GT Hawk dies after driving it for 60 minutes or more

[JoeHall]

Does the rotor button on the distributor in your car look like this? (Ignore the JB Weld.).

[PackardV8]

12-volt coils are pretty generic. Just make sure as to whether the coil has an internal resistor or not. Adding a resistor to a coil which already has a resistor will not fix the problem.

jack vines

[Jeffry Cassel]

Had a similair event on a long trip a few years ago. Noticed a pssst when opened gas cap. It was supposed to be vented but obviously wasn't. So we walked to the hardware store and bought a wonderful little Rockwell battery powered drill and a small bit. Drilled a tiny hole and no more trouble. A coil will usually heat up after just a few minutes

[RadioRoy]

Apparently my distributor is not from a 63 Hawk. Would that affect what I order as far as a new coil? Definitely the points from a 63 do not work with my distributor. Should i just replace everything with the proper year for my car?

Not a good idea. Replacing "everything" is a recipe for disaster. That can result in introducing additional problems whose symptoms can mask the original problem.

You have no idea if the replacement parts are good, or if you have hooked them up or assembled properly.

The proper thing to do is trouble shoot to determine the actual source of the problem, not just throw parts at it.

Remember that the car is currently running, but conks out when something gets too hot, or the gas tank gets under vacuum. Figure out what that "something" is and replace it. Just it. Not everything else.

[JoeHall]

Apparently my distributor is not from a 63 Hawk. Would that affect what I order as far as a new coil? Definitely the points from a 63 do not work with my distributor. Should i just replace everything with the proper year for my car?

The, "correct" distributor for 62 and later Hawks is Prestolite. Since los of folks considered the Prestolite inferior, many were replaced ("upgraded") with Delco, which was correct for all other years of Stude V8. If yours has a Delco, that's likely because a PO has done the upgrade. Delco's come in two styles, and either style will work equally as well as the Prestolite in your car. I swapped both of our Gas over to Delco many years ago. I'd recommend going with whichever distributor is now in your car. The two types of Delco are with and without a metal "window" on the side, which afforded easy access for points dwell adjustment. So you just need to identify which distributor you have, so you can buy the correct parts, since none of the parts among the three will interchange.

Yes, it's a good idea to replace the points & condenser at the same time, especially since you are already replacing the coil. It's also a good time to disassemble the distributor, inspect, clean, lube and reassemble. Especially if you wind up removing it anyway. Be sure to test the vacuum advance while you are at it, whether or not you remove the distributor.