Bad condenser or coil are 2 things that heat will effect. Might check them before doing anything else.

Sounds great. Can you give me a part number? And what all do I need to buy? Does it fit the stock distributor? Thanks. Jerry

Heres a link to the pertronix website.

Pertronix.com

The tech support number is (909) 547-9058

There are a few options that fit the pinto with the bosch distbutor, the tech support person can provide you with a part umber for the module and coil. You can then source them online from amazon, ebay, summit, etc.

If you use the pertronix coil, it requires a connention directly to the ign switch. The switch is located on the steering column near the clutch/brake pedal support.

The ign wire is red with a green stripe and passes thru a connector on the lect side of the column.

You can splice a direct connection to the ign coil from here.

I can supply some pix if you need them.

Also.. if the problem isnt the ign, then upgrading to the pertronix wont help.

Ill make some pix tomorrow

Also.. has anyone actually experienced having  a series I ignitor fail?  I may be lucky but ive had one installed for 3 years with no problems.. i also discussed the "problem" with tech support and they did not seem to be concerned our reliably.

They explained that the difference between the series i and ii was that the ii had the ability to optomize the dwell time but with a 4 cylinder that wasnt critical especially with the pertronix coil.

Pertronix
ignitor I 1847v
Ignitor II 91847v

Chances are that the problem isnt a mechanical one with the distributor or it would miss all the time not just when hot. The bosch distributors are pretty reliable. If in doubt just check for lateral wobble. Its usually the points, point rubbing block or condenser that fails

I also.spoke to the pertronix tech support today and he verified that the pertronix ignitor I can fail from.overheati ng if the ign is left on. But could not specify a time, just that it should tolerate a few minutes, not just 30 seconds. The ignitor Ii is protected from overheating. The ignitor functions like the points current flows continuously thru coil and module except when it is briefly interrupted by the magnetic pulse as the magnet passes the module.

LTFM thanks for checking in with Pertronix on the Ignitor I.  While 30 second and a few minutes  (a vague term for them to use) are quite different numbers, it is still a relatively short period of time for one to accidentally leave the ignition on and kill the module.  I wonder why they would continue to sell the module all these years with that "defect" given that they have to warranty it???

Regarding the distributor cap, I have found the curved edge of a hacksaw blade works well to scrape off corrosion on the  internal lugs. A light filing cleans the end of the rotor. And, steel wool works well to clean out the internal plug wire sockets.  Just remember every time they get cleaned the gap is increased. So, at some point they need to be replaced. 

the stock 2.0 ign was a very reliable unit when set up right , problems start when parts get changed by persons with no knowlge of what they are doing and some important parts gets damaged , one is the ground strap from the point plate to the bottom plate get removed or broken and later tossed , cheep (china ) point and condenser , or a wrong type of coil installed , good parts are getting hard to find for the old point ign systems , most here just convert to electrnic , some are good and a few will later fail and by then no replacement for it , good news is still used the same 2.0 up untel 2000 in the transit vans , with fuel injection and overdrive automatics ,  last 2.0 I worked on was back in the late 80,s and my converion was around twenty buck at the wrecker yards , I use to work at a ford ,volvo and mercides dealer, late 70s , found you could take the 78 up volvo guts and install them into the pinto unit , yes the are both bosch units , yep they take the same caps and rotors like the bug engines , used the volvo ign module (never seen one fail) and the stock bosch blue coil , they put out some spark , used the wire that ran to the stock coil to a relay (so I would not have to remove the dash to get at the resistor wire inside of the harness ) and ran the full 12 volts to the relay from the battery , but back to the same problem , how many 78 up volvos can you find now , or you can check out england e-bay motors and find a stock electrinic 2.0 unit and use a GM ign module on it ,  this is what I have done in the past , hope its of good use to someone here ,

Plug wires were new when I replaced the engine with a rebuilt one about 10 years ago. They still check out ok. But the engine starts up and runs fine until it warms up. It idles perfectly. For now I have decided to go with stock parts, to see if the ignition is actually the problem. I found everything at O'reillys. I got a new coil, points and condenser, cap and rotor. If that doesn't help I'll replace the wires. Not expensive. That's the entire ignition system except for the distributor. I could not find any play in the distributor shaft, but it takes very little. But as was said, it runs fine to begin with. I haven't had a chance to replace the parts yet. I'm in Phoenix, AZ, and I work in the A/C business. Pretty busy right now.

All emissions parts except the PCV valve are gone. It does not have to pass AZ emissions, because I have it insured and registered as a collector car. I haven't had a chance to replace any of the parts yet, but I may have a lead on the problem. It could be the condenser. I have the Haynes manual 204, which covers the Pinto through 1974. In chapter 4 page 119 step 5, it says "If the engine becomes difficult to start or begins to miss after several miles of running and the breaker points show signs of burning, then the condition of the condenser must be suspect" I checked the points when I adjusted them, but maybe didn't get a good enough look at them. The distributor is buried down beneath the alternator bracket, and it's hard to avoid shadows when looking down there with a flashlight. I may remove the alternator and bracket for better access. I have new points, condenser, cap and rotor. I'm going to replace all of that stuff, and see if it solves the problem. I'm about 90% sure it's the ignition system, there is not much in a carburetor that can suddenly go wrong, especially since the choke and all  emissions crap have been removed. It's supposed to hit 110 degrees today, just too hot to work on a car in the driveway. I can't use it right now anyway, the A/C doesn't work. No parts or refrigerant available to repair it. A whole new aftermarket system would have to be installed, that's about $2000 worth of parts.