The first thing to do is to check to see if your improvised insulator is effective. Use an ice pick style test light, attach the wire from it to a convenient ground, and see if the points are interrupting the circuit properly. With the ignition switch turned on and the points open, touching the test light probe to the terminal on the side of the distributor housing should make the light turn on. When the points close, the light should go out. The light should flash on and off as the engine is cranked. If it's on (or off) all the time, there's an open circuit or a constant ground before the points can break the circuit. The insulator is the most common cause of that kind of problem.

Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
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