[Firebob]

I went to do a tune up on my wife 56 TBIRD the other day and it's been so long that did any work with points that I couldn't for the life of me find my dwell meter or any feeler gauges. Even after I found the dwell meter( at my dad's house) it took a minute to remember how it hooked up. Man it's true, if you don't use it you lose it. I'm afraid it's becoming a lost art.

On another note. I had to get my wife's 2015 diesel VW smog get yesterday. The shop charges $140an hour shop time for modern cars and $170 per hour for vintage or heavy duty. Gotta love Cali!

[PAUL K]

Do you think they charge for the time spent looking for their dwell meter

[694.1]

Just try to buy a dwell meter today!

[dataway]

Most modern digital timing lights have a dwell function on them. Dwell is still used on many older engines not just cars.

I still have my old Craftsman "Engine Analyzer" ... works great.

[Firebob]

Lol. Probably why they charge more. They got that one old guy still works there that owns a dwell meter and is so grumpy that everyone just avoids talking to him unless they have to. They can't hook up the scanner and the laptop to find out what's wrong. They have to find the real tech...a dwell meter, a feeler gauge, a screwdriver and a hammer.

[Old Goat Racer]

My buddy took his 60 Cat to my sons shop to get the tranny working right , which they did. But he called me to ask what the timing and dwell should be set at.
I looked in the computer (my head) and told him 6 degrees BTDC and 30 dwell. "Old School !

And I still have a dwell meter

[geeteeohguy]

Back in the late '70's through the mid '80's, when a few of my customers still drove Y-block Fords, I used to remove the distributor when I did the tune up. Located way back in the rear at an angle, I remember points were no fun to change. I can still set a set of Ford points by feel for a perfect 26-28 degree dwell. I do it on the flat part of the cam, with the points closed. Learned from doing hundreds of them back in the day.