Just dragged an old Cletrac out of the woods- question of ignition points

[Brett]

I just dragged what I believe is an old Cletrac AG (4 cyl. gas) out of the woods. It no longer has any of the tags on it, but based on the photo gallery, I'm fairly confident with the ID.  I'm told it ran when parked about four years ago, and have started going thru it. Lots of condensation in the distributor, so at a minimum it will need a set of points. The problem is that I can't seem to find the right ones. I ordered what I was told was the correct points, but the old ones are a two-piece point set, not the one-piece that I recieved. It also has a smaller distributor cap (2.5" diameter) than the replacement I received. The distributor is a delco-remy, but the model number is worn off. Any guesses? Thanks so much!
/Brett

[Doug424]

I  am familiar with that style distributor. You don't see many like that. They were also used on a lot of old forklifts on Continental engines. If you go to an old auto parts store that has paper catalogs, you can probably find the points. The old catalogs had pictures of every style of ignition points so, if you get a part #, you can compare to the photo to be sure. As long you still have the old points, why don't you just clean them up?  Some fine emery cloth should do it.

[Blake Malkamaki]

Doug's suggestion is perfect. And if you find the right parts, post them on here so we can share them in the parts source section. The only thing I have to add, is don't use emory cloth on points as it contains something bad that will contaminate them (not sure what, but I have read this in old books). Use a file or wet-n-dry sandpaper instead.

[Doug424]

I've heard that about not using emery cloth as well, but the only real concern is you may leave metallic particles that would short out the points. I've used it for years and never had a problem as long as you clean them well after polishing. What I like about the emery cloth is its strong. I fold it over so I can pull it thru the points doing both sides at once. That way you get a matched surface and better contact. A point file is the old standby, but it's sometimes hard to get them even that way and you often file away more contact material than is necessary.  In most cases the contact surface is just oxidized and very light sanding is all you need.

[Blake Malkamaki]

Emory would probably be ok if you blow everything out good. Modern emory might be different than the old stuff too. I like the wet-n-dry because it is thin and gets in tight places easily. I usually tear off a small piece and fold it in half so it cleans both surfaces at the same time.

[Doug424]

Even with the wet/dry paper you need to be sure you get the abrasive particles out as well.  Silicon carbide, aluminum oxide or emery , you don't want any of that stuff between your contacts.  I usually pull a rag through them to get it clean. I don't like blowing air if the points are still in the distributor as you get abrasive grit where it shouldn't be.

[TomA]

I find most old points. are.much better quality material than any available new. If they are 2 piece you can take them out and reface them with a dremmel if necessary.Many old point sets have very thick contact material where new ones are plated.

[Doug424]

I find most old points. are.much better quality material than any available new. If they are 2 piece you can take them out and reface them with a dremmel if necessary.Many old point sets have very thick contact material where new ones are plated.

Very true...... so many people throw away good points and replace with garbage made in China.

[coffeecreek]

I was always taught to clean points with a clean dollar bill . Has always worked for me .

[hotratz]

Contact burnishing tool or electricians emery cloth. Standard emery cloth or sand paper will leave non-conductive grit embedded into the contact surface and prevent conduction.

Burnishing tool

[Doug424]

I have a hard time believing anything would embed into the point surface, especially with a light sanding. Fact is, I've been using emery or sandpaper for about 35 years and it's always worked, so I'm not real concerned about it.

[hotratz]

I have a hard time believing anything would embed into the point surface, especially with a light sanding. Fact is, I've been using emery or sandpaper for about 35 years and it's always worked, so I'm not real concerned about it.

40+ years as an Industrial Electrician, this is what we're taught. Maybe not a big concern but why improvise when the proper tools are available for cheap?