Negative terminal on ignition coil reads .20V with the ignition on and the points open or closed.

Terminal on the side of the distributor reads .10V with the ignition on and the points open or closed.

Same readings when I switched the connections to a known good ignition coil.

My battery is charged and reading 6.26V.

So this means that there is a short between the ignition switch and the coil?

I'm sure that all the major mechanical components would need to be torn down and rebuilt and any wiring should be replaced. But that's really no different than any other 50 year old restoration project. At least the car is complete and the sheet metal, chrome, and trim is all there in pretty decent condition.

I came across this '48 Conv't - flood damaged vehicle from NJ - being auctioned off by Copart with what appears to be no reserve.

Someone might be able to pick up a decent project for a reasonable price. If I didn't have three running projects as it is, I might be interested!

http://www.autobidmaster.com/carfinder-online-auto-auctions/lot/28739662/COPART_1948_PACKARD_PACKARD_CERT_OF_TITLE-SALVAGE_FLOOD_SOMERVILLE_NJ/

I'll give this a try.

Thanks.

Yes the cloth covered wire is still there.

Tried checking and redoing everything that I touched. Still no spark at the plugs. Everything looks right to me but I must be missing something.

I'm not very good with electrical diagnoses and fixes. I'll have to get some hands on help for this one.

Thanks for the advice though.

I turned the engine by hand and felt the compression on the #1 cylinder. I looked down at the timing marks to ensure it was at TDC and I see the TDC / degree markings on the vibration damper but I don't see the pointer on the block. (I'm standing / leaning / climbing over the driver's side fender looking down between the generator and the fan pulleys.) Is it possible that it was removed? Or is the pointer just a scribe mark on the engine block that might be obscured? The engine compartment is pretty clean so I know it's not buried under grease.

I have the #1 piston near TDC and I checked the rotor, it is pointing at approx the 7 o'clock position. I installed the spark plug wires CCW in the firing order.

I checked the points and gapped them at .016 (Delco distributor set up) and attempted to start the engine but again, no ignition.

I pulled the plugs and see that they are wet with gas and slightly carbon fouled (which is why I was tuning up the electrical system in the first place). I might have flooded the engine before while trying to start it. I pulled them all out, cleaned them off and left them out to dry off. I'm going to go try this again.

Looks like I need to spend some more time checking what I did.

Apparently I've learned just enough to get myself into trouble.

Thank you gentlemen. I thought it best to stop and ask before I confuse the situation even more!

I've learned the hard way about the possibility of the distributor being off from how it should be set.

So #1 cylinder TDC by the thumb feel and verify by timing marks, check rotor and make note where rotor is pointing and that is now #1 on the distributor cap. Then the plug wires go in firing order CCW.

I'll give it a shot tomorrow and report back.

OK, I screwed up. In the process of tuning my car up (1954 288 cid L-8) (new distributor cap / rotor / condensor / points) and now it won't start. I replaced the distributor cap and I thought I was pretty careful about switching the wires over but I goofed as now when the starter is turning over the engine, I have no hint of ignition.

The firing order is 1-6-2-5-8-3-7-4 correct?

I can't find how the cylinders are numbered... 1 through 8, front of the car rearward?

If I at least know which cylinder is #1, I can stumble my way through getting the plug wires in the right order to the right cylinders.

Error #2 on my part is that when I pulled the distributor out to change the ignition parts, I didn't mark / take notice of which way the rotor was pointing. In my '41 Cadillac and '40 Buick, it can only go back one way (where it's split on the end and fits into the oil pump, each side is a different length), on this engine, it can go two ways as you probably know. I noticed after I had spun it and then looked to see the ends are the same length on both sides!

So I need help as to which cylinder is #1 and where approximately should the rotor be pointed when it's at TDC?

Thanks fellas.

If you want larger high resolution pictures, drop me a personal email at aarmit1@yahoo.com and I'll email the larger files to you. Or, if you need different angles, I'll see what I can do. I wish I could have gotten under the carpet where the footrest base is actually mounted to the floor for you to see, but hopefully, this is what you are looking for.

And after taking these pictures, I feel it's time for me to spend a little time with some polishing compound and a cloth.

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It's about time for an oil change and I wanted to replace the pan gasket as it's seeping pretty good all the way around.

Can anyone tell me if there is clearance to remove the oil pan without jacking the engine up or dropping the suspension. I'd like to know what I'm getting into before I'm neck deep.