Late-1970's and newer 250 and 292 Chevy 6 cylinder engines came equipped with the GM High Energy Ignition distributors. They only require a slight modification to the housing to fit an early stovebolt engine, machining off the shoulder that meets the engine block and fabricating a collar that clamps onto the housing to allow the distributor drive gear to fully engage the camshaft gear. There's only about 1/4 inch difference in depth, but it's critical for proper oil pump drive engagement. Since the HEI is a completely self-contained unit with the ignition coil built into the cap, nothing but a 12 volt power wire from the ignition switch to the distributor is required to complete the project. Set the ignition timing with a strobe light exactly like it would be done with a point-type distributor- - - -pointer and ball aligned to begin with, then adjust a bit at a time to find the best performance.
Jerry
