Which HEI ???

[GMC-YA68]

All the searches I have came up with have a guy saying this and that and to use a MSD box etc etc... My engine is bone stock. Newer carb is all. I want to switch to HEI ignition and want the most simple, most reliable kit. Please help me out. I have a '72 - 350.

I have also read about gaping plugs and using 8mm wires but some of those posts are from years ago.

You guys tell me...

Thanks in advance
Keegan

[landy]

Some different options are available. If you want to keep the distributor yuu have, get an HEI conversion kit. Summit and Jegs have a good selection and prices.

Here's a link to Summit's HEI conversion pages.

http://www.summitracing.com/search/m...0ignition&ar=1

[HSRACER]

Originally Posted by landy

Some different options are available. If you want to keep the distributor yuu have, get an HEI conversion kit. Summit and Jegs have a good selection and prices.

Here's a link to Summit's HEI conversion pages.

http://www.summitracing.com/search/m...0ignition&ar=1

I second that. It would be the easiest way. The thing about different distributors is you really don't know the advance springs, the total timing or the weights and how they match up to your engine. Good thing about your dist is that it is all matched to your engine. Just change the points out for the module.

[kwmech]

If you want a real HEI then you can go with a factory unit. OR you can look at a Davis Unified Ignition or DUI which is built from a factory platform.....both are really reliable and can get parts anywhere for them

[BRL]

Think I got an Accel Blueprint Distributor at O'Riley's for well under $200 and it works well but when I looked up the price just now the price around here was insane!

Anyway mine has been working great for years and I thought I would suggest you have a look at something alone those lines.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Accel-59107C...3D151205954218

http://1510230.r.msn.com/?ld=d37sdEZ...%2520%2b59107C

[GMC-YA68]

I was wanting to keep my original distributor and just add the kit. Or...is that the white trash way to do it and I shouldn't be cutting that corner. You guys tell me...lol

[jeffahart]

If your distributor is still good, why not keep it? Just get a dwell meter, the Chevy is nice because it has access to the adjusting screw on the points and you can dial the dwell angle right on the money.

I ditched my points for a Skip White ready to run. I Think I paid $39 for it a couple years ago. The distributor and coil were less than the plug wires. I bought the best wires I could find for low resistance.

Here's the reason I went with the Skip White: Cheap, clears the firewall , super easy no brainer install, my engine is old and I saw as temporary solution(but it has been running excellent and I like it!), I'm not running a Hypo.

You will find a lot of bad press on this site about the Skip White, but I figured, for the price, I could toss the thing if it was junk. It was all too easy. Just get a new coil and new wires with it. Is it Chinese crap? Probably, but what isn't these days. Never thought I'd see the day when I begged for Japanese steel in my parts! But that day has come.

But the Skip White should still, none-the-less, be a part of your research!
http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...tem=6701R7041K


It will put fire to burn your gas.

[WIDESIDE72]

I bought a skip white and the truck ran fine for a day then quit. Turned out to be a bad module. It had not markings on it at all. I swapped in a spare used gm module and it fired right up. Kinda aggravating. One good part about an msd 6 is it does away with the stock module. I run them on a couple of other cars. I have picked up several used msd 6 for $10-$20. Never gotten a bad one yet. They have wiring diagrams on their website. Even used one on an acura integra with a bad ignitor and msd ha dthe diagram on their site.

[jjzepplin]

Get the Accel Dizzy and an advance curve kit and watch your engine wake up. It's like custom tuning the brain of your engine.

[Daman]

I have ran pertronix on some of my other vehicles but I picked up an HEI from a '75 Corvette from Oreilly to run on my daily.
I did the search on here and came up with the Corvette distributor and am very satisfied with it

[bbcmudtruck]

The good news is that you have several different options readily available and the swap is nice and easy. The bad news, you could easily get overwhelmed with all the available options haha. I personally wouldn't spend a dime at skip white, strictly on the amount of bad reviews. He sells cheap stuff. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I personally wouldn't risk my money, time, effort or the possibility of getting stranded due to saving 50 bucks. The cheapest possible option is to get a conversion kit. Nothing wrong with them at all. If you want, you could also pick up a used GM HEI off of craigslist for pretty cheap. If you want to step up the spark, which is almost always a good idea, check Summit or Jegs for their house brand HEI distributors and juice it up with an Accel coil, that bolts directly to the cap (brand can differ). HEI Super coil example, http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ac...-size/5-7l-350 Really no reason to spend mega bucks on a fancy setup on an otherwise stock motor. As far as wires, I would grab a set at oriellys or autozone. 8mm would be great, however not necessary.

[GMC-YA68]

Originally Posted by BRL

Think I got an Accel Blueprint Distributor at O'Riley's for well under $200 and it works well but when I looked up the price just now the price around here was insane!

Anyway mine has been working great for years and I thought I would suggest you have a look at something alone those lines.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Accel-59107C...3D151205954218

http://1510230.r.msn.com/?ld=d37sdEZ...%2520%2b59107C

With this set up. I wouldn't need the factory style external coil correct??

[WIDESIDE72]

I picked up a converted oem dist and a spare module for my hei vehicles here on the parts board. I think i gave $60 shipped.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=639351

[leddzepp]

I've used two Skip White distributors with no issues, just my .02.

[C5Phil]

Originally Posted by jeffahart

If your distributor is still good, why not keep it? Just get a dwell meter, the Chevy is nice because it has access to the adjusting screw on the points and you can dial the dwell angle right on the money.

I ditched my points for a Skip White ready to run. I Think I paid $39 for it a couple years ago. The distributor and coil were less than the plug wires. I bought the best wires I could find for low resistance.

Here's the reason I went with the Skip White: Cheap, clears the firewall , super easy no brainer install, my engine is old and I saw as temporary solution(but it has been running excellent and I like it!), I'm not running a Hypo.

You will find a lot of bad press on this site about the Skip White, but I figured, for the price, I could toss the thing if it was junk. It was all too easy. Just get a new coil and new wires with it. Is it Chinese crap? Probably, but what isn't these days. Never thought I'd see the day when I begged for Japanese steel in my parts! But that day has come.

But the Skip White should still, none-the-less, be a part of your research!
http://www.skipwhiteperformance.com/...tem=6701R7041K


It will put fire to burn your gas.

Skip White for me also...

[GMC-YA68]

Originally Posted by GMC-YA68

With this set up. I wouldn't need the factory style external coil correct??

Stupid question about the coil, but???...Sorry, I am a LSx guy. I am just trying to keep my original going until I get all the parts for my swap lined out.

[chevroletman223]

Ive got a pertronix model D100700 in six of my classic chevys, most of them have been in there for at least 4 years and ive never once had a problem, they are the easiest dist to hook up, theres two wires, one goes to positive coil, one goes to negative side. No cutting, no splicing, and on top of that they look like an orig points distributor, and you can actually use an original cap and rotor to replace if you ever have to. It is an all out excellent quality and dependable hei system in my experiences.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pnx-d100700

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by chevroletman223

Ive got a pertronix model D100700 in six of my classic chevys, most of them have been in there for at least 4 years and ive never once had a problem, they are the easiest dist to hook up, theres two wires, one goes to positive coil, one goes to negative side. No cutting, no splicing, and on top of that they look like an orig points distributor, and you can actually use an original cap and rotor to replace if you ever have to. It is an all out excellent quality and dependable hei system in my experiences.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pnx-d100700

Did you use an original ( type ) coil or do it you have to upgrade it?

[chevroletman223]

Originally Posted by Already Gone

Did you use an original ( type ) coil or do it you have to upgrade it?

I have upgraded to the pertronix coil in my 71 nova out of sheer curiosity, but honestly i didnt really see a difference. In all the rest of my cars and trucks i have original style coils with the D100700 and they work just as great

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by chevroletman223

I have upgraded to the pertronix coil in my 71 nova out of sheer curiosity, but honestly i didnt really see a difference. In all the rest of my cars and trucks i have original style coils with the D100700 and they work just as great

Thank you. I've been going back and forth about what to put in my stock 72 C10 with a 350. I wanted the original look with a HEI and you have made up my mind for me.

[FrankenCub]

+1 with the Pertronics. I ran it in my VW buggy, always exposed to the elements and never had any issues with it. The VW engine loved it. I will put one in my GMC this spring. Just carry spare points in the glove box so if you do get a failure it's a 5 minute fix.

[BRL]

Originally Posted by GMC-YA68

With this set up. I wouldn't need the factory style external coil correct??

Correct, the GM HEI distributor has its own coil built in.

(We've been talking privately about the factory HEI units)

Just plug it into a full 12 volt source and go.

[BRL]

Originally Posted by FrankenCub

+1 with the Pertronics. I ran it in my VW buggy, always exposed to the elements and never had any issues with it. The VW engine loved it. I will put one in my GMC this spring. Just carry spare points in the glove box so if you do get a failure it's a 5 minute fix.

My Pertronics module gave up the ghost in my '73 bug one day...in my driveway...WHEW!

I want a GM HEI for my bug too!

http://www.bing.com/cr?h=uJ1pWZWG4LU...&p=SERP,5112.1