HiYa Jeff-
Yes, most cheap, cloned Cheena made points are junk nowadays; can't be gapped correctly when mounted. The best ones still made are the STANDARD IGNITION/BLUE STREAK
ONES, p/n FD-6769X. These still use the OEM style phenolic rubbing block. The ECHLIN brand, p/n CS-35, also uses the phenolic rubbing block and USED TO be one of the
reliable sets to use, BUT no longer as they moved production to Cheena in 2018. The part numbers are the same for NAPA. I avoid ECHLIN now. In 2019 my late good
friend Farmer Dan Howe and I spent a week testing various points and rebuilding front mounts. That is when we found newly purchased ECHLIN sets from different
suppliers were bad. We started a list of serial numbers but realized it didn't matter. You MAY get lucky at NAPA and find a set that has been setting on their shelf
for a few years and are still good, but why bother, why waste your time trying to gap and time? Just get the Blue Streak brand ot one of these others. Dan and I also
tested the CNH brand, p/n 87744524, Made In USA, and the TISCO brand, p/n ATK6FF. Both use the plastic rubbing block and were gapped and timed with no problems. I
like the reliable TISCO kit because it includes the Rotor and Condenser as well as handy, reusable .015 Feeler Gage to set the point gap with. Save it. The last set
of TISCO points I use lasted over 6 years. I also rarely install a new condenser if I use points that doesn't include one. Much has been discussed about bad
condensers, and some do fail granted, but usually not right out of the box, so I do find it highly unlikely - it takes years to eventually fail. They used to make
Capacitor & Condenser Testing Equipment you could buy -anyone remember HEATHKIT? Usually when a fella says he 'fixed' his front mount problem simply by replacing the
condenser I get skeptical. Chances are he bumped a wire or made another connection inadvertently. One issue is the square can coil pigtail electrical connection. If
the pigtail gets skewed off center and it doesn't make contact with the brass screw and copper strip, the circuit can't be completed. The biggest feature most
misunderstood on the front mount is getting the unit mounted correctly on the engine. The Cam & Weights have an offset male tang and the engine camshaft face has an
offset female slot on it and both must mate up exactly. If you force the unit down 180 degrees off, you will bust the aluminum base the second power is applied and
render it junk. You can pull the guts and reinstall them in a good base then. The 8N Operator's Manuals has a sentence about this. Getting the distributor rebuilt,
tested, and mounted correctly is only half of the electrical system. The entire wiring system must also be correct regardless if using 6V or 12V. The 9N &b 2N are
wired differently but the distributor is the same. The FORD 9N-12250 Ballast Resistor is only used with the front mount distributor and MUST be in the circuit using
both 6V and 12V setups. I know you know all of this Jeff but just tossing this info out there for others who may find it useful.
FORD FRONT MOUNT DISTRIBUTOR, CHAPTER VI - ELECTRICAL, from 1947 8N OPERATOR'S MANUAL:
8N 48-50
*NOTE subtitle 'd', installation.
FRONT MOUNT DISTRIBUTOR - CORRECT METHOD FOR SETTING THE TIMING:
CAM & WEIGHTS W/CAMSHAFT FACE:
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN UNIT MOUNTED 180 DEG OFF:
FRONT MOUNT EXPLODED PARTS VIEW & WIRING DIAGRAMS:
TISCO KIT:
FORD 8N TRACTOR 6V WIRNG PICTOGRAMS, by JMOR:
PIGTAIL ON COIL MISALIGNED:
DISTRIBUTOR GASKET KIT, B4 1949:
NOTE: The 12276 Dust Cover was not introduced until 1949.
Tim Daley(MI)