Ballast resistor Q's

Bad Sport said

Ballast resistors were originally intended to cut voltage to points so they would not burn up as quickly.

Each time I say that I get the "no, yer wrong" comments.

But I digress.

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The thing is you are "sorta" right. That is not why, per se. "Everybody" could have easily designed a coil to operate directly off 12 (14) volts. The REASON that GM, Ford, Chrysler and AMC used a ballast with a lower voltage coil is "so that they could bypass the ballast" during start and MAINTAIN a good hot starting spark. THAT is the key

An HEI (GM) and just about any coil tho, has enough "extra" spark (even a stock coil) that this bypass is not needed.