Are points so bad?

Your welcome Buckaroo. True S**t pal. We both know necessity iz ah mother and you get smart out there real quick or die. I waz west bound I-80 goin' thru' Gary,In. one time and blew an oil cooling line to the turbo. I cruised into the Kenworth dealership on 159th street in the Windy and bought the new metal line. Tipped the cab over and and proceeded to switch the line. Guy came out screamin' at me that I couldn't do that in their lot so I told him to stuff it in hiz panty hose and call the cops if he didn't like it. I waz done and pullin' out when the cops showed up. They didn't know who or what they were lookin' for and we actually passed each other in the approach and they never did come after me, lol. I got over to Peru and refilled the oil I'd lost and treated the K-100 to ah bath. Another trick I learned pretty quick waz to notch the dip stick with a sharp edged Bastard after an oil change and while the truck waz running so I didn't have to shut down and sit for half an hour to let it drain back to get a good read. Happy Trailz, My Friend.
 
Not at all! I enjoy hearing all the stories. Great stuff!!!!
 
Condensers will vary in capacity. If your old point set is worn evenly, (no metal build up or heavy pitting), then leave that condenser in place, it's matched to your ignition system. I've never had a condenser fail.

Excuse my ignorance but what is the difference between a condenser and a capacitor?
 
Ok thanks for that Commando
 
Thanks to all for your thoughts. I will have to mull it over as there is no rush. My Fury was supposed to be delivered to me today but no such luck.
Allow me to re-iterate the pro-points position, as I'm solidly for it.

1.) mechanical breaker points are SIMPLE and within their tolerances reliable.

2.) They're also inexpensive, even now. Mathilda (my '66 Newport, 383 2 bbl Stromberg WWC, auto 727) hits right on time with them, though I've had a time getting the dwell angle above 26 degrees. You can keep the 3 fallible components (points, condenser, ballast resistor) in your spacious C-body trunk or even the glove box. Replacing the lot won't set you back more than ~$30, even at rip-off convenience auto stores like Vato Zone.

3.) These old style motors were designed with breaker point ignitions in mind. Even when Mopar pioneered the electronic ignition, the rest of the engine still was designed according to the older, simpler paradigm. 35kV is PLENTY to ignite your petrol-air mixture!

4.) EMP, whether from the Forces of Darkness or solar flares won't destroy a breaker point ignition system.

5.) Solid state stuff FAILS IN A BINARY FASHION! It either works, or doesn't, all at once. Points are "analogue" by comparison. You can twiddle them, if you're careful, and keep them in optimal trim for your purposes, along with the timing, for a good while. An emery board will clean them of burrs or deposits if lightly applied. You can still obtain NOS points, or use Standard Blue Streak or even AC/Delco if you like for solid OEM or better quality. I bought a couple NOS points after seeing the OBSCENE low quality of Chinese ripoff points from Oh-Really? Auto Parts. Take care of your B block, and your B-block will take care of you.
 
Allow me to re-iterate the pro-points position, as I'm solidly for it.

1.) mechanical breaker points are SIMPLE and within their tolerances reliable.

2.) They're also inexpensive, even now. Mathilda (my '66 Newport, 383 2 bbl Stromberg WWC, auto 727) hits right on time with them, though I've had a time getting the dwell angle above 26 degrees. You can keep the 3 fallible components (points, condenser, ballast resistor) in your spacious C-body trunk or even the glove box. Replacing the lot won't set you back more than ~$30, even at rip-off convenience auto stores like Vato Zone.

3.) These old style motors were designed with breaker point ignitions in mind. Even when Mopar pioneered the electronic ignition, the rest of the engine still was designed according to the older, simpler paradigm. 35kV is PLENTY to ignite your petrol-air mixture!

4.) EMP, whether from the Forces of Darkness or solar flares won't destroy a breaker point ignition system.

5.) Solid state stuff FAILS IN A BINARY FASHION! It either works, or doesn't, all at once. Points are "analogue" by comparison. You can twiddle them, if you're careful, and keep them in optimal trim for your purposes, along with the timing, for a good while. An emery board will clean them of burrs or deposits if lightly applied. You can still obtain NOS points, or use Standard Blue Streak or even AC/Delco if you like for solid OEM or better quality. I bought a couple NOS points after seeing the OBSCENE low quality of Chinese ripoff points from Oh-Really? Auto Parts. Take care of your B block, and your B-block will take care of you.
I like the way you think... Logically. Like an engineer.
 
I like the way you think... Logically. Like an engineer.

Funny, given I actually AM one, albeit, unemployable. BSEE, 3.2 GPA, near 200 semester hrs, but I'm a "Security Threat" soooooo..... Oh well, there simply isn't much REAL engineering done in Cubicle-land nowadaze anyhow. All slopware-driven PowerPointless slides for the Pointy-hairs to show the buyers. That's why I stick with 1960s tech. The old dudes who built the Saturn V and the Mopar C-body knew their stuff!
 
WTF.
Customs holding The Critter's car hostage.
He can't come into the U.S.A.
You're a "security threat".
Will & Ellie going off the grid.
I'm telling ya. If Trump doesn't win, we're all in trouble.
 
Thanks for your thoughts on this Mr Morris. One person said "upgrade the ignition,,with points or you will go through plugs" I don't know what he bases this on. I am going to keep her on points and buy another ballast resistor, points and condenser for my glove box.
Now I need to buy a dwell meter. I must have thrown my old one out! You guys have any recommendations on a good tach / dwell meter?
 
Thanks for your thoughts on this Mr Morris. One person said "upgrade the ignition,,with points or you will go through plugs" I don't know what he bases this on. I am going to keep her on points and buy another ballast resistor, points and condenser for my glove box.
Now I need to buy a dwell meter. I must have thrown my old one out! You guys have any recommendations on a good tach / dwell meter?
The cheapest one you can conveniently find. Harbor Freight for example.
 
Really! So no one unit is more accurate than another?
 
Really! So no one unit is more accurate than another?
The cheapest ones are as accurate as you need.
People keep giving them to me because they know they'll never encounter points again. I give them to the local charity store. I keep one just so I have a tach when tuning.

I love this one. A true classic.
Vintage Lafayette Dwell Angle and Tachometer 1963 Original | eBay
A real Lafayette!

$_57.JPG
 
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here is my Lafayette I built as a kid although not auto related... your link didn't work for me ...
 

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I sure will let you all know. It seemed to get very good reviews on the Amazon site.
 
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