Yep, my experience with running points without a ballast resistor has been that they can run so hot they not only burn, but can end up 'floating' simply because they get so hot the metal warps the points open too far. In the middle of a drive, this manifests itself as a 'sudden death' situation.
Pertronix has a great point eliminator with a collar that slips over the point cam and a sensor that mounts in place of the points for under $100. running it on my '54 sedan for 4 years daily strong...
I've had too many experiences where I was so damned sure the points were closing and conducting when they weren't... only to be proven wrong by installing a new set.
Don, if you pull the coil wire off the cap and turn the motor over while holding the wire close to ground, does it spark?
