The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay starting from scratch wiring and HEI

I have a new 21 circuit wiring harness and would like to change to 12V. I have a '51 p/u and all wires are removed. The engine is a 1961 235. my qustion is to get an HEI distributor is it possible to upgrade in some way the origninal or do i need to buy a new one.
I know very little about ignition wiring or coil vs. HEI.
Need a little help to keep it all simple.
Not sure why i need HEI other than i don't what any electrial hassle. (trouble of points and a coil) although i have many extra parts (points distributors)
Is it foolish to go with new 12V harnes and use old points dist?
Please advise, thanks very much. Mike.

There are a couple of very good HEI articles in the Tech Tip section of this web site.

Points need to be filed and re-adjusted about every 1000 miles. If you only put 1000 miles a year or less it's not very inconvenient. But if you plan to drive 10,000 miles a year, that is a lot of maintenance. I'd go with HEI or Pertronix.

upgrade to a pertronix,or contact langdons stovebolt engine co.,He has a hei that is a bolt in. They are both about the same cost, however, if the pertronix breaks down, you may have a hard time finding a new module right away. If an HEI breaks , any auto store should have the module in stock.

For your info I have pertronix on my 261 and have run it for 5 yrs no problems.

mike & sons,

It looks like you have extra distributors. I carry one with new points, condensor, rotor, and cap, just in case the Pertronix unit goes out. I have never had a probem in 15 years of using 12v and 6v Pertronix units on 234/261 engines. You might want to buy a matching 6v/12v coil from Pertronix. The internal resistance will match what is needed by the Pertronix unit.

Make sure the drive gear in the spare distributor matches your year engine/cam. Any 1955 and later 235/261 distriibutor will work on your 1961 engine. If you have a 53/54 distributor, let us know and someone will tell you how to determine if the distributor is OK for use in a 1961 engine.

Langdon's HEI is about $200. The Pertronix is less than $100. I wouldn't call that "about the same cost".

@ Mike and sons,

Hi ya'll, I thought I knew where Wade is but I had to look it up. I'm in Raleigh so we're practically neighbors! Ok, on to business.
Points vs HEI; HEI wins every time, simply because they are set it and forget it, any unit you use, modified late stock, Pertronix, or Langdon's. Tom Langdon is a super guy to deal with, but his distributor is expensive. Pertronix catalog is a nightmare. The 1975 through 1988 Chevy straight 6 HEI is ugly, but oh does it work good, but it requires some modification. How you go is up to you, but I'd tend toward the late stock guy. Once the mods are done they're done and you can get parts at any parts house.

I lived for years with the stock original and don't think I set the points more than every normal tune-up. I drove a 1975 C-10 (250 L6,) from Raleigh to Canada North of Toronto, to West of De Moines Iowa, to Raleigh and never touched anything under the hood except the dip stick. I did use a quart of oil.

My point here, is that ANY system in proper tune and good condition will serve you well!

With the HEI, don't forget to run a switched 10ga or 12ga hot from the ignition switch to the distributor. Don't use the old coil wire!

Drop me a PM if I can help!

Best wishes,

Les

Hey Cletis,
When I installed the pertronix on my truck, I replaced the distributor with a rebuilt unit. Then the pertronix, a new coil, and a set of new plug wires. It was just about the same price as the hei. I didn't see any point in putting a new pertronix unit in an old worn out dist. If you do it right the first time, you don't have to repeat the process.

I would use a used HEI. Check this out, Fun little mod for cheap, http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=189074