The cab has nothing to do with whether or not the distributor makes a spark. You can unbolt the carb, put a timing light on the engine, crank it over with the starter, and the timing light will STILL work.

 

The same thought crossed my mind also... The only commonality is the distributor cap, but with the firing order I can't get there either.

 

What intake manifold? Most manifolds are a dual-plane, "double-H" design, where one side of the carb fuels two inside cylinders of one bank, and two outside cylinders of the other bank.

I don't know of a manifold that fuels bank-by-bank. Well, a cross-ram does, but typically with either twin carbs, or a huge plenum (or both.)

 

Anyone besides me notice that this crucial bit of info is not being supplied?

 

Now you do.
Yeah, there's a reason why no manufacturer ever copied this goofy design from Offenhauser.
And of course, this still has nothing to do with ignition or spark.

 

I believe my brain believes it's an early Monday morning - I'm crazed & confused.

Help me understand. The OP states he has an HEI (Post #1). Then, in post #19 he's going to put a new module in the Mallory the car came with. What exactly does that mean? An original Mallory ignition system is not an HEI is it not? So, what is going on? He had an HEI and the HEI wasn't working then he's swapping out the HEI with a Unilite Mallory and a new module in the Mallory? I think I'm brain dead for sure. Or, he has a newer Mallory HEI system?

Didn't the original type Mallory require an external voltage regulator to run in-line with that system or you'd fry the distributor? Like this Mallory inline voltage regulator/ filter p/n 29351. I'm hedging here, I know, maybe that VR is shot?

EDIT: They call it a Power Filter, not a VR.

 

Some folks think ANY electronic ignition is an "HEI".

Mallory made an HEI clone in addition to the crappy Unilites. Yes, the Unilites should have the "power filter" because they didn't bother to make the Unilite module robust enough to survive; unlike the "genuine" HEI module which works just fine up to 18-ish volts, at least short-term.

Either way, I get suspicious when the original poster quits answering questions.

 

I believe the issue w/ the Mallory system was the ground was it not? They couldn't employ the original GM HEI patented ground system so they did some type of mysterious reverse engineering - I think sending the ground back to the engine block? Or was it something else, the bearings in the distributor that grounded the distributor? I honestly do not know. I'm no guru on HEI or the original Mallory systems but I had friends who had them and they were hit or miss IIRC.

 

I like the old Mallory products better than MSD who bought them out. I have used many Unilight distributors and still have a 75 series HEI sitting on the shelf I'm thinking on freshening up.

 

Thanks for the reminder.

Naw, they were just an under-engineered piece of crap. They were sensitive to over-voltage problems because the internal components were not robust. So Mallory wanted you to buy a $40 surge protector to "protect" the $40 module they failed to engineer properly.

Enjoy. I wouldn't give them the time of day. 'Course, MSD isn't any better now. What isn't Chinese is potted and non-repairable. No thanks.

 

pull the plugs and exchange them from odd to evan...plugs are possibly not grounded...do you put thread compound on them?

 

OK RESET TIME PEOPLE AND TO THE OP..... Does the dam thing run well on all 8 or doest it NOT run well!?!
51 posts and that question has not been answered.

 

I'm thinking there's a short between the headset...

 

Strange problem indeed. How about swap #2 plug wire with #1 (cap end and plug end of coarse) and see if it triggers the timing light on #1.
Or a new set of wires maybe, who knows with little to no feedback from the op.