My HEI upgrade

[Highsteel]

I just fired up the '71 with the 'new to me, pick and pull' HEI upgrade! Its been in the works for while, gathering pieces parts here and there.
A good friend donated a bare dizzy and I finished the parts list last week at the pick and pull while searching for door mirrors for another project. Four bucks got me the cap & rotor, module, plug wires and retainer ring. No mirrors tho, seems everyone needs door mirrors for their Metro.
Anyway, searched the FAQ's and studied all the posts I could find till I think I suffered information overload. Became thoroughly confused about resistor wires, pink wires, keys in the column, et al. I went out last night and pulled the points unit out, after putting #1 at DTC and noting the rotor position.
Changing the distributor is not what presented my concerns, and it went pretty well. There was a little concern when it didn't fall all the way in, but a couple cranks on the drive shaft pulley and all was well. Then came the doubt about the rotor position, but I was pretty sure I was following standard procedure. After checking the orientation of the cap I was confident the rotor was pointing at #1.
I re-gaped the plugs, put them back in and routed the wires over the valve covers in case something was amiss. OK, lets throw some power at this thing and see what happens. Like I said, this has been in the works for some time now, and I have been scoping out the fuse box and any other feasible power origination's.
Here is where two separate projects collided. I have been fighting with the electric choke on my Elekbrock carb. For a year now I have been unsatisfied with its performance, having to adjust it way off the scale(all the hash marks on the housing) and still not getting it right. I tested the hot wire(with a test light)and it was getting power(a yellow wire). It was not until recently that I put the multi-meter to it, finding considrably less than 12 volts available. A typical PO hack job to match the mystery wires that I still have not identified for sure.
So I grabbed up my electrical kit and fabbed up a length of wire to the fuse box. Choke fixed.
Back to the HEI. I'm really itching to fire this up late last nite but I didn't have a new wire made up yet. No problem, I'll just borrow this new 12V off the choke right her, just for a minute. So I stab it into the cap, jump into the cab and hit the key. NOTHING!
Oh crap, now what was that about the hot/crank wire? I can't splice that into a hot/run wire can I? STOP!
Its late, dark, and cold. Back away and let it rest.
Jump to this morning(early) and I'm scouring the forum again! I find a post on this subject I have not read.(via the cool search tool)
Longhorn Man cleared up all questions in an earlier post about this same scenario, Upgrading to HEI and have a question?
He answered 67neverdone's question and mine. Thank you, Longhorn Man. I switched that wire over to the 'ign unfused' spade in the fuse box and VaRooommmm! The timing was even close enough that the ole 350 took right off like blue streak!
It should be cool enough now that I can run the plug wires under the ram horns, polish up the chrome valve covers and call it successful.
So this is where it stands now.

• 3/5 static drop-complete
• Electric radiator fan-Done
• HEI- In there!
• HHO Generator- Work in progress

OK, with a stereo, Halogen head lights and all the other electrical requirements I might be putting a pretty good load on the ole 60 amp alternator.
Can you say "105 AMP "CS130" Alternator"!

[tommyd241]

Congrats. I plan on switching to HEI soon so I'll definitely refer back to this thread.