well i went to pepboys today and picked up a bunch of parts ignition wise. (dist cap, rotor, plugs,wires,contact se/pointsm,condenser) and i wanted to get the job done before sundown so of course i took things apart like a madman hehe got the wires and cap done then switched out the rotor and condenser. and right as i got the second screw out of the points mechanism i realised i forgot to check the gap. i was told i need to find TDC and then set the gap on the points. is there a way to see when my engine is TDC by looking at the shaft coming out of the distributor? if so how do i find it and if not how else can i tell if im TDC? if i can find it by the shaft on the dist. a picture would help beyond words (visual learner) when i get it on TDC whats the gap setting for the points? any information would be greatly appreciated! thanks alot guys Rob C.
Points You don't need the engine on TDC to set the points. Just for info, The balancer on the crank snout with vbelt pulleys should be marked TDC and small increments there after ie, 4-8-10 and 12 degrees. To set the points the rubbing block on the points must set on the center of the cam lobe on the distributor shaft. This is the widest opening of the contacts, you can try and bump the engine over to get the points at their widest gap or use the shaft itself. There is a certain amount of free movement on the shaft due to the advance mechanism, bump the engine until close to being on the high side of the lobe then rotate the shaft by hand until you get the gap at widest opening. Hold it there and use .016-.018 feeler gage and adjust the gap then tighten up the screws snugly. Recheck the gap again because sometimes the screws tend to move the base plate when tightened. If is ok tighten screws securely. This procedure takes a little practice to do right but will work fine, a dwell meter is the prefered method but this way should get good results. To make things easier someday. you should think about switching to electronic ignition for easier starts and maintenance.
thanks alot old guy! it took me about half a dozen trys to get everything right but it runs alot better with the new parts installed. thanks again for the great explanation! rob c
