Points?

[brian.b]

Hey guys can you file points too far i filed mine down pretty good to get the blister off and not they wont fire.....its getting power to them cause i can touch them with a screwdriver and it arcs but no fire across the points........

[dpledger]

Points are just a switch- when open they pass no current and when closed they do. There is never any arcing across them, as they are connected only to 6V.  The charge they pass when closed goes to the condensor and coil, and when they open again this creates a high voltage through the coil which goes to the plugs. To see if the points are OK put a VOM across them and see if the resistance goes from zilch to infinity as they are opened and closed. As long as the point gap is reset correctly it shouldn't matter if they have been filed, assuming that they have been filed flat.

[Terry T]

burnish them after filing

[Fid]

To answer the question, yes they can be filed down too far and not make good contact / pass current any longer.

[Bobm90]

A new set of points isn't expensive, I replaced them on my 54 they were available from either NAPA or Rock auto, not worth saving a few bucks and getting stuck somewhere.

[brian.b]

I bought a set from napa 20 bucks fired right up some how i filed the round lol......wasnt making a flat contact.....thanks guys.....

[dpledger]

Another thing to watch- I had a dozen or so NOS point sets dating from the 50's-60's. Installed one, and it didn't work. Looking into it, there was no continuity through the metal bands carrying the current through the set. Seemed that the rivets connecting them had developed resistance, apparently from corrosion. Turned out all the sets I had were in the same condition, even though they were of several different brands. Ended up with a new NAPA set. Sometimes new is better.

[shawn_and_his_kaiser]

I apologize if this is really dumb... But I'm learning... How important are the points in regards to the actual starting of the motor?

[Bobm90]

Don't apologize, we all start somewhere, points, cap, rotor, condenser all important  as is the coil, spark plugs and wires (plus lots of other stuff) without the spark we have no Bang !! Seriously before you start replacing stuff remove a spark plug and ground it's metal case against the block , have someone crank the engine and watch for spark between the electrodes, if you have spark, compression and fuel you're good to go, if not go back and look for the problem and replace parts as needed.