HEI Distributor question

[Gianyveedub]

Hey all, I have not been on the forum for a while because the thrust bearing in my 230 went bad. I bought a 235 from a guy for 200 dollars. This engine was not easy to fit into my truck. I had to fabricate everything...the throttle linkage, z-rod support, engine mounts blah, blah, blah. Now my question is I have a 1975 Pontiac Firebird engine (6 cyl) with an HEI Distributor. I would like to take the Distributor and use it with the 235. I have read that some had to modify it and some say nothing was modified.

Has anyone had experience with it??
It looked like it was the same length.

[HEI451]

If the Pontiac engine (actually a Buick) is in fact a V6 (which it would be), and not an inline 6, then, the EARLY 1975 Firebird Firenza distributor is an ODD-FIRE pattern, NOT EVEN FIRE, which the inline engine would want.

1975 is a dual build year for the Buick V6's, first part of the builds were odd fire, later were even fire, and the only way to tell is to pop the cap and rotor off the distributor and take a look at both the toothed rotors.

The odd fire distributor will have the 6 teeth on each trigger wheel offset.

The even fire distributor will have all 6 teeth on each trigger wheel evenly spaced.

As far as dropping right in, I have to modify a Chevy V8 distributor body and shaft to build a small body HEI for the inline older Chevy/GMC 6's, and use the old inline 6 gear, re-drill the shaft, so, if it were easier to simply drop the Buick/Pontiac distributor into the older inliner's, I'd have done it that way, instead of a lot of machining to make them fit.

I do know Stovebolt Engine Company makes a remote mounted coil small diameter HEI for the early inline's, created from the first year S10 federal use 2.8 V6 distributor, don't know how much modification they do to get one to fit. Those distributors are not plentiful, though.

[Gianyveedub]

It is a Chevy inline 6 (250ci) with a crappy integral head and tons of emissions stuff. Like I said some said they had to modify and some say they didn't. Any more info or help is greatly appreciated.

[Gianyveedub]

I forgot to say thank you for the info HEI451.

[HEI451]

IF you remove the emissions equipment, then, you WILL need to change the distributor parameters.

I take it you are exempt form emissions inspections with this vehicle, since you are in California.

I used to go eat dinner every Friday night at Original Joe's downtown, then, sit and watch the car and motorcycle cruisers circle the park across the street from there.

[Captainfab]

To the OP. Your first post says you installed a 235. Then in post #3 you say you have a 250 with the integral head. The 235 and the 250 are completely different engines. Before anyone can give you good advice, we need to know just which engine you have.

[Gianyveedub]

Sorry Captainfab for not being clear, I have a 235 ci installed in the truck and a 250ci sitting in my garage from years ago when I owned a Firebird. To HEI451, now a days on Wednesdays a group meets at the Burger Barn by Valley Fair mall and man those cars look nice.

[geezer#99]

You can buy a complete set up on ebay for your 235.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHEVY-IN-LIN...sories&vxp=mtr

[bama63]

or maybe this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHEVY-INLINE...item5645bba0ba

[awbrown]

the 235 216 261 dist. are a totally different animal than a 230 250 292 ...

[HEI451]

Both those distributors are made by a widely known to be very dubious company, in more than just my opinion. The company is Pro-Comp, supposedly from Australia, but "Peter", the Russian that owns it (who immigrated to Australia some years ago) has the worst factory in China build his junk. They have issues with upper bearing/bushing lubrication, they seize the top bushings, and the electronics are pure trash. The ONLY reason the Russian named his company Pro-Comp was that it sounds close to PRO-FORM, a vastly better Chinese distributor producing company (Pro-Form manufactures both GMPP and Delphi OEM GM distributors and ALL ZZ engine ones as well), and, if a person didn't know which "Pro" they were searching for, he had a 50/50 chance to suck the seeker into his trash products.

Check out Stovebolt, their products are top notch, and they are made in the U. S. A.

As far as San Jose, I haven't been back there in decades, and I understand the strand downtown that the cruise was done around is now completely developed, and no cruising is allowed any more. Don't know about O'-Joe's, might still be there, will have to go look next time I go that way.

There also used to be a great place outside San Jose, the Mermaid Cafe, and there was always the great Saturday and Sunday rides for breakfast at Alice's Restaurant up on 9 at 84. I used to break my roar racer motorcycles in up on 9, and the way I found Alice's was one Saturday, I went blitzing through the intersection at about 13,000 rpms in 5th gear on my Yamaha TZ750 two stroke 4 cylinder breaking it in for Daytona. I had NO idea there was a place up there, nor that any Saturday/Sunday, there would be at least 200 or so bikes in attendance.

[Gianyveedub]

Hey HEI451 Original Joes is still there. I'll have to check out the place on 9 and 84. Thanks for the info. I pulled out the distributor and measured it with the old 235 distributor and it matched perfectly. I installed it in the 235 and hot wired it today. IT RAN...I drank a beer or two and called it a day. So I guess if you find a 1975 Pontiac Firebird with a straight six, stop and pull that distributor out.

[HEI451]

Aha, "A STRAIGHT SIX", YES, those HEI's directly interchange. Have NEVER seen a late model Firebird with an inline six in it, only 3,8 and 4.1 V6's. These HEI's should fit any of the later model engines, 194/230/250/292 as a direct drop in.

Are you also confirming to us that, that particular HEI also fit directly into the early engines, like the 235???

Yes, that dist should work, but, it WILL need a full 12 volts to work correctly. Take a look at the fuse box on the car, and see if you have a terminal marked either IGN or IGNITION. If so, take a voltage reading from that terminal to ground, and see if it has voltage at both start and run key positions. If so, install a 14 gauge wire from it, to the BATT terminal on the cap, and you are done. Tape the stock resistance wire(s) off that come off the old coil, and hide 'em in the wiring loom. This way, the stock loom and connectors are not butchered up, and you have added the full 12 volts the distributor wants to work correctly.