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Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
Appliance-Driving American Consumers Still Stupid
The Car That Started Murilee On His Vehicular Downward Spiral: Hubert The Hatred Bug
1957 Plymouth Savoy, Reefer-Smuggling Family Legend!

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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
08/24/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
Thanks for tacking the difficult, awkward questions that get to the heart of automobility. Yes, I've got a story. But this isn't the place for it - there are children present. It's time will come. But I did want to thank you for a spectacular weekend of posting.

Now, to get my fat fingers to work on that PayPal link...
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Flathead Smith
08/24/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
The vehicle’s electronic ignition and fuel system is the tool which will be used to stop the masses in their tracks when those in power wish to clamp down upon the teeming masses. Within the vehicle’s electronic system is a control chip, which will shut down when signaled. There is upon the desk of the head of the UN, a box with a red button which controls this insidious chip. When this button is pushed, all of the pawns upon the wide easy electronic road will grind to a halt. When this happens, only those that cannot be controlled, because they have chosen to laboriously tread upon the narrow road of points ignition and mechanical fuel injection will be spared. Only those who have points and diesels without electronic fuel injection will be able to carry on the cause of freedom. While you are stranding on the side of the road, I will pass you by with guns blazing and my engine missing.

I will not be a pawn!!
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mytdawg
08/24/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
I bet I can still revive an old GM with sandpaper and a matchbook cover. Haven't dealt with them in at least 20 years. Don't miss 'em.
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Turboner
08/24/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
I tossed a perfectly good dual point distributor in favor of a Mallory Unilite in my old 327 just to avoid the next tune.
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Jim-Bob
08/24/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
I was tuning up a 1973 Fiat 850 Spyder with my neighbor the other day, and both of us realized that we did not know how to set the dwell on a points ignition. I suggested ditching the points and using an electronic ignition conversion kit instead. Oh, the horror! No one makes a conversion kit for a 73 Fiat with a longitudinal ass engine in it! He told me this, but I did not listen. No, I went to consult the deux ex machina known as the internet. Alas, my efforts proved fruitless as I could not find one either. So, much to my horror, we had to get that damn points ignition to work right. It finally works right, but I know that in another few months it won't. Then, I will be back under the hood of that old Fiat once again- and loving every minute of it!
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Bret
08/24/09

@Jim-Bob: Ditch that dizzy!
You need MegaJolt Lite jr. Crank fired ignition for the masses! That said, I look back with some fondness on my ability to set the points on my Fiat Spider by eye.

[www.autosportlabs.net]
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MushyHeirloom
08/24/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
The really important thing is that "Points and Condenser" would make for an amazing band name.
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
08/24/09

@FP - Activity resumes!: Fried Points and the Condensors, and maybe we can talk about it.
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JC Whitless
08/24/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
This reminds me, I gotta put new points in the 300
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solracer
08/23/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
The easiest car *ever* to change the points was my Dad's Citroen SM. Rather than having points it had a points cartridge (with two sets of points BTW) which you paid an insane amount of money for at your local Citroen dealer. *But* before you'd leave the parts guy would put it on a special machine which would pre-set the timing. The you'd go home, drop the cartridge in the distributor and the car would be perfectly timed! Yes, really, no BS! Damn strange car the Citroen, points in a cartridge, inboard disk brakes actuated by a button on the floor, steering as quick as an F1 car and topped off with almost bionic hydraulics filled with something that looked like Vulcan blood.
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acarr260 promoted this comment Edited by solracer at 08/23/09 11:06 PM solracer was starred solracer was unstarred

TurboBrick [LIGIER]
08/23/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
My '74 Dart still had the electronic original ignition module when I sold it, and even though it was 31 years old and the epoxy fillings were oozing down the inner fender it still worked perfectly.
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FlakJack promoted this comment

token_illiterate_commenter
08/23/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
You didn't address the ruler of points hell. The Mallory duel point distributor. That thing sucked in many unsuspecting victims that though it was somehow superior to electronic ignition. The fools.
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Velocitré
08/24/09

@token_illiterate_commenter: I worked in the racing dept. at Mallory in the late seventies. We'd get a dying YL or YC that had spark scatter all over the ring because of point bounce or bad bushings, drop a Unilite module in it, and presto. Clean sparks, perfect angles, and great dwell. A great unit (built under contract by GE, by the way)
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crsdfr
08/23/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
My '97 Holden Caprice with the 5000i Holden V8 still has a blasted points ignition system. It has to be one of the last cars made with one.

And Holden had the wonderful foresight to stick this bastard behind the damn engine, offset about 3/5ths of fuck all from the firewall. And they stuck the coil even further underneath, actually attached to the firewall.

Every time I have to get down there I tell myself to move the fucking coil somewhere not so retarded. But by the time I can actually reach the thing I'm way too pissed off, my hands way to bloodied, and my skin too burnt to bother.
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paulmer hates electric cars
08/23/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
I'm sorry stubborn old men of jalopnik, but my electrical ignition system with cam and crank sensors that can adjust the timing on the fly is FAR superior to your bullshit, if for nothing else for never having to bother with my timing

Also, more power and less emissions. And drastically more reliable.

Mechanical ignition be damned!
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FlakJack promoted this comment Edited by paulmer hates electric cars at 08/23/09 9:47 PM

theeastbaykid
08/23/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
There's an even deeper philosophical old-vs-new conflict here....I once debated with an older car guy about the advent of "black box" onboard electronics, and he had some quaint story about fixing his TR3 on the way to the prom with his date's hair clip. His argument, naturally, was that if the ECU on your Miata failed on the way to your prom, you'd be denied your chance of playing hair-clip hero, and would probably have to lose your virginity to a hooker, or something (he was kinda rambling at this point, which TR3 types tend to do). I pointed out the rate of TR3 fuel-pump failure compared to Miata ECU failure was about ten trillion to one, and while you would be SOL if your Miata did take a dump, the repair (take out bad part, put in good one), was also simpler. Of course this can be taken too far, where your Corvette keyless entry locks you inside your car, or your Audi stops running because the glovebox light burned out, but there's a balance in there somewhere. Personally, I took a BMW 2002 to the prom with a good old German mechanical fuel pump and a points eliminator kit in the distributor. Got us home just fine. Alas, the lack of action after that had nothing to do with the ignition system.
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Murilee Martin
08/24/09

@theeastbaykid: Yeah, the "resourceful man saves the day" fantasy is a common one among old-car worshipers.

I've always driven cars belonging to the optimum age range for junkyard parts acquisition (I don't think old stuff was better, although I'm disappointed in the lack of Brougham Editions in today's cars), so I was overjoyed when cars with EFI started to become the norm in the 15- to 20-year-old range.
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powermatic
08/23/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
Don't forget the 'points file'. The contacts on the points would, after time, develop a tit. Filing this down and readjusting the clearance would usually provide instant gratification from a better running motor, and the knowledge that your weekend wasn't spent on totally worthless crap like yard work.
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Novaload Believes the Jez 9 May or May Not Be Back Soon... promoted this comment powermatic was starred powermatic was unstarred

mechimike
08/24/09

@powermatic: Just did that on my DD '68 Volvo. Man, she runs like a champ now. But my grass, it is still tall.
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Novaload
08/23/09

In reply to Points Ignition Lovers: Are They Misinformed... or Minions Of Satan?
Kids, Uncle Murilee is right; way before there was PlugNPlay the refrain was PointsNPlugs, PointsNPlugs. When nothing else worked, try PointsNPlugs.
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MushyHeirloom
08/23/09

@Novaload Believes the Jez 9 May or May Not Be Back Soon...: Points'n'plugs, points'n'plugs, I gotta check me some points'n'plugs...
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