Whatever you do, DON"T TAKE ONE APART. You don't want to carry the burden of actually how it works. Same for a coil, the discovery that a coil has wires could get you banned from car sites. Some truths are best left in the dark, hidden from sight as knowledge is just too great a burden.
Don't have to take one apart "Pertronix" there are only two wires protruding from, attached to or any where else on the unit. I am looking at one right now.
OK I give. You don't see the wire, so it is not there. You don't see the pertronix unit itself, so it isn't there either. It is just a blob of plastic stuck to a piece of metal with a couple of wires hanging out of it. Actually, you don't see electricity, so why is anyone hooking up wires in the first place? If you close your eyes, the whole world goes away! Amazing, isn't it? I can close my eyes and still type? How can that happen? You guys are right, I live in a different world than you do. Enjoy your 2 wires. Just make sure you connect the ground terminal, or the thing won't work, just like if you don't connect the power or negative coil terminals. Eyes opened or closed.
Now, that was fun! Just to bring this to a close, my new Pertronix Ignitor that I just installed had two wires - a red one that I hooked to the + coil and a black one that I hooked to the - coil. I removed the original black coil/distributor - wire and put it in the extra parts box along with the points and condenser. The original braided ground inside the distributor was reconnected to the Pertronix mounting hole which completed the ground circuit. Maybe that one is the mysterious third wire? Thanks again, Ford Nutz, for all of the help. Test drive today if it doesn't rain or snow.
It's actually only one, it was an amateur attempt at photo chopping, everything just runs through one wire.