Unique way to set ORIGINAL style point

[sphanna]

If your buddy's car starts to too run horrible and sounds like a gun fight at the OK corral because he has allowed his cam to wear the point block to where they barely open and he has no tools other than a small screw driver, here is a quick and accurate fix. Turn his engine to the high part of the cam. Now close the gap until the points just touch. Now open the points by screwing the screw to open by turning the screw 180* open. Then open it another 45* and you have .020 gap. This is easily done by naked eye. If you are a perfectionist (OCD) , the actual turn would be 230* open so that is 180* plus 50* but 45* is insignificant and extremely easy to estimate. Don't need a feeler gage or a match book for this and it is accurate.

Steve

[DaWizard]

Interesting Steve. Thanks. I never thought about doing that.

[Mitch]

Great tip Steve,
ill copy your post to the drivability thread in the tech area

Thanks

[Jim Mason]

I have an upper plate with a 0.020 width scratch below the points. easy eyeball set. I like this better

[Captndan]

Grandpa said to use a thin dime.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

ANYBODY got any small CHANGE? I'm Broke!
Dad Destitute

[Mike V. Florida]

nice

[Tom Wesenberg]

Good tip, and I have used the same method to adjust valves if I didn't have a feeler gauge handy.
If you know the threads per inch (TPI) then you can calculate the thousandths per turn of the screw, and adjust the valves accordingly.

See, the math you had to learn in school does come in handy. LOL

[Mitch]

I barely squeaked by in math because unlike today we couldn't use calculators

[Fixitphil]

I'll have to write this one down.....or copy and paste.

[Mitch]

Phil it's also in the tech section (chassis) under the driveability and and tips thread

[sphanna]

A few years ago I posted this on **** ****, But I explained it with a lot of detail and pictures. There was quite a lot of responses. I used the same screen name. sphanna

[sphanna]

here is the over detailed picture of what I did.

[Ted Duke]

I used a match book cover, but can't find them around much now

[DaWizard]

Heh, before I had my own set of feeler gauges, I used the end flap off the points box!

[Kevin in NJ]

I once set a guys points by eye when his car stopped running. He did not tighten the lock screw and the points closed. He thought he had vapor lock. Several years later if found out it was not touched since I set them.