No spark on my 55

[mrdallas]

I’m looking for a mechanic that understands my 1955 Tbird electrical starting system. This car has not been started in 40 years and has been garaged. I have replaced the battery, coil, plugs, gas tank, gas filters, rotor, cap and wires. Also belts hoses and so on have also been replaced. I’m getting gas and it’s turning over but no spark at the plugs or coil. The timing has not be changed and distributor never moved and the car was running fine when put away. I have looked that the points and they look fine so didn’t replace them. If anyone could help it would be appreciated!
Thanks

 

[gbhrps]

mrdallas,

My 55 died at an intersection and I had it towed to my mechanic. After trying this and trying that, it was discovered that although the points appeared to be opening and the timing was correct, the points weren't opening at all. A simple cleaning of the points and a regap ended hours of frustration.

You need to find an old mechanic who is familiar with these old cars. He'll be 70 to 80 years of age. Check the car clubs in your area and get to know these old gurus. They can do magic they newer mechanics only dream about. Good Luck!

 

[Jimz Bird]

Hi Mr D.
1st - If you are from Dallas there is a great Tbird club there.
2nd - Here is a capture from P6 of the 55 Ford Shop Manual. It is how to check points. (I agree with gbhrps that is a good possibility)
3rd - If you don't have a Shop Manual yet you can get the 1st 59 pages as a sample from here:
http://www.forelpublishing.com/demo/Demo10155.pdf
4th - If it is Automatic it does have to be in Neutral so perhaps the Neutral Safety switch is corroded or a bit out of alignment. Run the shift lever back and forth a few times and wiggle it a bit in "N" when you try to start it. Parking brake on of course.

Hope this helps.

Jim