Well my 455 Building Adventure is coming to a close, my bottem end is all assembled and my heads, intake, and carb came today, but it seems that I over looked the distributor.

The 455 Block came with points (eww...), but my '75 350 that this motor will be replaceing has HEI, now here is my question, should I get the Summit HEI "Upgrade" Kit for like $70, or just buy a whole new HEI unit, this motor has been built for street/strip proformance, so I want something that works well around town, and when I take it to the strip, it won't die on me.

Not a fan of cutting corners, or going "cheap" (you get what you pay for, is what my grandfarther always told me) but is it worth it to get a whole new HEI unit.

I don't want one of those ignition boxes in my car just a regular distributor

 

The factory HEI unit will work just fine. If it was working when it came off I would clean it up. New cap, rotor and wires and throw it in.

 

Ok great, it currently works fine, drive her every day, weather permiting

 

Why argue with success?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

- Eric

 

What would I use to clean it up? I took a good look at it, and it's showing it's age (what wouldn't after 36 years), and I would hate to ruin the nice new look of my 455, all painted gold with Aluminum Heads, Intake and Carb... I would buy a new one just because the look would give me nightmares knowing it's under the hood looking like that.

Also, I have been looking around, should I get a new gear for it, I have no idea what shape it's in, as it hasn't been removed since new, but I'm under the assumption that 36 years of running, can't be to good for that gear. (Where would I find a correct style for this ignition)

Thanks in advance, and for all the replies already

Jim

 

You can do a couple of things. Clean it up with degreaser and paint it or have it media blasted and paint or clear coat it. Do that with a new cap and wires and it will look brand new.

 

The good thing about an HEI is that they either work,or they don't. Nothing in between.If it works fine,I would leave it alone.Just change the cap & rotor.They factory gears are hard material,and they don't seem to wear,so it should be fine.The aftermarket bronze gears,for the roller cams,need to be replaced occasionally due to wear.

 

Thanks to both of you, I'll prob shoot it with a degreaser, and a scotch brite pad, followed by some paint.

 

There is a guy I've been using since the late 90's for my distributors, Dave Ray. He takes points distributors, cleans them up, checks/sets all the tolerances, converts them into true magnetic pickup distributors (using actual GM & Ford pieces which can be obtained a NAPA, in an emergency), and will set the curve to match your motor. He will even polish the housing, if you wish.

http://www.davessmallbodyheis.com

Older gentleman, and a one-man show. As such, he is not always as quick with a reply as many of us might like, but he DOES reply and offers a killer product for the price.

Lee Atkinson