Saving Granddad's Falcon

[Luva65wagon]

Update: I felt I needed to get a better handle on how good the spark is, because it seemed kind of weak. So, i bought one of these spark testers:
https://www.autozone.com/test-scan-a...ster/10257_0_0

This thing worked great. I found the spark weak and in some cases almost non-existent and intermittent.
So, most of the ignition stuff was new as of three years ago except for the coil. I took it off and inside the main contact point where the cable hooks it to the distributor- it was awful...this might have been the original coil and one of the only parts I didn’t replace. So, I set out to buy a coil, condenser and set of points. So, which coil to buy...long story short, I ended up giving a nod to my late father in law and bought an MSD coil. Bought everything from Advanced auto parts...but the points have to be delivered. (I plan to convert to Pertronix,but I wanted to confirm what the problem was first and figured I should have an extra set anyway.) I was able to pick up the coil and condenser. I got home, took out the new coil and read the directions...and what? I need to add a ballast resistor. What a pain!

You do not need a ballast resistor. Fords use a resistor wire to do the same thing since the Ford coil needs the same "ballast resistor" function (lowering the voltage from; like, 12 to 9 volts. Most oil filled coils don't like 12v for long so they use the ballast resistor, or in Fords, a resistance wire to achieve this.

When you go to a Pertronix the coil will still want the resistance wire, but the Pertronix will want the 12 volts, so when you get to this point (highly recommend) you will find a wire on the back of the ignition switch with a bullet connector within a couple inches from the switch. The pink resistance wire plugs into this connector and runs only to the bulkhead connector. From there it tee's off into two wires on the engine side and one wire goes to the + coil terminal and the other to the "I" terminal on the solenoid. So, what this does is this: When you are cranking the engine over the solenoid is both turning over the starter and sending 12 volts out the "I" terminal. It sends the 12 volts up to the firewall bulkhead connector, which then allows the voltage to also go down to the coil. Meaning 12 Volts at the coil on cranking. When the car starts and the key is in the run position you get 12 volts out the ignition switch and it then hits that pink resistance wire and by the time it reaches the firewall it is now about 9 volts. So, I make a "T" connector to plug into that bullet connector at the ignition switch to add a new wire at the 12 volt end and run this wire out to the Pertronix. When you get to this point, we can hopefully arrange an assist.

But I resolved myself to that and will order that tomorrow. So, what the heck, I replaced the condenser and put the old coil back on...which is when I noticed how bad the contact was. Worked on that a bit...
Engine started right up. That’s the good news...

May have been the condenser or the yucky coil. Since you don't need to order a ballast resistor now, maybe put the MSD coil on just to get it over with. You should also check the point gap too, and make sure those contacts are clean and not pitted. EVEN after getting a new point set, clean the contacts well with Acetone or similar before installing and setting the gap.

The bad news..Now every time I try to start the engine, the first time the starter just spins...it doesn’t engage until i turn the key off at which time it seems to bang on the flywheel and stop. Then I try again and it works perfectly and starts right up. After a rest...this scenario repeat two more times! Why this pattern?

Not sure I understand the pattern. So, if you try to start it there is just a spinning sound of the starter motor, but the engine doesn't turn over... but when you release the key it sounds like the bendix engages? And the "two more times" is exactly this pattern, but starts on the 3rd try?

So, I looked in the shop manual...and it says, “the drive engagement holding coil contacts have failed.”
Would this be inside the starter?

Ford uses a retractable Bendix that is magnetically driven (most cars do, but do it sometimes with the solenoid being on the starter and being the magnetic part as well). So When you turn the key to START the solenoid sends 12 volts to the starter, which causes a magnetic field to be created. This field pulls a core downward that also pushes the Bendix out into the flywheel to engage the teeth. At the end of the travel of all this magnetic motion is the final switch contacts (you mention) inside the starter that connect 12 volts now, also, to start the starter spinning. The starter should NOT spin until the Bendix (the part with the teeth engaging the flywheel teeth) is fully engaged to the flywheel. If you are hearing spinning of the starter, but no spinning of the engine - it is the Bendix failing - either to engage the flywheel or its internals to stay firm and rotate the engine. They are designed to "kick back out of the flywheel teeth" when the engine starts since you don't want the Bendix to remain engaged with the flywheel with the engine running.

If so, why is it failing only on first try and not the second?
I’m surprised at this...I had the starter rebuilt at a local shop when I rebuilt the car (which has 312 miles now). I would have thought this would have been part of the starter rebuild?

Appreciate any advice on this one...

I'd resolve the points/condenser/new coil and get that all cleared up. Then see if this issue remains. I may have to hear it over a phone call to get a better sense of the sequence. Roger