Am I getting to old for this??

HCooke

Well-known Member
'51 8N. side mount of course. Has been hard to start lately and now wouldn't start at all. So I changed the points and condensor. It's probably been 4 yrs since I last changed them and I'll be danged if I didn't drop one of the screws down into the dist and have to pull it to get it out. I did the same thing last time. At least this time I remembered which way the rotor was pointing so I could put it back in with the same timing. I think I can change the points in a front mount distributor faster! Anyway, it started right up and after I timed it, it runs perfectly.
 
(quoted from post at 19:35:41 10/03/16) '51 8N. side mount of course. Has been hard to start lately and now wouldn't start at all. So I changed the points and condensor. It's probably been 4 yrs since I last changed them and I'll be danged if I didn't drop one of the screws down into the dist and have to pull it to get it out. I did the same thing last time. At least this time I remembered which way the rotor was pointing so I could put it back in with the same timing. I think I can change the points in a front mount distributor faster! Anyway, it started right up and after I timed it, it runs perfectly.

Yes and so am I. Just put new calipers, rotors, and pads on rear of son's Probe. Right rear made a scraping sound when I backed it out of the shop. Back on the lift for a look see. Seems some numb nutz managed to put one of the pads on metal side towards rotor :oops:

TOH
 
Guy's, I been doing mechanic work for a long time myself, and things happen but, I always remember what a older mechanic once told me a long time ago. "He said son, if you don't screw up every once in a while, you must not be doing nothing".
 
I did the same thing a couple of weeks ago Harold. Twice!
Luckily I was able to pull the points mounting plate and
get mine out without pulling the distributor. Of course,
that gave me two more screws to potentially drop. :roll:
 
When you get to be our age Harold, it happens a lot!

Next time, just stick some toilet paper in the distributor. That will keep the screws from falling under the plate.


Or get those fancy screwdrivers with the screw holders on them.
75 Tips
 
I'm over due for one of those "senior mechanical moments."

The picture from a couple of years ago shows why the A Model wouldn't start after I set the points & timing.

Yes, that's the rotor on the running board.
IMG_20130811_101227_149_zps31c8c27a.jpg
 

And I've never had a points screw fly out of my trusty screw grabbers yet, so I haven't dropped another one since I was 30. :D

I use the white one for points
and the pointed one forvery small screw slots.
41126.jpg
 
I have screw starters that look just like that Terry.
I use them all the time on the carb throttle and choke plate screws.
Unfortunately mine aren't big enough to hold the worn out
points screws on my side mount distributor 8N's or Jubilees. :(
 
(quoted from post at 20:18:56 10/03/16) I have screw starters that look just like that Terry.
I use them all the time on the carb throttle and choke plate screws.
Unfortunately mine aren't big enough to hold the worn out
points screws on my side mount distributor 8N's or Jubilees. :(

Right on Royse,

I just used mine on the throttle plate.
Just remembered that I use the narrower, pointed one on condenser hold-down screws.

Just have to make sure you don't trip over the cat and whack the locked and loaded screw grabber as you're heading for the destination hole. :D
 

Screw slots can usually be cleaned up with saw blades.
I used a hack saw and a file on the heads of my throttle body screws the other day. Gets the old paint out of the slots nicely while you're at it.

If a points screw slot is so swedged out that the screw grabber won't even hang on to it, someone must sure have been overtightening that screw in the past or been using the wrong choice of screwdriver bit. Time for new point screw in that case.

Never seen one where you couldn't re-cut the slot (even deepen it and file down the mushroomed out and upward slot ends that allow a driver to climb out.
 

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