1971 Chevy pickup 350: I'm going through points like crazy. Help?

 

usually a bad connection, or coil issue. convert to hei, it's pretty cheap, real easy. no more points.

 

Hi ceenina75,

Welcome to the Chevy Forums.

It sounds as though the dwell may not be set properly. Did you replace the condenser? It works just as hard as the points, even though it has no moving parts. One of the common tune-up failings from that era is to get all stingy when you're replacing the ignition parts and ignore the condenser. Since it's job is maintain a crisp, clean, momentary spark at the points,if you use the old one, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

Of course, if you are considering an upgrade, the HEI ignition would be a rippin' upgrade... more than double the power the plugs, and twice the maintenance interval. A good way to go.

 

I'm not 100 percent certain but I've had that problem when the resistor was bypassed. In those older systems the ignition used 12 volts to start giving it a hotter spark but when you switch to run it uses the resistor. If the resistor burned up and somebody bypassed it then you run at the higher voltage causing the points to burn up prematurely.