WHY WON'T IT START? - electronic ignition problems on the flathead V8 Ford

Time for a Ford V8 Pilot tinkering video, or two to be precise, here on the Old Classic Car channel. As regulars may have spotted, the 1950 Ford Pilot is a *&*$%! to start from cold, in so much as it refuses to start on the electric starter but will, often, fire up ok if using the starting handle. Apart from when it won't play at all. It's a heavy old engine to turn over by hand and having to do this long-term was not an option, for my wrists and also my sanity.
It was pretty obvious that most of the problems lay at the door of the modern aftermarket Stromberg eFire electronic ignition setup on the car, presumably fitted with the intention of improving the car's performance and usability. Sadly it had the opposite effect, making it impossible to start in the usual way. It may be that it worked ok for a while when first fitted, then gradually deteriorated, I'm not sure, but by the time it came to us, the eFire electronic ignition was causing a lot of aggravation.
I spent a lot of time investigating the engine's earthing, making new leads etc etc, jumping a second battery in parallel across the car's battery to improve the voltage supply to the distributor, testing wiring, voltage and more but all to no avail. In this video I talk more about the trials and tribulations I've been experiencing, then talk about a way forward to try and restore reliability to the Pilot's old flathead V8 engine.
A second instalment in the saga will follow shortly after this one.
As I say several times during this and the follow-up video, I'm sure plenty of people with V8 Pilots have this electronic ignition installation on their own cars and have no problems. But for some reason that's not the case here. Maybe there is a fault with this particular kit. Or something else specific to my car doesn't agree with this kit. Whatever, the car has to be usable and reliable and right now, it is neither.
Thanks for watching and please keep an eye open for episode 2 of 2 in this saga.
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