Until last night, I had never even considered the thought of having electronic ignition in a Bantam. However, a person replied to a want ad I have up telling me that he had a Pertronix unit for a Bantam. At first, I assumed it was a left over part from a dragster, some sort of piece for a small block Chevy dizzy. As it turns out, Pertronix (a reputable company) has been making conversion kits for Bantams to make their 6V negative ground system upgradable to electronic ignition for quite some time. After perusing a variety of forums, it appears the majority of people seem to say Pertronix is the way to go, with a spare set of points in your car in case they fail at some point in the next two decades.

My Dad raised me to believe points are always the best way to go, however some other people out there tend to disagree. If you’re one of the folks on the other side of the line, this may be an added way to make you Bantam more dependable. You don’t have to worry about the points getting corroded, burning out, getting out of adjustment, or having your ignition system at the mercy of a worn distributor bushing. Although, it seems unlike points, these units can leave you stranded if they die while you are driving the car.

Also, since the Bantam distributors are very similar to the American Austin units, these will most likely also work for their older cousins.

Here is the link to the Bantam electronic ignition conversion:

Through Amazon: Pertronix 1549N6 6 Volt Negative Ground Ignitor Autolite for Bantam

Through Ebay: PerTronix 1549N6 Ignitor Autolite for Bantam 6 Volt Negative Ground

Have you tried this? I’d love to hear your thoughts!