Pre-war (up to 1942) Coil, 1936-1942, original style

[Dennis Rizzuto Jr]

Replacing coil: I have an original style coil in my 1936 Cadillac and was wondering if anyone have ever replaced it with a traditional style coil, positive, negative and coil-to-cap wire all on the bottom/top of the coil. If so, how did you wire it since the original coil does not have a ground wire and is grounded by the twist cap on the top of the coil to the firewall, where the wire comes out from the ignition. I am trying to determine if my coil is bad so i'd like to set up a temporary bypass coil to determine if mine is bad. When testing my current coil with a test light (ground-to-hot-wire on the bottom of the coil that goes to the base distributor which powers the points) the light flashes as the car is turning over, presumedly when the points make contact. Is this normal, I don't believe so?
I don't think Im getting any power tot he posts and the car will not fire. Any information would be great. Thank you, Dennis

[Tom Boehm]

Hello Dennis, I can't answer your question but if you eventually determine your coil is bad here is a possible replacement:  https://mykmlifestyle.com/

This company reproduces the original style coils with terminals on both ends.

I keep the name of this company handy in case the coil on my Lasalle goes bad. It seems to me it would be easier to install an original style rather than adapting a modern coil.

[Dennis Rizzuto Jr]

Hi Tom, I really don't want to use a modern style coil, just trying to figure out if mine is bad, then I'll find one or use the company you mentioned. They are located in my home state by the look of it. Thank you