The H E I distributor requires more amperage and 12v to operate. Using the original ignition wire to trigger a relay should be installed.

 

I used to go with that since it was what I always read on the internet. But I have done several now and just use the original white/blue TFI coil ignition wire and I have not had any problems with the HEI module doing this.

 

That is good information obviously the circuit is heavy enough. Also simplifies the conversion since the by-pass circuit is already there. I know that on a breaker point resistor ignition a relay is needed .

 

Thanks for this info!

Any chance you have photos of how you set this up? Or I can provide more detailed photos under the hood of mine.

Wanting to get this all lined out before the surgery begins.

 

The way the TFI ignitions are wired, they do not use the resistor in the ignition circuit. It is still there, but they have it wired where it's only used in certain plug configurations. Since they had duraspark II ignitions and the TFI in the same year trucks.

 

Just thinking about sourcing parts down the road. The cap and rotor come to mind, as they have a finite life span and will need replacement periodically. Are these aftermarket HEI distributors designed around readily available parts, such as a GM system? Or are the parts unique to the particular aftermarket manufacturer?

 

Great point. I'd be interested in know more around this same question.

 

I dont know of any after market HEI that dose not take the GM cap, rotor and ICM inside.
You just tell them I need a cap & rotor for say 82 chevy with a 250 straight six for the 300 straight six or a 350 v8 for a Ford v8

BTW I used a Chevy 250 straight six HEI dist. in a Toyota L/C 230 F motor straight six.
Pulled it from the Chevy and dropped it in the Toyota
Dave ----

 

I'm one of those cats who joined the "rip it ALL out" club. The PO told me he removed all of the smog stuff. WRONG. He removed some of the smog stuff, just the easy stuff... just enough to make the "emissions" light a permanent, glowing, reminder of home-brewed halfassery... the gift that keeps on giving... like herpes.

The carb, distributor and coil need to be changed, obviously. Once you do that you can remove the computer from under the dash and then start unassing a few miles of unneeded wiring... you'll have so much room for activities. I maintained the temp and oil pressure sender wires.

I rebuilt a junkyard carb and hacked up the EGR valve housing into a spacer. The HEI distributor came from A-Plus Performance and has been a good unit. I did replace the module with one from Davis Unified (original unit is in the glove box). I was able to pull a constant 12V so l didn't use a relay... I didn't really need it and l didn't like having that long wire strung though the engine compartment sooo... no.
Plugs got re-gapped (.045-.050, somewhere) and used HEI specific wires. I did keep the factory air cleaner, heat stove, and cold air hose, though. PCV system also stayed in tact.

There are some minor head-scratching moments, like the carb spacer and filling the extra EGR hole in the intake manifold, but they're nothing that'll derail the mission.

 

I've used aftermarket (aka: cheap Chinese) HEI distributors in just about everything except a Chevy and they've been consistent across the board parts-wise.

On my first one (for a Dodge 360), my GM savvy buddy brought his box of stock take-off parts (he uses hi-perf stuff) and replaced a bunch of the cheapest, destined-to-fail innards with "Genuine GM" bits... it don't get much more "universal" than that

IMO, the biggest and only real downside to the HEI setups is that they're huge and ugly... l always opt for the black cap to help make it slightly less glaring. The distributor on my Galaxie's FE sits right out front, all up in yer face. For this reason alone l resisted the urge to go HEI and just use a Pertronix electronic under-cap unit on the OEM distributor.

 

I just did one on a 400 in a 1972 LTD. No way the large cap HEI was going to fit. I found they made one with a smaller cap and used a remote coil. It wasn't cheap, about $260, but it seems to work fine and clears the original aircleaner.