The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop will a 79 chevy 305 hei dist fit in a 64 chevy 283

i wanting to do a hei conversion on the engine and wondering if the hei can take the place of the old points dist?

im not sure help a noob out

Should work fine. Be sure to check if there are any firewall clearance issues and I think you may have to run a heavier gauge hot wire to the HEI. Good luck

SimS

Correct on the heavier wire. You need to make sure you have a full 12 volts to the HEI power terminal.

should i run the heavy wire to the battery via a switch or run it to the generator?

I ran my 66 c20's HEI from a spare "switched" terminal on top of the fuseblock.

First of all, any stock SBC HEI should fit your 283 perfectly.
Run a new 12GA wire from the spare switched terminal on the fuse box to the right hand terminal on the "wire tab" on the cap. Bypass the original ignition resister, it is no longer needed. You also need to replace the plug wires with an HEI compatible set. I suggest that you tell a parts house you want plugs and wires for a 1976 350 in a C10. Gap the plugs for the HEI at around .045. Retime your engine with the new distributor and enjoy your new HEI!

Best wishes,

Les