--My friend bought a 54 Chev pickup - mostly stock, but has been converted to 12 Volt. He's had it about a year, and it has run good. Yesterday he went to start it after sitting a few weeks and it won't start. He is not a mechanical guy. He called me. We****umed it was lack of fuel as that is what has been a ongoing problem, but he put a little gas down carb and later tried some ether- no dice. Then we checked for spark with a spark plug to ground on #1plug wire- It did have spark but may be weak. Looked at points when it cranked and appeared to open and close as they should... Decided to take out plugs and some were really wet- some not so much. Cleaned and burned them with a lighter flame and put back together, still no start. -- So we pushed the truck to where he wanted to put it away for the winter and will deal with in next spring. I am thinking the spark is weak. I thought we would start with new points and condenser. I have a couple questions for you guys- please.. 1) did the switch to 12 volts mess up points?? I don't know the history and what was changed- it all looks factory... 2) I have heard that the current replacement points and condensers are China junk. Is it better to try to get NOS or what? -- Thanks, Greg
1. No. But the coil might... did they add a ballast resistor? 2. Yeah. Look at the points. Do you have a point file? You can try a new condenser, they usually work for a while, probably as long as anyone is likely to drive an old truck, these days.
It's probably the condenser. Don't give up so easily. Get an old one swap out the chinese*****e and try it again. I've been there. Or, go with a HEI, a higher volt coil and plugs to ge with the HEI. It's 12 volts already. I did the HEI on my 54 235, It's never been a problem.
Good point!! Thanks guys. I have found with this guy ( who really is not a car guy) that as long as it runs he won't lift a finger.. I saw a bunch of lousy wiring, ship shod work on this truck when he bought it. I have offered for him to bring it to my shop and we would look it over, etc- take a whole day or 3 and tidy things up to make more dependable, NO. He waits until it quits somewhere or wont start at home and calls me. Then I go to his place and he has***** garage sale tools which he can't find anyway... it is frustrating. Next spring I think we will get it out and tow it to my place- (only about a quarter mile on our dirt road...
Ok, in theory points are points and condensers are condensers, it doesn’t matter whether they are controlling six or twelve volts input but you know this, I’m just keeping my train of thought. The distributor should have twelve volts in cranking and drop to, what? eight or so during the “run” mode? I forget the exact voltage. I would****ume that twelve volts is supplied via the solenoid in “start” mode, and when it is disengaged as a result of the ballast resistor it drops the voltage to the points to the eight volts or so. After verifying all is correct do the basics. Check grounds, spark, fuel and compression. Possibly the engine is just getting weak. Battery condition, is the engine turning over fast enough to compress tej air/fuel? Weak spark, also check cap, rotor and wires. Spark plugs, well like everything else quality has gone downhill. AC was always my go-to but GM no longer build their own, instead uses parts made for them. Points and condensers, well same as above. “Made for”, not “made by” is the rule. Cheapest third world vendor that meets minimum specs get the contract, since GM hasn’t had a car or truck since 1975 that has used points, you see where I’m going. Standard Products Blue Streak used to be my aftermarket go to brand, second was NAPA Echlin, but we’re talking 1990’s here when quality was a statement. My O/T car, I’ve had points, Pertronix, Mallory (hi buck) distributor/coil, all have failed. I finally gave up, went to a Cardone HEI distributor with the knowledge that any of the Chinese electronics that can potentially fail can and will be replaced with a OEM replacement part. I went with the Cardone part as the supply of Pontiac HEI’s are few and far between and in this climate usually corroded beyond belief and exhibit loose bushings. Bubba’s, remember he was the go-to guy for HEI ignitions, talked to him at a few meets when I was in the business of selling OEM Powertrains and parts but he retired. What I’m getting at, drop in a HEI and be done with the points. Finding NOS OEM or aftermarket (Accel, Mallory, et al) is going to be a frustrating task and those may be in a compromised condition due to storage (points corroded) or condenser failure due to age, just ask antique radio guys about failed radio condensers, while they are different in appearance they are both made to “store” electricity and they fail due to age. Sorry to be long winded just trying to explain how and why.
Thank so much for the "long winded" reply. It was spot on.. And thank you others also. He is not the guy to do any work on truck as long as it runs. He really has no business owning a vintage vehicle- has no clue... But anyway, I think HEI is out of the question as is a oil filter system I tried to push when he first bought it.. So I guess I will peruse ebay and other places to see if I can get a decent set of points and condenser, and we'll worry about it when it's time to get the truck out of hibernation.
File the existing points and regap them at .020" unless they're rusted out or ???, get a new Standard Ignition condenser for any Chevy V8 and use that. The only difference is the wire length, and you're more likely to get one that hasn't been on the shelf for years. The older condensers are paper/foil wrap inside, and the paper breaks down over time. New versions are foil/poly. Clean or replace the engine ground as well. Points - DR2227XP (XP is heavy duty, T is light duty) condenser - DR60 or DR70 with or without an X or T at the end.
distributorguy, not to argue but I always taught that .020 new and filed contacts at .016 due to the peaks and valleys in used and filed points but I could be wrong. What’s the difference with between the condensers with and without the suffixes?
X is "blue streak" which was the more expensive line, T is the budget line. this applies to most Standard Motor Products parts
I found a set of 2227XP points on ebay- they appear to be NOS, but they are described as fitting a International truck!! I think those maybe what I want? I'll try to post a link- Thanks again, guys.
Delco distributors were used in Ramblers and Internationals, as well as some other makes, so don't be surprised if you find a listing that fits other makes of cars.
The Jalopy Journal
