55.2-59 points to HEI

[2bo.c10]

Hi Friends,

Im having some trouble. I recently decided to buy an HEI distributor and replace the old points. I had a bad vacuum advance and decided to just do the entire thing instead of buying a new advance. The one I purchased was from eBay and does not have an internal coil. I still use the canister coil, but purchased a high output / performance coil.

I purchased this HEI distributor without the internal coil because 1. I had just purchased a new coil 2. the info said I could just drop it in, plug it in and that would be it and 3. It seemed easier than having to rewire things for the new type of coil.

I have done some reading and it appears to get this thing installed right, I need to:

1. Have the fly wheel with the BB in the window
2. Have the #1 cylinder at TDC
3. Have the distributor pointing at the appropriate place for the #1 spark plug

I feel I've done steps 1 - 3 correctly but I am unsure if I've actually got TDC at the #1 cylinder. Does anyone have a good, easy way of figuring it out?

No real videos on youtube that Ive been able to follow. I have the original 235.

When messing with the old distributor, I had to go through the steps above and got it (with the help of some friends) but then figured out the vacuum advance wasnt working.

The engine is turning but its not starting right now. I dont think its a wiring issue because it came with a wiring harness that was pretty clear. 2 wires that attached to each post on the coil, and one that is supposed to be grounded. This harness connects to a harness which is coming off of the distributor.

Things I've checked:

1. making sure the coil is getting 12 volts - I remembered to remove the ballast resistor
2. make sure the coil is SENDING 12 volts
3. Placed the spark plugs in the appropriate order for the firing order (1,5,3,6,2,4)

Does anyone have any ideas? The only thing I can think is that my #1 cylinder isnt at TDC.

[svr]

Ok i put an hei distributor with internal coil in my 235. With bb in the window you are either on top dead center or 180 degrees out. The way i did it i pulled the plugs and the distributor cap. I then spun the motor with the starter holding my finger over the number 1 plug hole and watched where the rotor was pointing when compression blew my thumb of the hole. Mark where the rotor is pointing and that is where number 1 plug wire should go. Mine fired right up

[mr48chev]

I've done hundreds of them just as he said but I only pull #1 plug.

It's not a bad idea to find that ball first and put a little dab of white or other bright easy to see paint on it. I's a lot easier to see with the timing light too.

If you still have the stomp starter it may be a challenge to bump it over and it would take a real good helper. It's probably going to take several tries and some fussing.

Most of them don't have a bolt holding the damper and pulley on but you could turn it with a ratchet or breaker bar and socket and either keep your finger over the hole or watch the rotor turn until it gets to the spot where the number 1 wire is and the points are opening. If it is timed right the timing ball should be showing.

By the way I used to have students who could start a 289 ford engine on a training stand that had the distributor laying on top of it with the wires all pulled out of the cap and off the plugs in under 2 minutes. The record was a little over one minute. That was pulling 1. bringing it up on compression and lining up the marks, dropping the distributor in, setting it to fire on 1 tightening it down, putting the cap and wires on and firing it up.

[1project2many]

If you're 180 out you'll generally get a helluva lot of popping when trying to start or run the engine. You can stuff a hose in the plug hole and run it into the cab so you can feel air during cranking. You can sometimes leave a plug loose as well... bump the starter, listen for the "puff," then manually turn the engine back to the TDC point. It might be a good idea to crank the engine over through compression and exhaust a few times because sometimes the exhaust stroke can feel like compression. As previously mentioned if you have the crank at TDC #1 you're either on #1 compression or #6 so it is possible to turn the rotor/shaft 180 and see how the symptoms change.

In addition to checking for power you can check to see if the HEI module is triggering the coil, you can check to see if the coil is making spark, and you can see if spark is getting to all the plugs. An "HEI spark tester" like the old ST125 is great because you can hear spark jumping the gap. I usually use ST125 on the coil wire to check for spark during cranking. If no spark then connect test light from B+ to coil - and crank while watching for blinking. If spark then move on to checking for spark at plug wires. If you've already confirmed consistent spark at all plugs then ensure plugs aren't covered with carbon and focus on mechanical issues.

[mr48chev]

If he sets it on #1 and marks it before pulling the distributor he should be able to get the new one in pretty close to right. It's not the same as when you rebuild an engine and have to figure it out from scratch.