[64-3Deuces]

Anybody using NOS Delco ignition condensers and if so any problems?

Asking as I grew up learning electronics in the vacuum tube era and the TeeVee/radio capacitors used back then would eventually leak and break down. The Delco capacitor obviously a different design but wondering if the NOS I see (the USA made stuff from the 60's) is still good.

[Sun Tuned]

Maybe some will say they do go bad.
We've still got a box of points and condensers close to 130 sets of points and bout same or less condensers, from 1966.

Using the stuff every week still.

Not one problem to date.

Probably 50 customers off this site running them and may or may not know it.

No worries.

Use em!

[Half-Inch Stud]

then if so, as you know, the oil-filled ignition coil ought last 100 years internally, so if kept clean externally ought to play well for all one's car needs.

So, swapping points to solid state ought bring on a driving impedance concern, or not, to the stock oil coil. Point is the oil filled coil is a better thingy than the HEI coil hanging in the wind.

I think there are "Blaster" coils th are oil-filled to remove all doubt.

[MarkS57]

I'm thinking by the 60's the dielectric was mylar so they should be fine. I can tell you a much newer off-shore condenser catastrophically failed on me last month and left me stranded.

[Half-Inch Stud]

the old condensers seem to be fine with 14VDC. The HEI ecentually went to plastic bricks that ALSO seem to test well. No issue.

So, thinking back to points dizzys that a mechanic would "replace the condenser" to make it all better. Well i could go on and on about thaat....

[Sun Tuned]

I'm all for different viewpoints and spirited discussion.

However, with that said let's not overthink this.

I'm telling you, a guy is better off with the stuff from yesteryear than the big majority of stuff they produce these days.

Your money....
Your choice.

[64-3Deuces]

Originally Posted by Sun Tuned

I'm telling you, a guy is better off with the stuff from yesteryear than the big majority of stuff they produce these days.

Your money....
Your choice.

That's what I needed someone to confirm. Thanks to a PY Forum member I was able to obtain a supply of "real" Delco points. Was worried about the new stuff as MarkS57 noted. I see Delco lists their stuff as quality aftermarket so who knows where it comes from.

[george kujanski]

There are many types of capacitors. Electrolytic caps tend to dry out wit age and use. The automotive type is NOT electrolytic, it's typically a polyester insulator between layers of foil. As long as it hasn't been stored in a high humitidy environment, it should be good to go.

George

[64-3Deuces]

Originally Posted by george kujanski

There are many types of capacitors. Electrolytic caps tend to dry out wit age and use. The automotive type is NOT electrolytic, it's typically a polyester insulator between layers of foil. As long as it hasn't been stored in a high humitidy environment, it should be good to go.

George

Good to know. Wasn't aware of the humidity issue, will keep that in mind......

[Sun Tuned]

Inasmuch as the condensers are just as important as the rest of the deal. The points are without a doubt the most important item in the mix here.

For future reference, understand that since there are thousands of vehicles on the road today that you pass going about your day to day activities.... I'm joking here, likely these days you only pass one if you're lucky.
My point is the people manufacturing point sets although might be making a profit, I'd have to think the total numbers they're making are very small. Therefore I just don't think top quality and superior reliability are at the top of their to do list.

Certainly they are about as small as they can get compared to the us market in 1970... think about that for a moment.

So that reason alone is only a portion of the reason it's hard to get a top quality set these days. There are a few others but that is the principle of the deal right there.

That's not to say you couldn't get a crappy set of points in 1970... far from it. But around that time that's all we knew. And hell, that's all we had since the beginning of the deal just about anyhow. So for some 75 or so years... points got the job done and quite well I might add.

A set of points tucked away and kept from rusting will be good well after everyone here reading this has left this planet. That's a fact. Condensers, well that might be a different story.

A condenser has to meet several criteria to work properly for you in your car. It has to have the proper capacity. It has also got to meet specs for leakage. Both of these things can be tested with the right equipment.

I can tell you this, in 1999 I bought 4 sets of Delco D106 ps points. From the Delco distributor that's been in same location since 1961. 4 D204 condensers. Checked all four condensers for leakage and capacity. Installed all 4sets of points, and properly set the dwell. Not one set of the four allowed more than 2300 distributor rpm (4600 crank rpm). Not one of the four. They ghosted arrows and all sorts of crazy stuff. They were not properly aligned at the contacts and not even looking like they tried to get this right. Spring tension was all wrong and that's why they bounced. Now 4600 rpm is roughly some 600 rpm short of what the engines they were supposed to go in wide open throttle upshifted with automatic transmissions.

I'm supposed to put this junk in a customers car???
You must be out of your damn mind.

Tell you something else....
The old stuff you could pull from the box and install it and start car without having to adjust anything. I'm not saying they were right at 28 or 29 degrees dwell setting but they would start the car and you could drive it to where you could set it later.

Right out of the box folks.

This new stuff??

No way.

[77 TRASHCAN]

I was helping my buddy work on his 72 GTO, so he could sell it (man, he regrets the decision...but his wife hated it...).

Trying to install and adjust the points, I realized it had been maybe 20=30 years since I had done this???????????? Crap no wonder I couldn't see what I was doing..LOL

We went o HO'reillys and got a new point set and condenser. Had a beech of a time trying to adjust the gap with the handy flexible allen wrench, made for such work!!!

Couldn't get anything accomplished... SO I took the distributor out of the engine!!!
The hex bolt on the point set has metric....threw that set of points across the street.

My buddy found a new set of Delco points squirreled away, he forgot he had...

I will post some about his car one of these days.........