ekamm

Well the glove box keying worked.(same as ignition locksmith an $8 bucks gets anew key) Great idea and beats the heck out of removing the ignition switch. Turns over and no go so look at the points, not good .My question is with new points whats the proper gap? And what timing mark or process to you use to set them properly? Also while I'm at it the water pump is frozen. New pump $? Or new bearing?

redoldsman

I was going to come off the cuff and say .016 or 30 degrees is you put a dwell meter on them. I checked my 54 shop manual and those are the correct numbers.

I recommend getting yourself a shop manual for your car. You can find them on ebay. If you can find an original instead of a reprint it is better. Check prices closely because I have found they vary greatly. You should be able to get one for about 30 bucks and it will pay for itself quickly.

citcapp

X2 on the manual. Hard to do anything on these cars without one.

ekamm

I will get a manual just wanted a little info for the interim.

Tedd Thompson

Are you getting fire to the plugs? Could be a shot coil or condensor.See where the fire stops, and work from there. Even though the timming is off somewhat, it should pop a time or two if it has gas and juice. I would replace the old water pump with a new one. I have never gotten into the guts of a worn out pump. I'm sure it could be done. Thats what happens when they rebuild them. Keep us posted....Tedd

ekamm

No, the points are all corroded. It has set for years and need to be replaced with the rotor and condenser coil is ok. I just needed the gap thanks

bigoldscruiser

Put in a Pertronix and forget about the points problem forever. Costs a bit more up front but pays for itself in the long run.

citcapp

Set the dwell to 30 degrees.

csstrux

A quicky get you running trick, assuming you can find one and the timing is set is to get the points at the crown on the distributor shaft and use a matchbook cover as a feeler gauge, should be about .016. That should get you running. I don't know where to obtain a dwell meter (or use of one) so usually use that as my gauge for setting points.