The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop All HEI's The Same?

Will be ordering a HEI for my 235 in a few weeks. Prices are all over the board, quite dramatically, from Jim Carters(over 200), to Patricks(over 300), to Langdons(least expensive, under 200). Any one more or less happy with any of the above? During search, seems some had problems with Langdons, though I know he generally has good products. Thanks.

I've been running Langdon's for over a year now with "0" problems. I like the way it looks - I bought the external round coil, looks almost stock.

Langdon is a good guy to talk to, he'll give you any advice/help you need to get it going.

Langdon's is a converten stock type GM unit, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure about the Jim Carter unit. The one from Patricks is actually an aftermarket Mallory Unilite based dizzy. I have an older version that's the magnetic breakerless. Neither version has a vacuum advance. I like how it performs, but it did need to have a spark box added to get it to work with the suggested coil. I've heard that langdon's is the easiest ot work with, so that might be the best one to go with.

You can make our own, if you are handy with garage tools. Go to the HAMB board and do a search for http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64765

This describes a conversion of a flathead dist. but I think with a little creativity the same process can be used for a stovebolt.

I'm using Landon's and after putting it in and setting the timing I havn't given it a second thought. I works very nicely!

I think it would be easy to build one from a junk yard distibutor, but for all new internals and to let someone else do the work, I figured I'd buy Langdon's.

There is a tech tip on this site on how to convert an HEI. You should also try a search of this site 'cause people have posted tips that might be helpful.
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/hei_conversion.htm

I've been watching the boards for over a year....kinda getting a feeling for the HEI's. What I've discovered, is that all HEI's are not "the same." Some folks have done some grinding and tweaking and sticking a modified 250 HEI into their 235's only to find that they've eaten a distributor/cam drive/driven gear and have done some serious damage for the sake of "not having to bother with changing points."

The modified HEI's from the major vendors have had some additional adaptations which reduce, but do not totally eliminate the potential for catosthropic failures.

The consensus is, that if you're running a relatively stock cammed 235 that is developing it's torque on the lower end of the rpm scale, you're not going to gain alot from the HEI unit.

If you're seriously considering a HEI unit you might do a search on the Inliner's site....makes for some interesting reading. A little additional information may help you with your decision. Hope this helps.

Dave

Pertronix Ignitor plus high voltage coil are the best ignition upgrade for a street 235/261.
You can keep your existing stock dizzy and the conversion takes about 5 minutes without any hassles.
It uses the same hall-effect magnetic trigger as the HEI and can handle a 40K coil.

A fatter spark than the ignitor delivers is only required in high compression and high rpm engines.
A converted GM HEI dizzy gives no advantage on a street 235/261 over the simpler Pertronix Ignitor upgrade.

Got one on my daily 235 for many years without any problems and will put one on my new 261 as well.
Just in case, I always carry a set of stock points in the clovebox, should the ignitor ever fail.
Can't repair a bad HEI when on the road ... much less within minutes.

I have found that any FLAPS haddles the parts for Langdons mini HEI. He designed it that way so if you are on the road parts are availbale.
I also ran the Protronix and liked it.
BUT try to get a replacement at a local flaps while traveling on the road. You will be there for a couple of days. That is if you don't carry the points set up with you.
I'll stick with the Langdons unit.
Tom

A couple of posters here have stated that on a stock engine, the HEI gives little or no advantage. Well, I have to disagree a little: the advantage as I see it is having an ignition that fires right every time, month after month, year after year with no hassle. I got tired of tweaking points to get optimum performance out of my stock 235, and believe me, when the points wear a little it can create a huge difference in the way your motor runs. I'm sure the Pertronics is a good unit, but my dizzy needed a good rebuild anyway, bearings were shot. I figured I'd kill 2 birds with one stone.

Reliability matters. My .02 worth.

I'm with waldo53 on this one, my 46 starts every time without hesitation with Langdon's mini HEI. I also have a Pertronix in my sorta stock 47 and it's fine. Messing with points was fun the first few times, hope I never have to screw with a points dist. again.

why not build your own? if you take a 250 chevy hei grind the mounting flange to the same diameter as the rest of the housing then take the 235 hold down clamp slide it on hei it will drop right in the motor. before you start hold dizzy's side by side and mark where 235 hold down clamp will go on hei. plug in 12 volts and go. about $50 bucks with wires from pull-a-part. i have one around to start up old motors that have been sitting around for extended periods.

"Wow" Thanks everyone! I use the search engine all the time, but shame on me, I forget about the tech search. Since this engine will have the Howard Cam, Fenton intake/exhaust, etc. Thought was probably go with either the Pertronix(use one on my 292), or langdons. I see most of you have run either Langdons unit, or Pertonix for over a year, without problems, then I read Fla54Chevy3100 post about dist./cam problems, and I think, $2000.00 in motor, maybe go with pertronix. Thanks again everyone.