This thing has POINTS? This should be easy (For now and future, you should get and already have a bag of Radio Shack clip leads, a multimeter, an auto parts spark tester, and a 12V automotive test lamp) Hook your test lamp to the coil NEG. This should be the terminal going to the distributor Hook the other lamp terminal to ground. Turn on the key. Get a screwdriver or pliers, and bump the engine by jumpering across the two large exposed terminals on the starter relay. If the lamp is OUT, bump the engine until it LIGHTS If the lamp is LIT, bump the engine until it goes OUT Both these actions tell you that the points are opening and closing with distributor / engine rotation, and that they are conducting current. MEASURE voltage at coil + terminal with key on, and the lamp OUT. You should see anywhere over 4 volts and anywhere UNDER about 11 volts. This tells you that the coil is drawing current through the points, and is getting power "Rig" a clip lead from the starter relay stud (battery) over to coil POSitive terminal. Don't leave this on longer than you need for test, 30 seconds "Rig" a clip lead to ground and up to the coil tower with some sort of coil gap tester. Now jumper the starter relay as mentioned earlier and look for a spark. If the points are opening and closing If they are drawing current (IE not corroded) If the coil is getting power (your clip lead at the present) You should get a nice fat blue spark at least 3/8" long IF NOT you have a bad condenser (in the distributor) or bad coil or you have mis--interpreted a test result. WHEN YOU clip a test lead onto the coil POSitive terminal to the BATTERY you have basically created a VERY basic, simple, "least amount" of components ignition system THE CURRENT path is From STARTER RELAY battery stud.........through the CLIP LEAD.........to COIL POS.........through the coil......out the COIL NEG.........to the DISTRIBUTOR........to the POINTS.......and SWITCH TO GROUND IF THE above fails, try it differently............... Remove the dist. cap. Bump the engine until the points are visiably open. Hook your clip lead from coil POS to the battery stud on the start relay Take a second clip lead and hook to coil NEG. Repeatedly touch it to the engine block while looking for a spark with your test gap. Each time you ground / unground the wire, you should get a spark.
