I have ran both flip flopped without issue for a few months or years, can't remember. It has to do with pick up coil design correct? The reason I ask is I want to try the Accel Brute Thunder coil. They have discontinued the red and white lead coil, so anywhere that has one is $30 more. Can I run the red and yellow lead in a factory Olds HEI?

 

I decided to pony up and get raped by Northern Auto Parts, the only place that has the red an white lead Brute Thunder coil. The red and white lead coil didn't have great reviews but the red and yellow lead did, weird. The specs on the Brute Thunder coil and even the Accel HEI Supercoil are way above the competition. My HEI Supercoil has lasted 20 years, hard to say where that one was made. I am running the Mallory 6AL box so I want a good coil to take full advantage.

 

I read your post yesterday and got the impression you knew about lead colors, in so much its importance to the pick up coil within the distributor. When asking a question like this and using aftermarket parts, I'm not much help.

But of course, I still have a comment.

My tiny brain knows its about polarity and magnetic fields. Gm engineers went the distance to make both for what they considered important reasons. I can't profess to understand all the reasons. Throw in after market parts and I wonder if they are built with the same mindset or just different color wires...I hope the best.

I'll include this pdf you've probably read it too, but its a good one to understand whats going on here. I can't add anything to it, but hope it provides some fodder for discussion, if not for you, someone else who searches the same. Look at page 31 and then some.

http://www.chevelles.com/techref/hei.pdf

 

I get using different polarity pick up coils with the Olds V8 but then they used the same as chebby with the Tornado? And Chebby uses the same as Olds in the Corvette? Strange why they did that. I am hoping the cost of this coil is worth it. It is 134:1 vs 80:1 for the regular HEI Supercoil which has 5 to 10:1 more than the competition and lower resistance, plus it comes with the low ohm center contact.