engines. One of the guys in the shop had a
homemade air boat with a four cylinder Continental with a homemade
ignition that used four of these. Each cylinder had two plugs, but
instead of one coil per jug, he found that a arrangement using one coil
for two cylinders each,doubled, and fired in pairs (the 'wasted spark')
worked best. The stock magnetoes were almost a thousand dollars
each-his homemade arrangement cost $100.