another question.... this time Iginition Points

[StevieC]

you guys running them or changing out to HEI setups?

I seen compete HEI distributors on fleabay for under 80 bucks, is that a good price?

[jocko]

i've been lazy (or not, I guess, since it's more work to set the points) but have left the points in all my trucks. Have a Pertronix to convert it, but haven't gotten around to installing it (have had it for 10 years...)

Personally, I prefer the stock size/look of the old point distributors - so when I want to upgrade to a breakerless set-up, I go with Pertronix (or Accel and Mallory also make similar kits).

Pertronix kit is a bit more than the $80 HEI you mention above, but keeps the stock appearance. If that's not important to you - I'd compare the price of a new HEI (with/without a core deposit, etc) at NAPA, etc vs. the cost of the one you mention. New probably a better bet, but almost any distrib is rebuildable.

[BLohnes]

Stevie, not sure what motor you are running, but I swapped an HEI straight out of the junkyard onto my 292 I6 and it was no sweat (and also less than 80 bucks).

Jocko's suggestion of the Petronix setup is a good one as they are time proven and tested.

That being said, HEI setups are stupid reliable and you can often score them for a song from the junkyard. They are beyond easy to wire and provide exponentially more juice than the old school points and condenser.

I'm a cheap guy and a lover of junkyard crawling so take this with a grain of salt.

Brian

[jimmydean]

I saw a write up on the $45 50k ebay HEI's that said they were better than OE, but I have never seen any durability or longevity tests done. I am going that route and will upgrade to an MSD setup once the truck is rewired.

On my '69 I had an OE HEI I bought of craigs list for like $30 with MSD wires and it worked awesome.

[allengator]

I run HEI on all my old cars!

[slepysal]

I also like the "small cap" disrtibutors.....so I got the best of both worlds and installed a pertronix on my L6 250. Easy as installing points and works great !

[iiizman]

always hei-got mine for $25.00 bucks-, but heard good things about the pertronix

[markeb01]

I have HEI in my truck and put Pertronix in my wife's truck. Both are completely reliable. I can't think of a rational justification for keeping points in any vehicle unless it's a 100 point restoration, or being sold right away. Points have always been a wear item and source of potential trouble, and that hasn't improved with age.

[blackedoutharley]

I have used this distributor with great success in the past and being all new it is a great deal.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-850001R/

I have a used HEI that I too scored at a wrecking yard for $20 (20 years ago) that I ultimately rebuilt with new bushings and springs. I installed a curve kit along with an MSD module and coil and it has never failed to fire and perform as expected.

If you like the small cap look I can't recommend the Pertronix kit (as mentioned by others) enough.

When I built my V-8 Vega the Motown 415ci crate motor I used came with an MSD HEI but it wouldn't clear. I ended up installing a stock points type distributor with the Pertronix "Flamethrower" kit and an MSD Blaster coil and it worked perfect all the way to 7K rpm.

Either way you can't go wrong.. but don't think the stock GM HEI won't fit... you just need to install the distributor with the cap removed.

[ljackson]

I have been looking at points replacement too. I have only spent a little time on it so far. I think M&H makes the Breakerless SE points replacement. It is a competitor to Pertronix. I believe lectriclimited is a reseller. Look at lectriclimited.com/mainpage for a comparison of the 2 types of points replacement. wiringharness.com is not working right for me today.

Is anyone using the Breakerless SE points replacement From M&H Electric Fabricators? What do you think about it?

M & H Electric Fabricators
http://www.wiringharness.com/ See "No more points" on the left side of the page

or

http://www.lectriclimited.com/ http://www.lectriclimited.com/mainpage.htm


Other auto electric
http://www.a1electric.com/

[Rich 5150 69]

My first first HEI in my truck was bought at a garage sale in `93, 5 bucks, from a `79 nova according to the numbers, it finally died three years ago (module) it lasted two motors, took it apart to check the wear and it was too much to mess with so I just bought a new one, biggest isue with HEI is don`t ever buy rhe cheap modules, either GM or MSD.