So far no discussion about the system supply voltage. like the 6 volt starter motor, probably, and also the generator. BUT perhaps the old tractor is not quite THAT OLD. The fact is that 8N means nothing to me as to the age of the tractor.

 

So far no discussion about the system supply voltage. like the 6 volt starter motor, probably, and also the generator. BUT perhaps the old tractor is not quite THAT OLD. The fact is that 8N means nothing to me as to the age of the tractor.

 

A sincere THANK YOU to Max for clearing up my lack of education in this area!!
OK, so now it is clear that it would have a six volt system, and probably no ballast resistor for the coil. And most likely a generator, not an alternator. A CDI system could have the inverter modified to operate on six volts, although that might not be required. Only the turns ratio of the transformer would need to be changed.
Of course it may also be that the TS has switched it over to use a 12 volt system. But I am guessing not.

 

Silicon Chip Magazine [ Australia] has produced numerous ignition projects over the years , many of which will suit what you need to do. A search of the website will show the issues with the relevant articles ,and back copies of the whole magazine or photocopies of just the particular project are available for purchase. Having done numerous similar conversions in the past , I would recommend that using a new set of pints to drive an electronic ignition amplifier will last for the remaining life of the tractor if it is only being used a few times a year ,with very minimal maintenance.[and be the simplest and cheapest]. Then again , using one of the electronic type pickups as mentioned, will most likely never need any maintenance at all.

 

Go to Yesterday's tractors and get yourself a Pertronics setup. It is an electronic replacement for the points setup. It works flawless as long as you install it correctly, you can also add a hot coil to it and it bolts in directly in a couple of minutes. No major changes or modifications required. Unless you just like doing things the hard way. Even sitting around, you shouldn't have to sand the points every time you want to start the tractor. Sounds like you have a leaky distributor cap or something else is going on. If that is so, an electronic ignition module probably won't last long in the environment you have going on inside your distributor. Start with everything new electrical ignition wise to eliminate any possible gremlins, plugs, wires, cap and rotor, new points or electronic module. Also, make certain the grounds are clean and shiny so the current has a place to flow back to the battery on both the electronics side and at the battery. One last thing to check. Does you engine have enough compression to compress the fuel/ air mixture. Old tractor engines are notorious for low compression as one post already brought up. I once purchased a 1953 IH super C. It had those cups on the ends of the spark plugs that help keep the plugs from fouling because the rings are so bad that the amount of oil getting past them would foul the plugs. The tractor ran when I bought it but quit shortly after I got it home. First thing I did was a complete tuneup. When I pulled the plugs and discovered those spark plug things, I was suspicious. Short version of the story, it never had enough compression to run without a rebuild even with electronic ignition and hot coil. use a compression tester and save yourself some headaches. Good luck!