Still running points?

[fatbass]

I loved points dizzys. My old man even showed me how to build up the contact points with solder and shape the surfaces down to the proper thickness/size with jewelers files.
Old southern farmers knew how to make stuff work. I guess it was real conservation in action.

[OregonNed]

An old timer told me about using a "thin dime" to set points

[72SB]

Match book was always to "go to" gap tool on the side of the road. Also the strike section of match book to "clean" points.

But electronic ignition came along and most go with that now.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by 72SB

Match book was always to "go to" gap tool on the side of the road. Also the strike section of match book to "clean" points.

Yep -- I was just about to post that, and you beat me to it.

[davischevy]

For the last several years I have been putting Pertronix modules in my original distributors but I decided to leave the points in the truck I am restoring now.

[CAMAROBOY68SS]

My 68 had a HEI in it when I bought it, that was the first thing I ripped out and went back to points. I have points almost everything. I have an old Unilite in the show car. My hot rod still has points along with a MSD 6AL box, thing runs perfect. I had more issues and problems with HEI distributors and Pertronix conversions than points with my old stuff, so I just stick with good old points.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Stocker

Reading through this thread (and this post in particular) reminded me of something I had long since forgotten. What I just now remembered was that my original ignition did let me down once prior to switching to HEI in 1980. Technically it wasn't the points -- it was the coil that suddenly failed and I was dead in the water. Luckily it happened just down the street from my house so I walked home & got tools, then drove our other vehicle to the parts store.

Yeah, coils go bad at some point. HEIs have coils that go bad also. The '71 wrecker I had with HEI wouldn't start, it had a bad coil. I went to the dealer and they don't have any more. I couldn't believe it, obsolete! I went to NAPA and they guy had a hard time finding one, then finally said "We can order you an Accel or MSD". I said "So can I" and walked out

Originally Posted by CAMAROBOY68SS

My 68 had a HEI in it when I bought it, that was the first thing I ripped out and went back to points. I have points almost everything. I have an old Unilite in the show car. My hot rod still has points along with a MSD 6AL box, thing runs perfect. I had more issues and problems with HEI distributors and Pertronix conversions than points with my old stuff, so I just stick with good old points.

Unilite!! Ride on. I always ran Mallory distributors and Taylor wires in my hot vehicles. I have a Unilite for my '67s 327.

[RichardJ]

I have used a paper match book myself. Out on damp night and the engine starts spitting and with nothing but pen knife. Match books used to be easy to find along the side of the road.
I put a HEI in my 67 back around 1990. Freshly divorced, it was the only thing running that I could afford to Insure and I was driving a good distance to work. Changing or cleaning/adjusting the points every two months was getting old.
No other reason to make the change.

For 33 years that coil in cap HEI and the 15 year ago external coil HEI have been running with the ballast resistor still in place.

14 V at the battery and 12 V at the HEI, thank you very much.

[Steeveedee]

You must have had some other problem. I've had cars with points that went 30k+ miles without even changing the points, let alone the plugs. Then again, my '69 Camaro could eat a set of plugs after a day at the drags. Once I discovered that bad coil wire, that stopped.

[67 twins]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

You must have had some other problem. I've had cars with points that went 30k+ miles without even changing the points, let alone the plugs. Then again, my '69 Camaro could eat a set of plugs after a day at the drags. Once I discovered that bad coil wire, that stopped.

X2

My guess is he was using cheap points instead of a high quality brand.

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by special-K

Yeah, coils go bad at some point. HEIs have coils that go bad also. The '71 wrecker I had with HEI wouldn't start, it had a bad coil. I went to the dealer and they don't have any more. I couldn't believe it, obsolete! I went to NAPA and they guy had a hard time finding one, then finally said "We can order you an Accel or MSD". I said "So can I" and walked out

Yep..... I have been lucky, 43 years on my HEI with no failures. But I do have a spare coil in the glovebox, just in case. My local NAPA had it in stock.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by 67 twins

X2

My guess is he was using cheap points instead of a high quality brand.

Standard Ignition Blue Streak parts FTW! That copper strap alongside the spring was pretty much a genius move. I'll be honest, I have an HEI in my truck, but only because I dropped a lot of money on that Mallory distributor when I had it in the Chevy-powered Buick.

[Rust_never_sleeps]

Still keeping as much stock as I can(except for disc brakes), so I'm leaving the points system.
That said, I had no idea what "detached condenser" meant, so they're a bit finicky to gap ;-)

[67 twins]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

Standard Ignition Blue Streak parts FTW! That copper strap alongside the spring was pretty much a genius move. I'll be honest, I have an HEI in my truck, but only because I dropped a lot of money on that Mallory distributor when I had it in the Chevy-powered Buick.

Exactly! I have always used Blue Streak ignition parts & they have never let me down. They are the best parts available as far as I am concerned.

[1972cheyenne454]

You youngsters still got a thing or two to learn. All this talk of oh look at me and my inability to change? Ya done patting yourselves on the back about how cool you are with your magical electrical wonders? Iffn yall don't mind, I could use some help loading some logs in the tinderbox of my Avery, I gotta re-fill er boiler too. Dag nab it

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Stocker

Yep..... I have been lucky, 43 years on my HEI with no failures. But I do have a spare coil in the glovebox, just in case. My local NAPA had it in stock.

At my NAPA store they didn't find one listed, other than performance coils I can order from Jegg's for way less

[68 C10 Driver]

I'm a points/condenser kind of guy when it comes to my antique vehicles (68 C10, 72 MGB, 64 Mini).