Los_Control

The plastic rub blocks on modern points without proper grease .... or even with! .... As it wears away, it will close the gap on your points changing the dwell affecting the timing. When you adjust your points, you rotate the engine til the plastic rub block is on the peak of the distributor cam for the widest point gap. Then you set the points to whatever it is suggested for your car. If the plastic rub block wears away because it has no grease, the point gap will get smaller & smaller .... to the point they no longer open the points. Naturally you want to check the point surface to see they are wearing flat & smooth with no pits burned into them. Example would be, If you leave the key on & walk away, the points are closed ... there is electricity passing through them & possible to weld themselves closed. When you start the engine, the weld breaks away but leaves a pit on one side and the points wear uneven because of the metal on the other side. Of course could simply be a screw that holds the points in place worked loose. Just need to re-adjust the points and tighten it. Just a few reasons why points were replaced with electronic ignition .... They work great but they require maintenance. All above could explain your issue. Could be many other things like a coil failing .... points would be the first thing I looked at.

Check the gap on the points?

My first thought were to check that the horns actually work Next would be connections. Then I would go into the horn button.... remove the horn ring, unplug the horn at the exit point out of the steering column .... I would tie string onto the wire while pulling the horn ring & wire through the column so you can inspect it on the work bench. My truck does not have a horn ring .... just a horn button in the middle of the wheel. The wire where it exits the column .... mine was in pretty bad shape with the wires bare from rubbing the insulation off. The horn button the wire passes through a metal plate that is held in place with a snap ring. I do not know whats on the other side because it is all enclosed. I just know I will need to take it apart and replace the wire & clean all connections there before I put it back together. I saw in your photos what looks to me as if your car was rewired with modern cloth wiring .... did they also replace the wire from the horn button out the steering column?

You know if I needed electrical advice, I'm going to @sniper. @Plymouthy Adams He been acting up awkward the last few years. I'm not sure why. He has the best paint & body experience available. While I believe @Sniper has the best information for electrical ..... I personally would not sell petronix too short as long as you follow the directions completely & use their coil & wires. Tim's words on this thread is totally wrong. ..... I simply would like the whole community to give @Plymouthy Adams A big hug and move on.. We simply can not go forward terrorizing the guest.

Thats a lot of driving. Since getting settled here 4 years ago, I stopped changing the oil by the miles. I simply change oil twice a year in spring & fall .... I drive between 4k-6k miles a year .... Thats the wife mini van, while my daily driver chebby truck gets 1/2 that ..... Just my driving habits. Assuming my truck does have 4.10 gears, 50mph would be pushing it hard. I typically just drive to the grocery store, hardware store, ...... A 2 mile drive I can show you all the highlights of my town. The max speed limit would be 35 mph. If I wanted to take a 20 mile drive to Sweetwater, a larger small town that has a walmart. I can drive on the bypass road that follows the freeway .... The speed limit is 55mph, The road is used for slow moving vehicles Like farm equipment moving from one field to the next. A 1949 Dodge truck would be right at home bouncing down the road at 45mph. Not everybody lives out in the middle of nowhere like I do. So driving my truck is not a concern for me. Of course comparing a truck to a car is comparing apples to oranges. Most of the newer cars here have coil spring front suspension, over drive transmission, better gear ratio's .... they can do highway driving. If I were to drive my truck on the freeway, I would be a traffic hazard & would cause a accident. Possibly kill someone. It would be my fault. Like anything it just takes common sense & drive responsibly with you cars ability.

something amiss here

OMG I played that hand wrong @Sniper I was born June 14 1962 ..... I turned 60 years old 2 months ago ....I am 60 today. .... but it is not my birthday. I kinda feel I'm always making up excuses. ..... @sniper knows dang well the weather has been over 3 digits for over 65 days straight .... Next week is looking pretty good at temps below 100 .... This was a recent discussion on the forum. So the next week the temps will be 95-98 degrees ..... That is a huge improvement .... Remember August is the hottest part of the year. .... It will get hotter. Me I'm going to let my foot heal, I'm going to plant seeds in the garden for a fall crop ..... I'm going to hope I get my truck roadworthy .....We all have different ambitions.

I could certainly understand your feelings there. I literally hate driving in any city traffic with any vehicle. I think for many people just having the project is the reward. And working on old technology may be a form of relaxation. I think I have been working on my project over 3 years now. I have seriously thought about just giving up on it & sell it to another. Now I'm working on the back side of the vehicle. You can see my goal by looking at the front. I'm not restoring the vehicle, Just repairing it to a runner driver & some sort of paint protection is part of it. I have not touched my truck for 2 months now. ..... I was disabled with a back injury when I was 48 years old, I have some serious Sciatica (Arthritis in the tail bone.) All that means is my back is shot & have nerve pain in my legs from waist down. I am 60 years old today. .... Not a matter of pain, just how much pain today? I took the wife to walmart yesterday. I simply need 2 days to recover. Same time I have a vegetable garden, I need to get some canning done for the winter .... I own A house that needs maintained ..... What little time I do have is often not on my project. ...... I sure enjoy having it when I have the time. Just saying, I love having the project .... If I get to finish it is another story.

Saw the add again today .... wonder what year they are for? They look different then a 1950. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1161636034581121/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_general&referral_story_type=general&tracking={"qid"%3A"-5854520631669025444"%2C"mf_story_key"%3A"991741558488585213"%2C"commerce_rank_obj"%3A"{\"target_id\"%3A991741558488585213%2C\"target_type\"%3A6%2C\"primary_position\"%3A72%2C\"ranking_signature\"%3A3005816884827258880%2C\"commerce_channel\"%3A501%2C\"value\"%3A2.5112527903292e-5%2C\"upsell_type\"%3A3523%2C\"candidate_retrieval_source_map\"%3A{\"5222882881140332\"%3A3001}%2C\"grouping_info\"%3Anull}"%2C"lightning_feed_qid"%3A"-5854670165248902691"%2C"lightning_feed_ranking_signature"%3A"5570189016562663424"%2C"ftmd_400706"%3A"111112l"}

Yeah we all get use to a certain climate. I was born in the Pacific Northwest just South of Seattle. I chose to live here. My wife told me today she thinks it is the hottest summer we ever lived through.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/171487573718/user/100027497070205 He belongs to a pilothouse group .... you may have to join the group to get access to him .... I dunno. The group is open.

I bought some toe boards & a transmission cover from Doug Crozier. ...... I have a new floor pan I need to install. The modern stuff is just made out of such thin metal I feel I may need to run some bracing under it .... or it may oil can while stepping on it. ...... I really did not want to order new toe boards with same issue. I talked to @Doug Crozier & he sent me a used set of what I wanted .... Not easy buying used floors for a 70 year old vehicle. I admit they have some pitting, not perfect, but extremely usable ... 10X better then what is available today. I'm very pleased with his service, efficiency of shipping & price. I will order more parts when I'm ready.

Would be interesting to hear how your engine overheats. .... Under what conditions? When I first started my truck that sat for 20 years, it quickly overheated because of poor coolant circulation ..... The water distribution tube was clogged. These engines are known to have leftover casting sand in them. It all settles at the lowest point of the block. There is a petcock near the oil fill tube on the block to drain the water out of the engine .... If you open it does the water drain? This is where all the sand settles & clogs the drain hole. If it drains then this is not your issue. Checking the water distribution tube is more tricky. You need to pull the radiator, water pump. Then whatever it takes to run a piece of flat bar or re-bar through the grill into the distribution tube. Where I live we have really hard water, my tube was completely clogged with mineral deposits. My point is, make a gasket from a cereal box & put it back together with no T-stat .... see if your problem is solved. If not you will be taking it back apart anyways.

Funny thing I saw a add on FBmarketplace yesterday for NOS T-stats for old Mopars. A guy had a case of 45 T-stats asking $8 each + shipping. Looking today I do not see the add again. As far as I know a modern T-stat works just fine in these engines. You need the correct diameter of the flange that sits in the recessed area like the original. The correct part # would give you that. Then the gasket etc... Modern T-stat installs exactly like the original. They do not look the same at all ..... IMHO I think the original cleaned up makes a nice paper weight for the desk. Not sure I would trust a 70 year old NOS T-stat. They do function the same way, it is the hot coolant that causes the T-stat to open & close as needed. While I'm only yard driving my 1949 with a 1950 engine, I was working on overheating issues. I ran it with no thermostat til I was comfortable I fixed the problem. I went to the local parts store & bought a new T-stat for it & installed it & seems to be working just fine.

Loren when it all comes down .... Do not go to the light. ..... It is a trap. If you see the light and step twords it, you are sucked into the trap. .... step away from the light. I figure you can make a decision later. And that is exactly all I have to say about that ....