I've been experiencing a bouncing tach as the revs increase. The other day I experienced a sudden power sut-down, for only a second or two. Tach dropped like a stone, all electrical power seemed to be off, like somebody threw a switch. Then the car started right up again. Pulled the distributor cap, cranked the engine through by hand. Points are at MUCH less than the .016 the book calls for, couldn't detect them opening at all.. Called mechanic...he told me he doesn't pay much attention to points gap, but worries more about correct dwell. Okay, now I'm wondering... I have neither a dwell meter or a timing light, wouldn't feel confident using them if I did. I do feel I could set the points to .016 without extending my limited skills too much. I'm beginning to think these too close points could be the cause of the bouncing tach and the sudden shut down. Question? If I set the points to .016, & clean them by running clean paper through them, and change NO other settings, could I hurt the engine by changing the timing or dwell? Oh...the car seemed to be running great, other than the sudden shutdown...