Points gap?

1955 M38A1 - Well I got batteries in and tried to start it. It has been sitting for a couple of years. A little gas into the carb, It turns over but did not even get a pop... There is power to the distributer. I think I will try to pull a plug to see if I got spark, if not, should I clean the points or check something else:? What would be the proper gap on the points? Thanks everyone.

 

Points could just be dirty from sitting and not making a connection. Clean them up with a small file. If you turn the engine over with the dist cap off you should see them sparking. If, even after being cleaned still don't spark, you either don't have power to the coil or the primary side of the coil is open.

 

Used to always set points back in the day using a matchbook cover. About .020 .

 

Ditto. Very fine sandpaper if you don't have a point file. Clean with a piece of heavy paper or business card after.

Be cautious if you are pulling the shielded plug wires - the inner liner is a kind of silicone rubber and its delicate, can tear if it sticks in the plug housing.

 

"Be cautious if you are pulling the shielded plug wires" now you tell me.. just kidding. I did pull of one wires, did not damage it, ran out of daylight so that was as far as I got. It's pretty neet how these things are built. It brings me back to my younger years when I did know alot about the older cars and trucks. Forget about the new ones. I can't hardly nor dare to tinker with my '09 Mustang.

 

Are you sure they should spark?

 

You can open and close them with a small tool and they will generate a little sparking each time. But the condenser reduces the spark enough to not burn the contacts.

 

Yep, they will spark. Can be hard to see in bright daylight, but you can hear the sparking too.

 

Might have to play with the gap. I know the last time I gapped my points they were not at factory spec but it runs great.