Need help adjusting points, never done before.

Point gap is checked when the rubbing block of the point set is on the highest point of one of the 6 lobes. You're looking for the gap between the 2 contacts.
 You can rotate the engine by tapping the starter to get it close.
You can also tap the starter from under the hood. If an auto, then in park (manual in neutral).
On the solenoid, you can momentarily touch 2 contacts with the screwdriver to do this. The contacts would be the large cable post from the battery + and the small screw post just
above.
If you're just to the left of the lobe, you can turn the rotor a slight amount against the advance springs to get it to the top. If you just lightly loosen the 2 screws holding the point set down, the side closest to the block can be pivoted inward or outward.


Edited by poormansMACHINE - Nov/29/2008 at 12:12pm

X2 on checking dwell -- that's what allows the coil to charge for the next spark.  All the points do is break contact to fire the spark, so dwell is more important than points gap.

The rough idle may not be ignition related. When the engine is running rough, spray some WD-40 (or other light oil) around the intake manifold by the head. If the idle speed picks up, you have a leaking intake manifold gasket. This is a very common problem and it drove me nuts on my 68 American until I found out about the TSB issued to fix the problem. Take a look at http://www.mattsoldcars.com/RestoreAmerican/loose_intake.shtml for information on how to fix it.