You’re an Old Fart if…

[aupatking]

Really miss the white ski with the pink squares

[Zman]

On 7/10/2023 at 1:37 PM, 2Valve said:

You know what a dwell meter is (and how to use it)

And, still have the dwell meter. (why, I don't know)

[Taynton]

13 minutes ago, Zman said:

And, still have the dwell meter. (why, I don't know)

whats a dwell meter for lol

[chrislandy]

4 hours ago, Zman said:

And, still have the dwell meter. (why, I don't know)

lol, I've got one in the garage. Not used it for over 20 years.

Also got a colortune (which I used 2 years ago tuning an LPG v8 and melted the plastic cover 🙄 )and a carb balancing kit plus an electronic ignition conversion for a 1960s triumph herald for some reason?!

[Dsully]

This was your first life jacket for skiing.

[Jody_Seal]

if you own the same boat you learned how to ski with...........in 1965.

[thager]

You skied in cutoff jeans with algae stained undies!!

[BraceMaker]

10 hours ago, Taynton said:

whats a dwell meter for lol

In case you were seriously asking used to be that your spark plugs were fired by a switch called the points that lived inside the distributor, when they close the coil is grounded and charges up with electricity and when they open the electricity jumps out of the coil through the wires to the spark plug.  The dwell meter measured the number of degrees of rotation that the points were closed.  So if you have a V8 the rotor in the distributor turns 1 time for every time all 8 cylinders spark 1 time.  So 360 degrees divided by 8 means every 45 degrees of rotation the points open and a spark fires.  But they take a few degrees to open and close so the spec would be something like 25-30 degrees so you'd whip out the dwell meter and the timing light and you'd get your dwell to spec by adjusting the points using the dwell meter  and then you'd retime the engine.  

Fun stuff.  But there were always two types of people the dwell meter and the feeler gauge.  I've always been a dwell meter user and my dad's in the feeler gauge camp.  In both you're trying to adjust the points to open enough for a clean spark but closed long enough to charge the coil.  (dwell meter is clearly better)

 

Nearly every ski boat moved off points by the mid-90s.  MC I think went electronic from the factory somewhere around 90/91.

[DW]

Two pages and still going strong - damn there are a lot of old people on BOS or forgot they posted 5 minutes ago ...

[Hockdog]

Get off my lawn……

[BKistler]

Two pages and still going strong….😛
 
The generation gap is interesting to see. In my mind, anything involving a fiberglass ski is not Old Fart material. 

[2Valve]

On 7/12/2023 at 11:43 AM, BraceMaker said:

In case you were seriously asking used to be that your spark plugs were fired by a switch called the points that lived inside the distributor, when they close the coil is grounded and charges up with electricity and when they open the electricity jumps out of the coil through the wires to the spark plug.  The dwell meter measured the number of degrees of rotation that the points were closed.  So if you have a V8 the rotor in the distributor turns 1 time for every time all 8 cylinders spark 1 time.  So 360 degrees divided by 8 means every 45 degrees of rotation the points open and a spark fires.  But they take a few degrees to open and close so the spec would be something like 25-30 degrees so you'd whip out the dwell meter and the timing light and you'd get your dwell to spec by adjusting the points using the dwell meter  and then you'd retime the engine.  

Fun stuff.  But there were always two types of people the dwell meter and the feeler gauge.  I've always been a dwell meter user and my dad's in the feeler gauge camp.  In both you're trying to adjust the points to open enough for a clean spark but closed long enough to charge the coil.  (dwell meter is clearly better)

 

Nearly every ski boat moved off points by the mid-90s.  MC I think went electronic from the factory somewhere around 90/91.

And if I recall, dwell angle, point gap affects the timing, but timing does not affect dwell, point gap. From memory, helping the 'ol man tune our '68 Ford with a very healthy 390 V8.

[Wish]

@Jody_Seal 1963 Glastron in my yard. Dad purchased new. 
 

@Dsully we woke up as kids in the summers, put on our bathing suits and that life jacket in white. Swam and played all day in the lake with breaks to only eat. 
 

 

[BraceMaker]

35 minutes ago, 2Valve said:

And if I recall, dwell angle, point gap affects the timing, but timing does not affect dwell, point gap. From memory, helping the 'ol man tune our '68 Ford with a very healthy 390 V8.

Correct since the timing of the actual spark relates to the gap opening up far enough that the spark plug gap is more attractive than the points gap.  Points set to open less have more angle and will spark a bit later than ones set to open more but they if they open more they close later which means lower dwell and less charging so you have to balance the both.

While I'm a dwell tiger is you can monitor changes in the points by monitoring the dwell angle over time.  Where as when you cannot measure points gap while its running.

[ALPJr]

Match pack tune-up… use the striker to clean up the cap, points and plugs. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by ALPJr

[Jody_Seal]

if you took a ride on Kimball fiberglass skis?.

[ETskier]

@ALPJr and the matchbook cover to set the points gap. Double it over to set the plug gap..

Also skied behind and drove a 50 something 70 hp Merc with no neutral or gear case.  Started in gear with button under the throttle handle. For reverse pulled back to center to kill, then into reverese, hit the button, whole engine turned opposite direction. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by ETskier
Spelling

[OldGuysRule]

How about a pair of these!   I'm sure....1950's!!!

[BKistler]

@Jody_Seal OK, you got me on that one. I skied on a Kimball once. Definitely an Old School Old Fart icon. 

[lpskier]

@Wish Busted! If you really were an old fart, you’d recall your mother making you wait an hour after you ate before you could go back in the water.  
 

[Wish]

Ha! Jokes on you. We were allowed up to our knees. 😎

[ral]

You enjoyed this tv commercial…  

 

[lpskier]

@Wish my friend’s mom was so strict, he had to wait an hour after eating before he could run through the sprinkler. Really. 

[teammalibu]

Mercury Mark 78A with direct reverse!

[rawly]

No Corinthian leather 🤣

[Cooper_Trelawney]

If you saw this short film in the theater.  

 

[GWaterski]

You say you're 'Filming' while recording Slalom passes with your Ultra High Definition digital video camera......OR......

Not quite an 'Old Fart' if you 'roll back the tape' to catch a replay...