so my current setup is non feedback carb with tfi distributor. For obvious reasons this needs to be fix. do price comparisons and parts for the the DS2 conversion are upwards of 250 thats with a no-tax commercial account. but HEI distributors are about 139 on amazon. is there pro's and con's going with the HEI over the DS2 or is a matter of price. just trying to find answers. also curious about peoples experience with HEI.

BTW. the vehicle im working on is 1984 f150 300 Inline six

 

Hello Neighbor.

The HEI is probably going to be your easiest option, since it's a simple 1 wire hookup. I really like the HEI setup I have on mine. It's been great.

However, I have no experience with the new lower cost HEI distributors that are coming out for the 300. I got mine from PerformanceDistributors and they're about $400. But, they hand build them with high quality components. The lesser cost ones are made in China most likely.

Granted, most of the DuraSpark II conversion stuff is probably coming from China too, unless you buy the higher end stuff.

Quality aside though, I've had both the DSII and HEI and like them both. But, the HEI is just such a nice, wrapped up package that it gets my vote. Plus, replacement parts, like ignition modules, coils, etc. seem to be a tad cheaper since their generic GM parts used in dozens of models of vehicles.

The HEI sometimes gets some flak due to how it's affected by heat, but that's not really a problem with our engines since it's no where near the manifolds.

 

99% of what you find on ebay and Amazon are made in China (high quality cheap crap). I've heard they last about a year. The HEI dizzies use a better trigger system than DS2. The quality piece out there is the DUI dizzy, made in usa with quality parts. They run about $360. If you go with a DS2 dizzy, make sure the trigger module is motorcraft, not 'made in China.' The oem ones last 40+ years. The Chinese ones are good for 2.

The DUI is usually for hp. The company that makes them, Davis Engineering, also makes a very nice oem dizzy. I've seen newly rebuilt dizzies by A1 Cardone, that I could wiggle the rotor shaft side to side. Good luck.

 

Personally I can't stand the sight of the big ugly gm distributor cap on a 300! And when I was much younger I owned a couple gm products. And the one car left me stranded a couple times due to problems with the HEI set up. Thankfully that was the end for me & gm products.

I know people like the simplicity of the hei. But the DSII set up isn't huge difficult set up either.

I personally prefer the DSII distributor. It's a good reliable distributor. Or another choice is a aftermarket one like MSD or Mallory ( RIP ) if you want to spend some big bucks.

Another option that is quite popular is to run the DSII distributor with a HEI ignition module. The hei modules are cheaper to replace then the DSII ones. But the secret to that set up is to mount the hei module on a heat sink to help keep them from burning out.


OrdoDraconis I don't know your mechanical skill level. But if you can do the work yourself. You could go with a complete used DSII set up for a lot less then $250. Disassemble the used distributor clean it up, install new bushings in the housing and replace any other parts that may need replacing ( vacuum advance, magnetic pick up coil, cap and rotor, etc. ) .

But which ever set up you go with it's wise to carry a spare ignition module in your truck. None of the newer replacement parts are the greatest quality.

 

The last 84 I had used a MSD with a DS2 distributor it was expensive but it worked good. At this point I'm trying to be cost effective my mechanical skill is decent I have rebuilt a few TFI distributors at my shop. I have a 71 Ford halfton with a 429 in it running a HEI TSP distributor was like 89 bucks on amazon so far haven't had any trouble. But that's a cruiser not a offroader. It dose not get much drive time. This one on the other hand will get lots of drive time especially during hunting season. I like the idea of a 1 wire distributor for simplicity but I have towed in many gms with dead HEI's. But the same could go for ford's with ds2 and tfi especially in the summer months. Something I will be thinking on for a few days before I decide but thank you for all the feedback and comments all were helpful

 

Whichever system you go with, simply keep spares in the glove box. Even the cheap ones should get you home. Just be sure to toss them all in and test them first so you're relying on a unit that's bad from the factory.

You can't go wrong with either one, so it's ultimately up to you.

 

last question about the HEI where would ya wire it in so its gets 12v in start run mode?

 

I went straight off the ignition key switch. The HEI does not require a ballast resistor so wiring is easy. Mounting the HEI unit inside the cab away from heat and vibrations makes it reliable and easy to change over without even leaving the driver's seat. Note the spare module.



A word about Chinese products: Nationalistic feelings notwithstanding, I have noticed a marked increase in the quality of many products coming from Pacific rim countries in the last couple of decades. Much like the quality of Japanese products since the end of the second world war, Chinese manufacturing capabilities are improving. People complained about cheaply made Japanese crap in the sixties. Then Japan embraced the statistical quality improvements of folks like Demming (an American) and others and now Japanese products are among the best. That is what is really scary to me on the world trade marketplace. End of rant

 

(This is mainly an answer to our esteemed guru, Flyer, and has nothing specifically to do with the topic of the thread, so feel free to ignore it)>

Well, Flyer, I'm not doubting that there are many instances of Chinese company owners realizing that their national reputation is hurting business and that they needed to up their game. But besides citing counter-examples in which quality actually declined (the line of side-grinders Harbor Freight took on a few years ago, for one I personally observed as a welder who had tried lots of grinders), you'll get no agreement here on your comparison with Japan and China. The similarities of the two nationalities pretty much end, at least for the purpose of this discussion, with them both being Asian.

The Japanese are by nature perfectionists (as many a foreign teacher of English, which I once was, learns when he tries to get students to speak up; most are very shy because they know their English is less than good, even as they understand that practicing is the only way to get good). As employees, Japanese have long been intent upon THEIR company being known for world-class quality. This was not merely a matter of marketing, but one of personal and national pride. Their near-deification of Edwards Demings as a man who could lead them toward this goal certainly put a bad light on the American corporations who ignored the man.

Chinese employees and business owners, by contrast, and yes this is a generality, are interested in profits and accrual of wealth. If they have to take back a faulty product under warranty and give you another, that doesn't bother them at all, as long as profits continue. If it appears that profit will increase by investing in better quality, they will do that. But it doesn't have a lot to do with personal pride and perfectionism. Yes, many of them are somewhat embarrassed at discovering that "Chinese" has become synonymous with low quality, but had their economy not slowed recently, they would have felt less motivation to upgrade. And they will only spend enough to get profitability back, no more.

Of Japanese and Chinese attitudes, whose would you say are closer to those of, say, Germans? Or to, say, Americans (or American corporate leaders, anyway)?

Sorry, couldn't pass up Flyer's self-described "rant" without barging in. Back to ignitions!!

 

Good viewpoint SS. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

I decided to order a HEI distributor. The caps terminal looks just like my current caps setup. So I'm guessing the stock wire sets should work?

 

I know you made your choice, but I wanted to add this for others who come along: I was at a car show the other day. There I found hot rod with a built 300. I was very surprised to see how large the DUI HEI distributor was! It is, as Fordman says, huge.

For now I get the same power from my DS11 with MSD box and street blaster TFI coil, (although I go through 3 sets of caps and rotors a year! covered by warranty!)but should my system crash, would I convert to the DUI despite the size? In a heart beat!

Oh, and using the GM 4 pin, as FTF showed, I came across a thread where a guy gutted the DS11 control box, and used it as a heat sink for the 4 pin. It looked oem stock.

 

The size difference between the DSII and the HEI took me by surprise a little bit when I got it.
I can't imagine what it must be like going from the feedback carb distributor to it though! The DSII distributor cap already dwarfs that thing.

However, it really only took me a few pops of the hood to get used to the size. It's not *that* big of a deal.

Kinda like going from a 1bbl to a 4bbl carb setup. You don't really think, "yeah, but now it looks weird cuz it's all big."

 

The size isn't the main problem for me. It would be the gm part staring me in the face every time I opened the hood!! When I see a DSII distributor cap that screams Ford to me. When I see the hei cap & coil that screams chevy. If I have to use gm parts, I use them where they can't be seen!