I thought I had enough experience to know the answer to this: I replaced the points and condenser in a 55 GMC 503 ci engine with Delco distributor. There is no nut to tighten the new points and condenser leads inside the distributor. It maybe is supposed to be a 'slip fit', yet there seems to be no springload in the insulated coil lead terminal which comes thru the dist housing. Doesn't seem to be an ideal setup, unless I'm missing something. Your thoughts?
There used to be some points sets that used the end of the flat spring to capture the wire from the condenser and lead that goes back to the coil's primary. No screw involved.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
Chevys have a screw on the outside of the dist to service this. I imagine GMC is the same way. You remove the nut for the wire from the coil & the clip & wire. There is screw that goes over the shaft with 2 slots in it. You loosen that screw enough to remove & replace the spring & cond. wire. It takes a special tool, but you can improvise with a pair of small needle nose pliers or a tube ground down enough to leave 2 tips to fit in the slots to turn the screw.
George
They say money can't buy happiness. It can buy old Chevy trucks though. Same thing. 1972 Chevy c10 Cheyenne Super In the Gallery Forum
The drawing of the 503's distributor from the 55-60 GMC Master Parts Book shows that the spring for the points has a hook in the end that should align with the stud that the wire from the coil connects to.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
I made a tool just for this job. Ground down a junk 1/4" socket into a spanner wrench. Should have done it 30 years ago.
~~ Jethro 1954 3100 Back to Life In the Dity Gallery 1951 3100 (gone) / 1956 4400 (still in the neighborhood) / 1957 6400 with dump body (retired) / 1959 3100 panel (in the woods junked) / 1978 Custom Deluxe K10 / 1993 S-10 4.3 / 2004 Chevy Crew Cab / 1945 John Deere H / 1952 John Deere B / 1966 John Deere 2510 / 1967 John Deere 1020
If you don't have the factory tool, a piece of 3/16" steel brake line with a couple of tabs filed into it works like a charm! The correct tool comes up used on Ebay pretty frequently. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
"Point" of reference... All Delco distributors with the clip held cap use the same points and condenser, whether it is a Chevy, Dubuque-made John Deere, Farmall, Minneapolis Moline etc. The difference is short cap vs tall cap. Bill's pic above is the short cap version with the short rotor button and insulator spacer. Tall cap obviously has the tall rotor button and no insulator spacer. Points and condenser as well as the adjusting screw are the same. When I call Steiner's for points, all they want to know is "for a clip cap Delco."
~~ Jethro 1954 3100 Back to Life In the Dity Gallery 1951 3100 (gone) / 1956 4400 (still in the neighborhood) / 1957 6400 with dump body (retired) / 1959 3100 panel (in the woods junked) / 1978 Custom Deluxe K10 / 1993 S-10 4.3 / 2004 Chevy Crew Cab / 1945 John Deere H / 1952 John Deere B / 1966 John Deere 2510 / 1967 John Deere 1020
Thanks for the additional "points". I did make a crude tool of the sort you guys suggested. What I couldn't see very well, because it's so hard to crawl in far enough to get a good view, is the exact shape/design of the area where the points spring and condenser lead hook on to the end of the stud. Regardless, I did get it all put together, and now have a nice fat spark.
I did make a crude tool of the sort you guys suggested. What I couldn't see very well, because it's so hard to crawl in far enough to get a good view, is the exact shape/design of the area where the points spring and condenser lead hook on to the end of the stud. Regardless, I did get it all put together, and now have a nice fat spark.