1985 350 HEI dist. replacement

[Zach079xxx]

I'm most likely going to keep the old one just to have it.

Originally Posted by hatzie

It failed from old age. Not the fault of the guy turning the distributor. They guy assembling it to the engine should've given the distributor a once-over to look for this crap. If he replaced the module there's no excuse for not noticing the frayed pigtail.

The age of the metal parts are not the problem. They can be cleaned, greased as needed and, re-installed. You can even put shaft bushings in the base in the unlikely event they are needed.

The re-build parts are probably more than the $99 he paid for the MSD.
$20 Module Pigtail with capacitor (the damaged wiring)
$15 4 terminal AC Delco HEI module
$10 Standard Motor Products DR318X Blue Streak Brass Terminal Rotor
$10 Moroso 26140 Distributor gear shim kit (measure end play before you buy)
Rebuild the base for around $45-$55

$45 If the pickup coil is damaged (very unlikely)

$15 advance weight kit
$25 ACCEL 31035 HEI Adjustable Vacuum Advance Canisters
Re-curve the advance for $40

$15 Standard Motor Products DR450X Blue Streak Brass Terminal HEI cap & rotor
$40 1985473 AC Delco HEI Ignition coil
Assembled premium cap & coil $55

Re-build ready to drop in with premium parts... $100 - $175 depending on how many parts you replace.

2-3 hours to clean and re-assemble.

I'd be tempted to re-build the distributor base and keep it as a spare.
The replacement pigtails are usually molded over the wires inside the cap.