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Just curious-is it possible to use an HEI distributor in a 6 volt truck? I'm trying to make this truck drop dead reliable for the owner but he's adamant about keeping it 6 volt. I guess if the HEI isn't an option I can go with the Pertronix set up.
Speed

I don't think you can do it- HEI requires 12 volts.

Nope, no HEI for him, on the other hand, points are extremely reliable if you know how to set them, all you have to do is keep an extra set in the glovebox. Maybe you can teach him how to set points (give a man a fish... teach a man to fish).

I don,t think petronics has a 6 volt system either. 4.3 is right though. We used points for 60 years. Be shure to put a tiny pinch of grease on the dist cam & replace them every 10k miles.I can,t imagine wy the guy won,t go for 12 volts. The battery is under the floor. When he hits the starter & it starts in a split second he would be impressed.

There is a Pertronix 6v system for positive ground (GMC) and negative ground (Chevrolet) 6 cylinder engines. I have been running one in my 6v Suburban for over two years. It used to be listed in their catalog and the part number was posted here a couple of time.

On a 6v system, make sure your battery cables are at least 1 or 1/0 and the starter and engine spin just fine. I now have 2/0 (00) cables for the positive cable (to the starter) and the negative ground cable (to the frame behind the battery box, but some people run a long ground cable from the battery to the bottom attachment bolt for the starter).

http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/cgi-bin//ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=007101
1167N6 1941-1953 216/235 6v negative
1168N6 1954-1962 235/261 6v negative

Tim

Just to add another vote, HEI DOES require 12 volts. That's why the ballast resistors or resistor wires have to be removed when converting a 12v points iginition to HEI.

But Tim's right. Pertronix does make a 6v unit...and that's the route I'd go. But keep a spare one or the old points in the glove box, just in case. I always carry a spare HEI module with me cuz ya never know when they'll fail. Thay don't fail all that often, but when they do, it's usually at a very inconvenient time or location.

And, Unlike points, they don't start to wear out; they just go from working to not working. Because it is an electronic system not a mechanical one, it either works or it doesn't, no sort-of works.

As far as reliability goes, I've only driven 70's cars for transportation (currently 77 Nova) for the last 25 years and I've only had the modual go on me once.Lucky for me it was in my driveway. It drove home perfectly well, but when I went to restart it,nothing..............Lucky I've always got a spare everything around, so I was not even late for work.