embarrassing newb question about ignitions...

[DirtDonk]

And from the looks of things, those points have been in there a long time too.
You've got a fair amount of wear on the parts. The rotor (top plastic piece in the picture) looks like it's got a few miles and not just a few years on it as well.
You can't see the condition of the point's contact surface in the pic (they're in the closed position anyway), but if they're worn out and/or pitted and rough, then your engine is not running up-to-snuff and those parts should be changed as a matter of standard maintenance.
It's called a good old fashioned tune-up. Fun fun!!!

Oh, but an easy way out of that hassle might be to check the condition of the distributor itself. If you can grab the top of the shaft (where the rotor is) and wiggle it, there should be very little play. If it moves side to side a noticeable amount, just replace the whole distributor. The new one will come with points and condenser already installed. You just have to put the new assembly in and verify the adjustment.
Piece of pie, as they say in Russia.

If it's all good, then you get to install your first set of points and condenser.
Good experience...

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

Don't see a pic Rax. Whatcha got?

Paul

 

[73AnneBoleyn]

Rax, that's a good pic! well, it just started lightning and raining, so i figured i better not be messing with the bronco right now. so, tomorrow i'll check the condition of the distributor. i believe i'll just swap out and go electronic. any recommendations?

 

[bmc69]

my grandpa used to do that us and other people, just took one time

...'cept in yr case..apparently. Explains a lot....

 

[Skiddy]

...'cept in yr case..apparently. Explains a lot....

yeah at least I have an excuse ;D hey where's the pic of the twisty drive line;D

 

[daddyg]

Rax, that's a good pic! well, it just started lightning and raining, so i figured i better not be messing with the bronco right now. so, tomorrow i'll check the condition of the distributor. i believe i'll just swap out and go electronic. any recommendations?

If your distributer is in good shape you could just replace the points with a Pertronix unit.

 

[DirtDonk]

Sky's the limit these days.
I like the availability of HEI's but feel the cap is too big for most Bronco setups.
I'm running Ford Duraspark distributors in both of my trucks right now, but really like the new Mallory E-Fire and Max-Fire units. Yes, I work with the company, but still like the product a lot.
They're both ready-to-run as is and have 5 separate built-in electronic advance curves.
They also come with the software to roll-your-own, so to speak, for those that prefer to create their own advance curve for better economy or performance or whatever.
No more physical adjustments. Just hook up a vacuum line, flip a switch, turn a dial, quote the original Batman intro ("...Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed. Roger, ready to move out...") and you're ready to go!
The difference between the two is the Max-Fire has a built-in multi-strike CD ignition for a little more juice.

If you're on a non high performance budget, a stock replacement for a Ford Duraspark is probably still the best bang-for-the-buck. You just have to do more wiring. Or an Ignitor from Pertronix, if your existing distributor is still in good shape (like daddyg said).
Any of the other units, like those from Pertronix, Accel, Mallory or Proform will be easier to install because of less wiring and no need for outside control modules.
It's what I'm going to do next go-round.

Hope that helps. Lots of us using different setups around here, so I'm sure you'll get lots of first-hand experiences and opinions.

Paul