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Can coils go bad over winter? I am trying to find why I have no spark .New points/condenser and plugs have not changed anything. Although the new points have a very weak spring compared to the one that came out. Thanks

the coil could have picked the last time you shut it off to die, but sitting won't hurt them, unless you left the key on until the battery was not recoverable - more likely you have a loose connection someplace that has oxidized enough to open the circuit or you have a bad switch someplace

need to talk a bit more about the symptoms and what you're doing to check it out .... wires on the starter tight? does the trans have a neutral safety switch? do you have a VOM meter? have you checked that the coil is getting voltage at the + terminal when the key is on? ignition switch ever act up? talk us thru it and you might talk yourself out of the box

Bill

do as Bill says, might also check and make sure you have no corrosion in the coil wire ends, like where it goes into the coil or dist

Truck last ran around new years. Put in new battery this spring as my daughter liberated it for her car.. Currently my only test tool is a lighted probe.
When I tried to get truck going now that the snow is gone I thought my problem was not getting fuel .I pulled a plug and could see no spark when turned over.I then pulled center wire from dist. cap and tried it to near ground to see if there was an arc. No arc when I flipped the points open with a screwdriver . The wire to the + side of the coil pulled apart at a connection, I spliced it back ,but,will check it again.
My probe lights on the + side of the coil with key on and across the coil. To me the points spring is too weak. I will check all connections Will let you know what happens.Started snowing here again to-day so I am in no rush. Thanks All

By the way, I looked at the picture of your truck and it looks very nice.

Make sure the points are closed, take a matchbook cover and put it between the points and pull it out, do this a few times. Then make sure your point gap is good and give it a try. A business card will also work.

Find a good ground like the vacuum advance unit, etc. and clip the test probe wire to it. Touch a known source of voltage like the main battery cable connection at the starter to confirm the test probe is working, and note how bright the bulb lights. This will give you a good idea when you're sensing full battery voltage, not something reduced by resistance.

Now, turn the ignition switch on and probe the coil terminal opposite the wire going to the distributor. The tester should light up as bright as it did when connected to the battery cable. If it's not as bright, you've got dirty contacts at the ignition switch, or inside it. Downstream of the coil, check the wire going to the distributor. The bulb should not light at all with the points closed, not even a dim glow. With the points open, the light should be slightly dimmer than it is on full voltage, because of the resistance of the coil primary winding. Check the terminal on the side of the distributor where the primary wire from the coil connects. It's easy to get a partial ground there that will prevent the points from switching the coil on and off. The terminal must be completely insulated from the housing, or it's like the points are closed all the time, resulting in no spark.
Jerry

Ok we have spark now and truck is running. I think part of the problem was the way I put the new points in. After taking them out I noticed the insulating block that goes through the side of the dist. has had a chunk broken off.It may have affected the points spring and condenser contact. Jerry pointed this area as a potential problem.Just think this all started by replacing the vacuum advance. Thanks for all the help