Technical Looking for flathead troubleshooting knowledge

Sometimes there is a ray of light in the darkess and I am sitting in the beam.
I have read all of your posts (thank you!! ) and it seemed that my first order of business should be to check for proper fuel pressure(is it low hanging fruit?- not sure) so I got a nice little fuel pressure gauge and installed it after the pump and before the fuel block.
Cranked the engine up and what do you know - 3 psi on the nose...WOOHOO!!!
Now, on to pulling the grille and radiator.

 

Well, for those watching- I believe I may have found the source of my multiple mis-firing.
I got the radiator out, removed the distributor and started looking...One set of points looked pretty typical and was something you could touch-up with emery cloth. But the OTHER set of points had some very lousy tips. Pits, bulges and crust were all you could see. I call them burnt up.
So, if one set is burnt up, wouldn't that lead to a mis-firing engine?

FYI, me and points are not gonna do this dance again. I talked to a tech at Pertronix and he gave me the ignitor part number for my Mallory Dist and I will be running a Pertronix unit.

 

Pertronix is the answer to every question. Cures every ailment an engine can have.

 

This probably not the best time for sarcasm.

 

The guy has been on the HAMB since 2006. I would hope he could recognize sarcasm. But, maybe not as many Pertronix proponents don’t even recognize reason.

 

The new gas tank is restricting the flow of gas

 

Not sure how since it is a vented tank...unless this is some of that sarcasm that was mentioned earlier...

Some seem to have issues with using Pertronix. I can only testify to the fact that every car I have installed them in has run better than points ever thought about running. The proof is in the pudding as they say. IMHO...

 

What type of air filters are you running on those carbs? Some of these symptoms may be caused by very restricted air filters.

 

filters? A couple of those teapot types...too small, I know, but I don't have any bigger ones to put on it.

 

So, try it without any filters on it. How many rocks and birds are gonna get sucked in during that short drive?

 

Ok, y’all. This post is meant for those who have been patiently waiting to find out how things worked out with my 34’s engine…so here we go.

What I changed:

New Pertronix Flame Thrower coil

New Pertronix Ignitor kit #ML-181; fits my Mallory Dist.

New Accel plug wires (yes, still yellow)

New Autolite plugs

New fuel pressure gauge –showing 3lbs on the nose

Radiator was repaired and pressure tested.

2 new lower radiator hoses lubed with NAPA Sil-Glyde


The verdict?

It runs like a dream without ANY sign of missing AT ALL.

Idles low and steady but still takes a foot in the carb without hesitation.


I call this a success!


Thanks to everyone who tossed their 2 cents in. I sure appreciate it.

Tom in TN