Hey fellas any idea on what could be wrong it is a 55 red ram not the hemi one. it is not getting any spark even tried all of the different ways of jumping it but the coil isnt getting any spark it seems like. any ideas where to start?
Either it sparks or it does not Got a test light? Hook one end to ground and check the + side of the coil with key on. Should have power there as well as when you crank. If it passed that test; Now test the - side of the coil when cranking. The light should blink on and off as the points open and close. If it stays on while cranking but does not blink, most likely the points need filing. If the light does not come on at all at - side of coil, and does not blink either, it could be: -shorted out condenser, -shorted out wire going to the distributor, -or a bad coil. Next test will eliminate the coil being bad, if the light won't work, Take the - wire off the coil, and put key on, and the - terminal on the coil should light the test light. If the light now works with the wire off, go back to the condenser or look for a shorted wire to dist. EDIT: If that car is POSITIVE ground, then do opposite what I said about the + and - sides of the coil.
'55 red ram poly should be a positive ground, 6 volt system. The rest of the info posted by f&j is right on, make sure all your connections are good, check the grounds, check the coil, check the gap on the points and check the condenser. If it hasn't been tuned up in a while, change the points, condenser and inspect the cap and wires.
Thanks fellas i will try it out tomorrow. This motor is in a 31 model a truck my dad and granpa built in the late fifties. they sold it in like 69 and we have been trying to get it back ever since it sat in a guys garage untouched since like 72. on friday we went and picked her up so fourty years later my dad and i are going to restore her to her former glory. there will be pics a plenty coming soon. thanks for the help. and i am sure i will need more.
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