Hotroddickie, your post caught my attention regarding moving the condensor to inside the cab. It sounds ingenious. By the way, where might one buy a quality condensor, i.e., one of the 5% that you suggest might be better?

I came to this thread because I, too, am trying to decide whether to keep points & condensor or move over to HEI. I am going crazy trying to decide. I have a stock daily driver '66 C10 250 w/2sp auto Powerglide and Rochester B. I guess we all have our own criteria, and I think I am an oddball. For me, I know that there is nothing in the world that is guaranteed to never break down. I just want to reduce the risk and I want to be able to fix it myself if it does occur. I am not worried so much about breaking down in town on a week day. I do worry about, and I prefer to be prepared for, a breakdown on Christmas Day, in a snow storm, 500 miles from home, with the grandkids, late at night, and with the beginnings of the flu. Reliability only means so much in life, and a "what if" scenario excludes the "reliability" argument in my mind. I know what reliability is. Most of my life, until a couple months ago, I drove brand new, leased, vehicles. Almost never broke down in 30 years of leasing. I appreciate the new stuff. Even though I can’t fix a darn thing in them because I do not have an advanced degree in computers, or possess the scanners, or have hands small enough to get to any part. But they are nice. Just be sure to drive these cars with a cell phone in your pocket. Preferably a well charged cell phone.

Did you note the word, "almost" when I said I never broke down in some 30 years of driving new cars? Well I had one breakdown in a 'reliable' computerized car some years ago that nearly ruined my life. Some sensor thigamigiga decided to ‘die.’ Yes, I know it was a circumstance peculiar to me, an oddball lightning strike, in what was otherwise regarded as a very fine automobile. And, sure, I know that when a premium plan road service says they will get to me in an hour and it takes them 5, that is unusual, too. And.... well, I do not want to recollect the entire experience. Suffice it to say that this reliable car broke down and it cost me big time and until today I whine about it and when I get to meet the Lord I want to talk about that breakdown...

Today, all I have is my truck. I am on a strict budget. If something breaks and I cannot fix it myself, I will have to choose between food and the mechanic. So I figure that if I already have a truck which I have to service myself, then I might as well make it as painless as possible. I can hardly change a light bulb in these new, ‘reliable,’ vehicles. But I just rebuilt my carburetor in my ‘old’ truck. I have not made any final decision yet about HEI. I came here to research. But I am leaning toward spending my little hard earned money on a quality p/c distributor with its spare parts. At least this way, I have peace of mind no matter where I get stuck -if I do get stuck. Sure, I have a cell phone on me. But now I can chit-chat on that cell instead of worrying that its battery will die while some road service plan puts me on hold for 45 minutes in order to tell me that they will get to me whenever and that I should look for a motel for the night.

In the end, one can debate endlessly about everything. We got these trucks because they make us feel good. I, for one, feel good knowing that if I break down in the middle of nowhere I won’t be a man standing there like some impotent holding back tears of a baby. These old trucks will work for you for a lifetime. Those computerized cars, no matter how reliable when new, will, at some point sooner or later, drop dead on you with no prior notice. We live in a day and age when a 20 cent chip will strand you, and you will pay a dealer $350 to replace it -whenever you get home. Anyway, technology advances in vehicles are great. But they betrayed my trust a couple times and that is not easy to regain. Sorry for the long post. -Alden