how to you adjust the points on a 53 flathead? i just put in a new set on a running engine and now it wont start
When you remove the old points, wipe all the oil and crud off the plate. Install the new points and condenser, and make sure the hot wire is well insulated and not touching anything. Turn the motor over by hand until the rubbing block is on top of a lobe. Adjust to .016 and tighten the screw. Now if it wont start, look for a shorted wire on the primary side.
I know everyone has to start somewhere, but............ What he's referring to is setting the gap - when the bump on the distributor shaft moves the points the furthest, the gap should be about the width of a thick baseball card. Edit: Don beat me to it.....
get a set of feeler gauges. If you're going to own a points car you should have them. Set the points with the feeler gauge. Some motors are more forgiving on point gap than others and you can get away with a baseball card or match book; I had a VW bug that I used a match book on for years. I currently have a Flathead and a 322 Nailhead. The Flathead is fairly forgiving, but the Nailhead wants .015 and nothing else. The hardest part of the whole process is learning the feel of how much drag is correct on the feeler gauge because it really does come down to a "feel". Get the block up on the lobe by rotating the engine by hand , then loosen the locking screw and use the eccentric screw to increase or decrease the gap until the .016 gauge has a slight drag going between the contacts. Then tighten the lock screw. The range is .014 - .016. You always want to set it to the widest gap initially because as that block wears the gap will shrink. I adding a link to a useful page with the tune up specs for your engine. It's a handy reference. http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_tuneup49-53_239-255.htm I'm also adding a link to a page specifically for Flatheads that is also a good resource. http://www.flatheadv8.org/phpBB/index.php?sid=313d11030597d3209af698aad8ca2cd8 Good luck, have fun and thanks for helping keep the Flathead alive.
Or....I Installed a Pertronix conversion on my stroker n the Peter Beater. Easy as pie and consistently strong spark. Also got over 30mpg with a 2 card stroker Merc. Somethin to think about.
ok fellas i thanks for the help my rotor wore out and is just spining freely so im gonna have to wait tell the new one arrives. appreciate the advice.
buck up and by a dwell tach they make it so much easier they arent complicated and you can set your points accurately, and please keep your match book in your pocket learn to do it correctly and you will to laugh at the match book crowd
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