Excessive radial slop of point plate

[npca-eccook]

Post by S. McClintock, 29 Nov 99, describes fixes for slop and haphazard ground path inside distributor of 1965 Patrol.   In response to ported vacuum signal point plate rotates about 10 degrees advancing ignition timing during part throttle exhilaration.   At 53,000 miles, I took apart distributor -- slop was 0.080".  Ideal close tolerance radial runing clearance is near 0.0007" -- notice, point gap is 0.020 +/- 0.002".   It's awonder the dern thing ran.   Installing Pertronics ignition system is pointless unless distributor is in fine fettle.  Rotating signal generator could crash into magnetic pick up on point plate.   Trail fixes are prohibited.   Capacitive discharge ignition system comes close.  Point gap should be adjusted every 15k miles.  Arcing, sparking and micro welding at contact points is eliminated.  J.C. Whitless $100; Heath kit $20.   Good luck. Ed

[npca-riverpatrol]

Ah, Ed - I love your rhetoric. That's my word for the week: rhetoric.   I wasn't aware that Pertronics had a kit that would work for the Patrol! I was going to take them a distributor and have them build one specifically for our distributors, since they aren't that far from me. I wasn't going to do it until I could find a fix for the vacuum advance, which I now have. So now there is nothing stopping us from going to an electronic ignition.   I know Crane puts out the XR700 which should work on the Patrol distributor. I have used it on a '73 TLC and it worked just great.