# 65 GTO TRI Power points gap



## grotto107 (Sep 13, 2017)

Hey Guys, I'm new to the board so please bear with me. I don't have a dwell meter. Trying to find the correct points gap for my engine. I've read the shop manual from cover to cover and all I see is dwell angle. I've done a search here and found one post that said the gap should be 14 to 16 per the shop manual. I'll be damned if I can find it in the manual. I've also searched the internet and all I can find is dwell angles and "close points until engine skips and open until it smoothes out etc" .
Stock distributor, points etc. What is the proper gap? Thanks!


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

.016"


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## grotto107 (Sep 13, 2017)

Thanks Jim!


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## Goat Roper (Oct 28, 2014)

On the fly you can get close by getting them on the lobe and turning the screw one full turn after they just begin to open.
Points nowadays are junk and I was constantly resetting the dwell.
The last set lasted 600 miles and I had to replace them on the side of the road on my way to Williams Az.
I went into Flagstaff and picked up a Pertronix electronic conversion kit before driving back to So Cal.
No more problems and no setting dwell.
Back in the day points were good for 15K miles now they can be junk right out of the box.


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## raniou812 (Sep 20, 2021)

Goat Roper said:


> On the fly you can get close by getting them on the lobe and turning the screw one full turn after they just begin to open.
> Points nowadays are junk and I was constantly resetting the dwell.
> The last set lasted 600 miles and I had to replace them on the side of the road on my way to Williams Az.
> I went into Flagstaff and picked up a Pertronix electronic conversion kit before driving back to So Cal.
> ...


What is the replacement option for these crappy points? I think I am having this issue and I would like to switch to a more reliable solution.


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## O52 (Jan 27, 2019)

NOS Delco points.


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## raniou812 (Sep 20, 2021)

O52 said:


> NOS Delco points.


Thanks Ed. Points for points is the solution? Is there another option? Thanks again


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## Lemans guy (Oct 14, 2014)

Points are a mechanical switch. They can be replaced by a magnetic switch, called a Hall effect sensor. The magnetic switch does not wear like points and does not need adjustment every 15,000 miles. A brand for this is Petronix, and the conversion from points to this electronic switch is very easy and you can do it yourself.

These can fail too, but have become pretty reliable and can run for years with no maintenance. Points are easier to fix on the fly and you sometimes can limp home. Generally if the module goes out it must be replaced. I curve a bunch of Hot-Rod distributors for the guys and 8 out of 10 use the electronic conversion.


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## raniou812 (Sep 20, 2021)

Lemans guy said:


> Points are a mechanical switch. They can be replaced by a magnetic switch, called a Hall effect sensor. The magnetic switch does not wear like points and does not need adjustment every 15,000 miles. A brand for this is Petronix, and the conversion from points to this electronic switch is very easy and you can do it yourself.
> 
> These can fail too, but have become pretty reliable and can run for years with no maintenance. Points are easier to fix on the fly and you sometimes can limp home. Generally if the module goes out it must be replaced. I curve a bunch of Hot-Rod distributors for the guys and 8 out of 10 use the electronic conversion.


Thanks sooo much!!


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## mcguiremcd (May 23, 2012)

You can use your original wiring with the Breakerless SE system. You can keep a set of points in glove box to change out in case of failure. A lot of Vette guys use this system and are very happy with it.


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## coyote595 (Dec 4, 2019)

If you stay with points, I have found Accel points to be of good quality in the past as well.


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## Lemans guy (Oct 14, 2014)

And nothing wrong with running points they are reliable if maintained properly. You will not get more horsepower from electronic conversions. You will get variable dwell which is a nice featured that points lacks, and of course less maintenance.

But points are snappy and cool and have a great feel to them. I like both actually. Just keep your Dwell set right and you will be fine.


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## O52 (Jan 27, 2019)

Easy enough to monitor. Just connect a dwell meter and verify/adjust as needed.


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