The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop HEI distributor

After chasing my tail around with the points constantly, and having it run reasonably well for a short while just to turn into a sputtering backfiring mess, I'm looking for solutions.
Does anyone have any opinions on these?
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Motors-Chevy-216-235-261-Straight-6-HEI-Distributor,443602.html
Truck is a 1961 261 C40.

Sure looks like a winner to me! If you don't need it pure for the Concourse and are using the truck as a truck, then HEI can't be beat as a modern, all in one solution for which you can get parts anywhere, probably until the sun burns out.

I would guess that older rigs would have to be converted to 12 volt tho. Which is probably a good idea anyway, if you intend to actually drive it.

There's at least a dozen of the same item on Ebay for better prices- - - -all Chinese repops. The only good thing about that is the ability to replace the major components with OEM Delco Remy electronics instead of offshore made junk of uncertain quality.
Jerry

Ok, so I've slapped a new set of points in (again, have done this a lot, old points were questionable) was getting terrible spark, and it was going all over the place, gapped the points to the recommended .18, now no spark... I would surely imagine the coil is good, put it in this spring and have driven the truck probably less than 4 hours total run time since then, was running reasonably well, a tuneup was needed, then it turned into a backfiring sputtering mess out of nowhere, sounded like the plugs were fouled, they were slightly dirty, but not the cause of my issue.
This thing has had me stumped the majority of the time I have owned it, and finally gave it a job as a caking pickup, and need it to work. I believe it is 100% ignition related. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Maybe as a place to go from here, how to test a coil?

Do you have some basic diagnostic tools, like an ice pick type test light, and a voltmeter? If so, do you know how to use them? I can walk you through a series of diagnostic tests to find the source of the problem, instead of compounding the problem by throwing a wheelbarrow full of new parts at it. Like the old Sun Electric company slogan that they put on all their test equipment- - - -"We test, not guess!" A private message or a phone call can cover a lot more territory than posts on the open forum, in most situations.
Jerry

Don't buy that distributor.

They want $100. more than I payed for one on Amazon. They are way over priced.

What points are you using, I have a distributor machine I can run them on and have found the new over the counter points are not worth much. I buy only NOS sets of Delco off e-bay, they work much better. The last Pontiac distributor I worked on would start missing around 4000 rpm, with NOS Delco points it would run up to 6300 ( limit of my machine ) and never miss a beat. I also use Jon's solid state condensers. You can actually hear the difference in points while running on m machine, the older sets have much heavier springs.

Check your distributor bushings, if they are loose, the points gap will always be changing. Replace your condenser with the solid state one, even the old NOS ones are questionable now.

I'll confirm what Joe is saying. Every vehicle I own uses breaker point ignition (Ford trucks excepted) and I don't have any trouble with them. They all get used regularly as normal transportation. I buy NOS point sets whenever I can, although I've had decent luck with Standard Motor Parts Blue Streak points.

About 10 years ago I had a problem similar to yours in the Galaxie and changed the points and associated wiring and still had the problem. It turned out to be a worn distributor shaft. Installing a rebuilt dizzy cured it right up.

More recently I had brand new condensers fail soon after installation (less than 1500 miles). I purchased solid state condensers from Jon G (a member of this forum) and installed them in all my vehicles.

https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...16/re-the-newest-condenser-update-8-2024

Everything has been hunky dory since. No need to switch to HEI unless you really want to.

The day I updated my vehicles/engines to electronic ignition was a good day, because it resulted in a whole lot fewer bad days of futzing with points and condensers. And that was back when you could still reasonably rely upon the replacement parts you bought!

Also, everything in a GM box is also made in China, these days. Basically, what you're paying extra for is the warranty. Like every other enterprise, China can make stuff good or they can make it to the lowest price point. GM will pay the four cents extra per unit, to have it made well enough to not have to warranty every third one. I've also had good luck with Standard Ignition, and NAPA is or at least used to be a safe bet.

AC Delco etc. are just names with nothing backing them up anymore. I paid extra for AC Delco brake drums that were Chinese copies of copies of copies of copies...ad nauseum. They were so bad I had to have a 1/4" machined off the outboard edge of the drum surface for the brake shoes to seat properly and allow the drum to be placed on the car.

Buy NOS stuff where possible or repair original parts if practical. New stuff is just getting worse and worse.

You might consider installing a set of Blue Streak Lubri points and obtain one of Jon’s nifty capacitors. Today’s capacitors are prone to failure. It’s a crying shame that the current state of affairs means that even something simple like a darn condenser can’t be made to a quality standard but is now made to a junk standard.

Whatever you decide, please do not trust your transportation to a Chinese-made condenser. Those are all made by the same outfit (I think in somebody's garage) and they are pure junk. I make one designed to last over 200,000 operating hours (actually closer to 300,000) and it won't fail. Contact me if interested.

Also as for the HEI, a couple of years ago I showed people here how to alter the HEI distributors made for the 230/250/292 to work in the 216/235/261 and those are around $60 shipped to you these days. The only trick is getting the gear to run in the center of the camshaft gear and I can show you how that's done. Please don't pay $100 or more for one of these. Do they work? Yes, they work well. I have one I bought in 1997 and have never had any trouble with it. They're normally coil-in-cap but if you want you can use a GM cap and rotor to convert it to a separate coil type.

On that note, I have an original HEI in my 250, still running the original #990 ignition module from 1976. HEI made mine run better, but to be fair, the points unit was a rebuilt unit from the local parts store so quality wasn't the best. I pickup the HEI for a few dollars at the pick & pull lot 20 years ago.

Not sure where you are located, but if you want to pay some shipping, I will work on your distributor for free, set it up and run to be sure its working right. I have a old AC Delco catalog I can get part numbers from. I'am in Lees Summit Missouri, just out side Kansas City.