The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop H.E.I. Anyone have this one or bought from this person

Not sure where to put this so i hope this is a good guess, if not feel free to move it

anyways, im looking at getting a hei distributor for my 54 235 and came across this ebay store that makes new (USA made) billet aluminum hei distributors for our inlines (along with other engines) and was wondering if anyone has bought off this store and how good their product really is. The seller has a good rating and by reading the distributor seems to be of good quality and for $255 it seems reasonable. Any thoughts or experiences? If all seems good im going to purchase one in the next few weeks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HEI-...ategoryZ34205QQihZ016QQitemZ260132919441

What a ripoff! It's so simple to adapt a regular GM HEI unit, so why buy these copies with uncertain parentage and probably no repair parts availability?
Jerry

if its for a 250 it will have to be modified anyway. i followed the instructions in the tech tips i got a dizzy out of an 80 truck with a 250 and modified it in a matter of a few hours i paid 30.00
for it and i put a module in it 35.00 it works great. phil

Why are you considering an HEI distributor? Unless you're building a racing engine a simple Petronix unit is more than sufficient to modernize your ignition system.

It's your ride and your bucks, so spend it as you wish. Personally, I installed a Pertronix unit in my 230 for right around $100, carry the original unit as a spare in case of emergency, and am happy as a clam with the end results. Better starting, better fuel mileage, plugs burn cleaner, and no more setting points. If you really want a HEI,they can be modified very easily to work for your situation, and at a LOT less than $225.

I bought an HEI for my 261 from Tom Langdon and have had no problems. I am not certain but I think it cost about $169. It is not a new one, but a modified one. I did buy a distributor from this company for my 283 for less than $50. It seems to be as advertised and looks fine. No problem with the seller.

Thanks for the replies, this is why i asked, i knew about and read the tech tip about modifing a 250 hei to be used in a 235. I was just curious about this distributor, i will most likely be doing the conversion as there is a auto salvage yard a few miles from my house with tons of donor vehicles to get a distributor from, but im just keeping my options opened. As for what im doing to my engine, mainly exterior mods, I will be installing a clifford 2/4bbl intake with a holley 390 4bbl carb and a set of clifford tube headers in the coming weeks and was thinking of ignition systems to burn the extra fuel more efficiently.

drummin52,

Probably a great unit..expensive though. I can't get by the sellers BS and billet voodoo. A full page of colored fonts with explanations why cast aluminum will leave you stranded by the side of the road would be enough to make me look elsewhere.

Stuart

The page does seem cheesy, annoying change of color and fonts, good seller rating though. I better leave it for someone else to try.

Well the weather is looking good tomorrow, so if time allows i guess i will take a walk through the salvage yard and see what i can find. 1 question on the conversion, where can i get the collar at, were did everyone get theirs.


and i guess i should ask for clarity before going through this but whats the comparison/difference from hei to petronix. I think i know but id like some clarity. thanks again!!!

>the comparison/difference from hei to petronix< You ask?

90% of the people with the Petronix carry a points and condensor in their glove box.

Guys with the HEI in their truck don't.

Richard,

Is that because the Petronix conversion is prone to failure or are we just overly nervous and don't trust what we cannot touch and feel?

Our local auto parts chain stopped carrying Pertronix due to failures and returns. They now carry the Crane Fireball unit. There are as many people who love the Pertronix module as those who don't like it.

I contacted these folks about what the advance curve was on their unit. According to their web site they respond in 24 hours. Well it's been a month or two and I have yet to hear from them. All factory HEI distributors to some degree are setup for emissions control, that's what they were designed for. That is why they will have less advance both vac and centrifugal, but hotter spark. If you go with a factory HEI have it recurved. This also (though I don't have one) a good reason to go with a Pertronix. IMO

Larry

i had a pertronix for a number of years and just bought a mini hei from langdon's stovebolt. i was happy with the pertronics but the dist. was worn out and i wanted to replace it and this the way i went. ron

No, it's the same reason you carry a spare tire or fan belt, it's a quick fix for a problem that could leave you stranded... and it only takes up a corner of your glove box. Don't read more into it than what's there.

A question about converting to HEI. Can you still run a generator with this type of conversion or does it make no difference.

I believe you'll find that you need to convert to alternator to run HEI.

Never heard of having to convert to an alternator to an HEI. The HEI will draw more amps, so you need to increase the 12v wire to the HEI to a min of 12awg and to be safe it should be 10awg. If you are drawing near what the gen puts out for max amps, yes you might have to upgrade the gen/alt for more amps.

Larry

hey everyone, im going to the auto salvage yard tomorrow (i hate calling it the junkyard because not everything in there is junk, except for the foreign auto section, haha) and will be looking for a 250 so i can convert the 250 hei distributor to work in my 54 235. My question is what and where can i get the collar that replaces the one you file down? And what else should i grab. Thanks!!!

I saw those on ebay for 89$ for a 304 amc v8. They didn't have a GM hei cap though, it was different, probably a knock off of a MSD unit, maybe a hybrid of the GM and MSD???? Cheap enough, BUT you should be able to build a GM unit for that and have factory reliability if you do a good job.

Put in a Alt., the HEI pulls 20-30 amps, so you will not have much left to run other stuff. You can wire it into the original system pretty easily without cutting everything up if you want to keep it original.

i just got one out of a 250 that was in a 1980 chevy c10. I also grabbed a spare cap, rotor, ignition module and coil (basically second distributor while i was there. The distributor itself was only $20. And there where quite a few left, plus they also get new vehicles in by the truck loads everyday so there are plenty where that came from.

My truck already has an alternator and im currently rewiring the truck completely, and already have the 12 gauge wire marked in my wiring diagram that i came up with. I have it going from my ignition switch to the fuse block where it goes to a 30amp fuse just for the ignition coil and then out to the distributor. All 12 gauge wire.

20-30 amps for a GM HEI? did someone actually measure the current draw? I ask again,what is the stock HEI feed wire size on a GM original equipment?
Some searching on the internet got these results from a GM large cap HEI on a V-8.
Key On Engine Off___134 milliAmps
Cranking___________1.2 Amps
600 RPM___________1.2 Amps
1000 RPM__________1.85 Amps
2000 RPM__________2.63 Amps
3000 RPM__________3.10 Amps
4000 RPM__________3.36 Amps
5000 RPM__________3.40 Amps

a 30 amp fuse is just what my painless performance fuse block has on it, if it can use a lower one than i will switch it out.

http://www.painlessperformance.com/webcatalog/largeview.php?SearchField=30001

I have been running a Mallory H.E.I. on my 261 for about 15 years with no problem. I ran it with a generator for about three years and then switched to an alternator. Since then, I have switched to another alternator. I don't think you can beat Mallory for reputation and longevity and I like the "old style" look they give you.

Joe