Twice

Sometimes, a well meaning but misguided shadetree mechanic, will "bypass" the infamous factory installed "ballast resistor" in the mistaken belief that by removing the resistor it will make a hotter spark for eazier starting. Sometime a little electrical knowledge is dangerious.

"Today I bought a new transistor block and transistor from the FNH dealer. After installing it I still get 6v on the wire to the coil, but I think that might be because the coil and dist. have not been installed yet and there is no current being conducted until the points close. Is that correct? When and how should I see the 3.5v?"

Thats a new one on me, "transistor block". I'm gonna make a wild guess that what you really mean is "ballast resistor".

Until you complete the ignition circuit by having the ignition point close, you will read 6 volts at the coil terminal. Its another electrical law called "Kerchoff's Law".

If'n the coil is dangling in mid-air, you definately have an incomplete circuit (no points) and you will read battery volts at eather the coil terminal or the springy thingy underneath the frontmount coil.

You must install the coil and you must correctly wire the ballast resistor into the circuit from the ignition switch to the coil terminal. If'n the ballast resistor which is mounted on the back side of the dash panel, is not in the circuit, you will get battery volts at the coil terminal and you will again burnout your coil.

As for the point gap. I've never known the distributor cam to wear that much, its usually the points rub block that wears, its designed to. The problem with such a small point gap is that electrons are lazy suckers and would rather jump a small gap than the big gap of the sparkplugs. It may work at idle speed but at higher engine speeds ya ain't gonna have enuff sparkies. Get a new set of ignition points.

Do it right so I don't have to explain it all over again..... ...Dell

Since the condenser is across the points and the points are effectively shorting the condenser out when the points are closed, you won't see a condenser charge effect. When you open the points, the inductive reactance of the coil will mask any charging effect of the condenser.

Which by the way. if'n you had the condenser out in the open in your hand all by its self and put an ohm meter across it, you would see the charge effect of the ohm meter battery and on a good condenser would probably take less than 2 seconds.

And yes, you can mount the distributor, and turn the distributor points to open or close by pushing on the rear tires ...or... sometime you can make the fan belt tight enuff to turn the engine with the fan ....or.... stick a 1 5/15 socket thru the crankhole and turn the pully bolt clockwize and make the engine turn if'n you got long enuff arms (grin). Don't bother mucken' round with trying to turn the engine with the starter, you don't have enuff control.

Or you can do it in the air as long as you have the circuit complete. I ususally do it with the distributor mounted and watch the voltmeter on the coil terminal for changes..... .Dell