DIZZY QUESTIONS - HEI ANYONE?

[Rogue]

while thumbing through some parts catalogs I noticed something - my distributor is the same part number as the chevy distributor and an HEI distributor will drop in place of a points distributor(on a chevy) sooo.....if I'm right none of us need to spend big $$$$ for electronic ignitions, we can just go down to the local scrapyard and pick up an HEI for $40!!!! I know from tech school a stock HEI is good for 60,000 volts and .060 plug gaps, I was told by a boat engine builder that stock HEI is good for 6,500 rpm and 700 hp IS ANYONE ELSE AS EXCITED AS ME?!?!?!?!?! so the question is HAS N E 1 TRIED THIS or does anyone have an HEI laying around that they can compare to a stock distributor??? thanks for all feedback, Jeff

[chrism]

I am pretty sure this is not true. Otherwise plenty of people would have already done it.
I know you can use a 250 chevy dist on a jeep 258. But I don't think it works for the V8's. Otherwise some companies out there would be selling HEI conversions for amc v8's for big $$$.

Your points dist is a delco part. At least the top half is. I was using a pertronix electronic upgrade in my 304. Used it for 4 years without a problem before I sold it. It cost about $60. Made a pretty good difference over the points ignition and is a 2 wire hookup. Get a high volt coil to go with it and you just as well off as the HEI.

[ April 12, 2002: Message edited by: chrism ]</p>

[Rogue]

there are companies selling hei conversions for big $$$ Davis Unified Ignition for one

[LRRH]

HEI for $40.......

hehe, done 2 on 258's. Basically go to junkyard and find a Chebbie w/ a 250. Yank everything, find a spare distributor gear from a 72 or later AMC engine. Take the AMC style gear and remove about 1/4" from the top. Place in oon the HEI. Now it fits into a 258 engine REAL NICE.

I have never done this to a 360, but I'd imagine that the difference from 250-&gt;258 is not bigger than the difference from 350-&gt;360. Though I know nothing....

[Rogue]

thanks fer the input chrism and lrrh, lrrh - that's the kind of info i was looking fer, i knew places like Davis Unified Ignition wasn't going to fabricate a bunch of stuff just so they could sell an AMC dizzies that just wouldn't make any business sense whatsoever, n e 1 else??? penny for yer thoughts!

[PAJEEPER]

I think there is a way to make a Chevy 350 dizzy work. There is a guy on Ebay that sells them already converted. His ad says something about them being turned down in a lathe. So most of it must be close enough to fit. I don't know what to do about the gear though. I'd like to get a used HEI and compare it to my AMC dizzy.

[LRRH]

the gear is what gets turned down. figure the GM gears look like this from the side:

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the AMC gear looks like:

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just shorten the AMC gear to fit without bumping the collar of the distributor, so that you have the correct gear(shortened from the AMC) so it will fit the HEI distributor. The guy on eBay must make tons o cash doing this.......

we did one yesterday for a 258!!!!

[PAJEEPER]

I was just looking at chevy hei's and amc motorcraft dizzys on ebay. Since I dont have either handy. The chev has a longer stick on it and the amc has a shorter one. So it looks like the hei needs to be shortened and the shaft also shortened. And the amc gear put on, tougher than I thought. Any good machinists here that can check this out??

[Rogue]

I'll be getting my hands on a HEI here shortly and repost with results, hopefully it is for the v8's like LRRH is describing for the 6's, maybe its as simple as swapping the gears???

[Marvin Gates]

I read a big article on what has to be done to make the switch on a V-8 and it was pretty involved. I can't remember where I saw it but will try to find it and post for you guys.
HEI's are so simple, it would sure be the hot setup (and they last forever) I've played with a lot of Chevies and the HEI's are the way to go. :D
Good Luck hope you find an easy way to do it. MG

[Rogue]

ooohhhh!!!! that would be so appreciated if you could find that article I also like the simplicity of the HEI and the durability!!! in the last 10 years of working on cars professionally I've probably changed 20 ford ignition modules for every 1 chevy ignition module i've replaced - NOT STARTING A CHEV/FORD DEBATE just a simple fact thnks again

[Marvin Gates]

Hey Jeff, this is not the place I read the article but its another place for hei's, www.davessmallbodyheis.com (http://www.davessmallbodyheis.com) and www.performancedistributors.com (http://www.performancedistributors.com) when ever I find things like this I always try to bookmark them, I will keep looking and try to find the other one, I have to go to work in a little bit but will find it when I get home tonite and post it. MG

[Rogue]

is there anyone else that's been through this?