I am thinking of switching to an HEI on my 76 highboy 390, anyone tried these?

 

they sound like a good idea, but they have two draw backs. they look dumb on a Ford, and they're really cheap imported junk.

if you really want one at the least put Delco electronic parts in it and an MSD gear on it.

 

How much of gain do people get from switching to an HEI ignition?

 

I really like my Pertronix billet distributor with the ignitor 3 module in the cap. It doesn't have the huge bulge on top like GM HEI and actually takes up less space than the stock distributor. The mechanical advance springs are also on top, so you just need to pull the cap to mess with those (3 sets of springs were included for different advance curves). As long as you have full 12V to the distributor and the starter cranks, she'll fire. One of my favorite mods to date. The OE duraspark ignition modules may have been good in their day, but it's getting harder to find good originals and the aftermarket replacements are all chinesium horse dung. I have spent more time futzing with original ignition system than anything else on my truck, and the new Pertronix runs waaaay better. God bless Pertronix. Just make sure you follow the instructions and use the pertronix coil and low resistance plug wires as instructed. And make sure you have the right distributor gear for your cam- pertronix ships this with a hardened steel gear.

https://pertronixbrands.com/products...black-male-cap

NOTE: My rig has a 460 (product link above). If you have a 390 or FE series motor, you'll want this unit instead:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pnx-d7133700

I would also caution against buying the older ignitor 1 and 2 series modules from Pertronix, because they are known for burning out if you leave the key in run position (stated in their literature) without cranking the engine. A lot of people have turned the key to run to troubleshoot things other than ignition and got a nasty surprise. The ignitor 3 will not do this as far as I know.

 

I went through several HEI setups on my truck over the years. The first ones I had were Pro-Comp chinese setups. Had 2 of them, both failed eventually. The ignition modules went first, those were replaced with "better" quality parts store replacements, but I was constantly plagued with random no spark, sometimes leaving me on the side of the road. I got frustrated and upgraded to a "name brand" Mallory HEI unit. That unit was more reliable for a few years, then I started having problems with the truck running hot and rough when it got warm. It would run perfect when cold but as it got heat in it the problems would start. Ignition base timing was set perfectly, so I thought it was a fuel delivery issue. After chasing that for a while I finally got good advice from someone that the HEI was likely the problem, and probably the trigger "eye" inside was fouling when hot. I replaced the Mallory unit with an MSD ready to run distributor 4 years ago and it has ran perfect. It essentially acts like an HEI in that it still only requires an ignition hot wire (no external ignition box needed), but the coil is external. The plus side is that without the massive coil on the top of the cap, it fits a lot better on these Ford motors than the HEI setups. I have a 460, which has more room for fitting a large distributor, but my dad has a 390 and he installed a similar style Summit ready-to-run distributor with external coil and was able to still use his stock air cleaner with a small spacer under it for clearance. I don't think there's any chance he could have used the stock air cleaner with an HEI distributor, they are way to big.

 

I used one on a 351W I had installed in my 73 bronco. I used an expensive DUI model,, which was good quality and never gave me any trouble. It is a huge pain to fit an air cleaner. I don't believe they give any benefit over stock.

 

I don't see what advantage any of them have over the original Ford electronic ignition.
But, if there is I'd like to know what it is.

 

At the time I purchased the first one, I bought a 79 F350 4x4 for $400 that had a 460 from a Lincoln swapped in. The wiring was horrendous and it seemed easier to go the HEI route than to rewire the ignition module on the fender. In hindsight it would've been far less trouble to just rewire it. Absolutely no performance advantage though.

 

There is no advantage.

The durashart has it's flaws,but it works fine, deal with them. you're going to deal with issues on a Chinese HEI too.

 

I just installed one of these HEI setups in the 390 in my 1973 F100 after multiple weeks of fighting wiring issues in the old points system. After the install,it fires right up, and runs excellent. I don't give a rats a$$ about looks, I care more about driveability

 

I'm still running the Dura-spark ignition on my 460 in my E-series van, and on the 300-six banger in my F-series pickup.
After reading the above, maybe i would consider the MSD ready to run unit first.

 

electronic ignition offers a few minor advantages, but on the older set ups and all the aftermarket offerings there's no way in hell they're more reliable than points.

Looks matter to some of us, an HEI on a Ford is the same thing as a bowtie on the grille. if I get the point I don't care about the looks of a classic vehicle I'll know it's time to get rid of them.

 

Having a truck with Dodge wheels is bad enough.
No way could I ever even think of installing a GM ignition.

 

Soft where and lap top to set up my classic Ford,,,,,,,,your truck your call,,,,,,what works for you ,soon it will be a tesla motor in my classic Ford.plug it in and save the whales.Cyote swaps look cool Its your truck

 

Points are a pain in the ***. my MSD has been running for decades (watch out for Chinee imitations}. Hotter spark with and "E" style coil to match. Rev limiter, small cap, Good warranty service if needed.