Loss of power,

[nkaminar]

Yes, sorry, lock washer goes under the screw, not the cam.

[izze]

I spent the evening going through the engine. A multi point inspection if you will. I found that there are a couple of scratches in the distributor cam that wore down the pad on the breaker arm and eliminated the point gap. After I set the point gap again, the engine fired up and ran normal. I've got a new cam ordered.

I just assumed to not check the points as I replaced them several days ago. This also explains why the problem went away after replacing the points. Live and learn. Thanks for all the help guys.

[Big hammer]

A little lub on the cam goes a long way, the rub strip will wear down for several 100 miles until it wears in , it’s not uncommon to adjust the points for about 1000 miles.

[nkaminar]

A common trick is to polish the cam.

[Rob Doe]

Izze,

If you are running the stock distributor set up, points, upper and lower plates, the rub block on the stock points gave me fits when we first got our car and started driving it daily. I had to, not only reset the gap but I had to learn how to look down from above and judge how much the rub block / cam follower had worn down.

When the follower is worn enough, apparently the points arm shorts to the cam intermittently. I would describe the symptom as a 'stumble' or a 'buck'. I had to check the points every couple hundred miles religiously. On one occasion, the points were down under .010 and the engine flat died. It was near 100 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Of course that was the first ride for my daughter!

I did not want to install the modern plates, I wanted the "Model A Experience", but I'd had enough. I put Nurex, modern plates, points and condenser in. After 13,000 miles the condenser failed while the car was apart for a drive train restoration just recently.

There was very little detailed info as to 'how' to polish the distributor cam when I was having troubles. My cam is still not polished, but I do put Cam Lube on it every 500 miles or so. The Nurex rub block / cam follower did not wear as did the stock points set.

I have some Brasso and an old distributor cam shaft in my used parts that I may use to polish the cam someday. I plan to put the cam on the old shaft and put it into my 5/8" capable drill press. I'll use small buffing wheels on a Dremel and the Brasso. I'll measure the lobes to be sure they are within a .001 when finished.

Glad you found the issue.

[izze]

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I could not decide on original points, or modern. I read plenty of posts about original points working as expected. And no need for modern unless the condenser keeps burning up. I may buy a set of modern points to keep on hand. But for now, I ordered a new cam and distributor lube. Now that I am driving more often, and on longer trips. I'll be sure to keep an eye on it and be diligent with the maintenance.

[Rob Doe]

We were driving about 800 miles a month when we first got the car. And we haven't slowed down much. The individuals who report few issues with stock point sets may not be driving their cars daily. It's miles driven and the quality of the materials that wears the cam follower down. One post suggested that the material may reach a melting point on occasion. That seemed to match our experience.

[nkaminar]

In the mid 60's I drove my coupe all over California and never had any ignition issues. It had the original points, cam, and condensor from the Ford factory. If only the US Post Office would work like a time machine and you could write the Ford dealers for parts.

[katy]

Some of the replacement cams are not as smooth/slick as they should be, and wear down the rubbing block prematurely. I polished a cam by spinning it in the lathe and using crocus cloth. No lathe? A drill press or hand drill would work.
As suggested, some lube on the installed cam is a good idea and was recommended by Ford.