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Discussion starter · #21 ·
bilodeaulynn said:
Not trying to be "that guy", but would like to get more info. You say you have a "cheap HEI" right now. What distributor are you running? If you have a later (74 or later) model big body GM HEI in there right now, and you are running a stock 350 engine, you won't likely gain anything just by intsalling another distributor that you couldn't gain by fixing the one you have. This really doesn't tell us much: "My shop told me I need to get a new distributor. They said to just make it easy and get a new HEI system." I still don't know what it is you are running currently, or what is wrong with it. The stock GM HEI is pretty much bullet proof. IF that is what you have, you would be hard pressed to do better.

It would need to be re-curved for your engine combo, but there are very reliable on a street car. At very high RPM it might be an issue, but you will never wind a stock 350 that high.

As others have said, some first gens will accept the big body HEI. i ran one in a 69 for several years. It touched the firewall, but never gave me any problems at all. Others have said they had to ding the firewall to get it to fit.

First question: what distributor is in there now?
Second question: what is wrong with it?

HEI coils and modules are cheap. Not much else goes wrong absent a broken wire.
Click to expand...
Yes, you hijacked the thread and you are being "that guy".

Thanks for the advice but I'd rather not get lectured on the topic. This is a weekend project. A hobby. Working on my car is a way to relieve stress.
 
#22 ·
I didn't see that as a hijack at all, thought he was trying to save you a buck or two, although I don't think they (GM HEI) are as bombproof as Lynn suggests - rusted solid autocam mechanisms seem to be a frequent problem as well.

If what you said in your first post is correct - "I have a cheap HEI distributor in my '67 RS/SS" - then I don't see why another wouldn't fit.

The reason I suggested engine info was because a stock engine and a highly modified engine would have differing needs regarding ignition. If your 350 makes 250HP all the fancy stuff would be a waste of money. The Pertronix and the MSD R2R seem to have solid reps and won't empty your wallet
 
#23 ·
When I took ownership of my current 69 it had an MSD distributor with no vacuum advance, and the MSD 6AL box which had a rev limiter and multi-spark from idle up to a few thousand rpm. My MSD distributor had the well documented rust inside the distributor issue and I didn't like the ugly red box. I wanted to keep the rev limiter and the Pertronix Ignitor III setup has a rev limiter and multi-spark all the way up to 10,000 rpm, so I picked up an original GM points distributor, rebuilt it, installed the Ignitor III system then curved the timing and could not be happier. I really like the stock look rather than a large footprint HEI wedged in there and/or the MSD billet distributor and ugly red 6AL box.
 
Discussion starter · #25 ·
Thanks for the post.

I agree. I like the stock look of the Pertronix Flame Thower 3, black, it looks clean. It also has great consumer reviews.

I'm not a mechanic but is it something I can do myself? (Change out the existing HEI to a new Pertronix Distributor + external coil). I enjoy working on my 67.
 
#30 ·
rc1969 said:
Thanks for the post.

I agree. I like the stock look of the Pertronix Flame Thower 3, black, it looks clean. It also has great consumer reviews.

I'm not a mechanic but is it something I can do myself? (Change out the existing HEI to a new Pertronix Distributor + external coil). I enjoy working on my 67.
Click to expand...
Without knowing your comfort level working on engines I'm not sure how to answer that, with a distributor swap you need to get the distributor located correctly when installing the replacement which is fairly straight forward but you have to get it right. The Pertronics Ignitor III and Flamethrower III coil require full electrical system voltage and adequate current so you may need to upgrade the primary wiring that goes to each, again not difficult but something you don't want to overlook.

You'll also need to re-curve the timing for your engine to get the best results which is a matter of tuning the centrifugal advance weights and springs and getting the vacuum advance limited to what will work best with your engine. You can read up on that process here - www.camaros.org/pdf/timing101.pdf
 
#31 ·
I also have the pertronix III flamethrower with mechanical advance and matching coil. Works great. I installed it myself and i am not a mechanic. I used the pertronix relay to get a full 12 volts. Took me about 2 days on a weekend to set up and install everything and get it adjusted just right. I had a points distributor before. Most of the second day i was changing the different advance springs and adjusting the timing and carburetor accordingly until i got it just right. Mine came with three different sets of springs. I have it on my 383 with an edelbrock carb. No problems to report.
 
#32 ·
I run a big body GM HEI in my '67 RS/SS 350 it fits without any problem. I use the MSD 6AL with the probillet distributor and blaster 2 coil in two of my other cars and although its likely a great system for high performance, I've had 2 of the boxes fail with less than 5,000 miles on them. To be fair, I did have an ignition module fail in my HEI, but we're talking big money difference between the two.
 
#33 ·
Maybe I am too old school or just too old. I always weigh the product with $$$ and the perceived results, must be the business sense in me. The last 6 cars I have built I have used a GM HEI in BB's and SB's as well. We rebuild and curve them and spend usually less the $100. and they have always worked fine. Now having said that, these are street cars in the 400-450HP range. A little tight, some but no big deal. The MSD box have been a waste of $$$ with these street cars. Now if your ride is a pro street high HP then that is a different kettle of fish. Just and old guy talkin.....
 
Discussion starter · #34 ·
bilodeaulynn said:
Not trying to be "that guy", but would like to get more info. You say you have a "cheap HEI" right now. What distributor are you running? If you have a later (74 or later) model big body GM HEI in there right now, and you are running a stock 350 engine, you won't likely gain anything just by intsalling another distributor that you couldn't gain by fixing the one you have. This really doesn't tell us much: "My shop told me I need to get a new distributor. They said to just make it easy and get a new HEI system." I still don't know what it is you are running currently, or what is wrong with it. The stock GM HEI is pretty much bullet proof. IF that is what you have, you would be hard pressed to do better.

It would need to be re-curved for your engine combo, but there are very reliable on a street car. At very high RPM it might be an issue, but you will never wind a stock 350 that high.

As others have said, some first gens will accept the big body HEI. i ran one in a 69 for several years. It touched the firewall, but never gave me any problems at all. Others have said they had to ding the firewall to get it to fit.

First question: what distributor is in there now?
Second question: what is wrong with it?

HEI coils and modules are cheap. Not much else goes wrong absent a broken wire.
Click to expand...
Currently: ACCEL HEI Super Coil 140003
My mechanic says it is all rusted inside and he could barley get it adjusted.
 
#36 ·
rc1969 said:
Currently: ACCEL HEI Super Coil 140003
My mechanic says it is all rusted inside and he could barley get it adjusted.
Click to expand...
rc1969 said:
I currently have an ACCEL HEI in my 67. I notice some have said the HEI won't fit. Do HEI's differ in size? Is the Pertronix of MSD HEI the same size as my existing ACCEL?
Thanks
Click to expand...
It depends on a lot of little things whether the large cap HEI will fit. Only way to know for sure is to try it. I decided to just put a Pertronix III in a factory points distributor. It looks a lot better, it's a very reliable system and includes a rev limiter. You don't need to run an MSD type box with it either. Like was mentioned earlier, for most street applications, the MSD 6AL etc boxes are a waste of money, time and under hood space.
 
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Discussion starter · #37 ·
HawkX66 said:
It depends on a lot of little things whether the large cap HEI will fit. Only way to know for sure is to try it. I decided to just put a Pertronix III in a factory points distributor. It looks a lot better, it's a very reliable system and includes a rev limiter. You don't need to run an MSD type box with it either. Like was mentioned earlier, for most street applications, the MSD 6AL etc boxes are a waste of money, time and under hood space.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I think that's what I'll do.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
#39 ·
socal_tom said:
Just my 2 cents but I have always used a MSD 6A with the box and I have never had a problem. I have a MSD 6A on my 67 now
Click to expand...
There's nothing "wrong" with it and it's a reliable system. I've run them in cars in the past. There's also nothing "wrong" with running 93 octane in a car that only requires 87 octane either. It's just a waste of money.
 
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#40 ·
I've purchased a few cars with MSD boxes. It's the 1st thing that goes along with any electric fuel pumps.

Good thing is the box and dizzy sells pretty good on eBay to cover the cost of the 8360
 
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