LUVTruck.com

hi,
i just bought my first luv truck the other day, (an '80, 4 spd with a flat black paint job, rusted floorpans,broken odometer but totally reliable) and quickly found this site. the truck is just going to be my beater ride, just using it to haul things to the dump, go camping, and haul gear. maybe i'll slowly fix it up, but it has a long way to go. the motor and tranny are good but the motor runs real rough at idle after starting it cold. once it gets warmed up and run around town, its great.
anyway, after doing a number of searches through the topics on this forum, i couldnt find exactly what i needed. the guy i bought it from said he was about to install new points and a condenser, and gave me the parts. he just never got around to it and said it was a 10 minute install. after looking though the haynes manual, i can't figure out where these parts go.
its obvious i have never worked on cars before and know very little about them other than how to change the oil and perform other small tasks. if anybody can take the time to tell me how to do this '10 minute install' i would be very appreciative.
im changing the oil, oil filter and fuel filter tomorrow as well as cleaning the carb so id like to do it then, if possible. thanks.

oh, and i need new tailgate latches. i found lots of tailgates but nobody seems to be selling just the latches...local junkyard was of no help

aaron

its real simple take the cap off of your dstributor. then take the rotor off, it should just pop off, then you will see the points. should be a couple of phillip head screws take those out. the points should then come out and the condensor is right there on the other side of the dist. should be one screw facing down and a 8mm bolt on the side, i think take those off and the condensor will come off. reverse the step to pu the condensor on. with your point you want to make sure your gap is right i used a dime. i dont know the exact gap ratio but im sure somebody can look it up. after you do this reverse everthing and put it back together and it should work. hope this helps.

Also, you'll need to bring #1 cylinder to TDC. The timing mark on the harmonic balancer should be aligned with the pointer. Then you can make the points adjustment. If i remember correctly, the point gap should be on the sticker on the underside of the hood. I would use a business card or a matchbook cover if i didn't have feeler gages handy.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

The points go under the cap on the distributor where all the spark plug wires merge. Don't drop the little screws holding the points in place down inside the distributor. And look under Engine Ignition in the contents of your Haynes manual.

thanks for all the help, the install was way easier than i anticipated. i'm sure i'll have more questions later on, this site is a great resource of information, especially the old threads. thanks again

aaron

Breaker point gap is .4-.5mm(.016-.020")

cool glad you got the champ on the road.