Hi ya'll Ive been trying to tune up my Cutlass but I'm running into issues. I checked the dwell on the distributor and the dwell is off, so I then open my cap and it has a mallory igniter no adjustment and I have this old timer in my neighborhood said I should order me a new stock distributor and go from there but I asked how about converting to hei wouldn't it more efficient and give a hotter spark hence burn the air/fuel better he said no all it will do is burn up my plugs faster so, once again I'm at lost on what to do and look to you guys for advice on what to do and on another note its the same price to go either way. I just want it running right. And thanks again !!

 

If you have a Mallory ignitor you already have a HEI. Be sure and make sure you have a good coil. Interesting he would say that about burning your plugs up faster. Before HEI's, you had to replace plugs about every 12,000 - 15,000 miles. There are a lot of differing opinions on this subject and I am sure you will hear many of both viewpoints. I have used Pertronix conversions and would not consider using points. You are not going to get any more power but I think you quicker starts and longer plug life. That is my 2 cents.

 

What issues are you running into? The dwell varies on the electronic ignitions and should not be an issue. As far as HEI's you won't see an improvement in performance, but it won't eat plugs.

 

Well im going by the sticker under the hood on what the dwell should be at at idle and its reading higher then what the sticker said so he told me to adjust it down but with mallory part there is no adjustment like on a stock set up

 

Yes, you have discovered that the "stock" settings for the points do not work with the non-stock, aftermarket electronic ignition.

 

Are you having specific issues with your engine? All that's required with an electronic setup is setting the timing.

 

Well the guy said I have to pull the distributor out to replace the switch back to stock so i figured Ill just change it hei system and the problem I'm getting is puttering through the exhuast after going WOT as the idle comes down then I get a couple of backfires through the carb and he said its the timing we tried to set it to specs per the sticker and I'm still having issues and it all dies under hard acceleration then its hard to start.

 

What do you have your timing set to?

 

First, to be clear: YOU DO NOT SET THE DWELL ANGLE ON ELECTRONIC IGNITIONS.
You set the dwell angle with points.
Your distributor has a Mallory electronic pickup, therefore it does not have points.
Electronic pickup units like the one you have are computerized and vary the dwell angle with the engine speed, to achieve optimum coil saturation and cooling.
Points cannot do this.

Second, HEI is electronic ignition, and Mallory ignitor is electronic ignition.
There are a few differences between them, but why would you want to swap an electronic igniton for a electronic ignition?

Third, Why would you need to replace the distributor?
Is the shaft wobbly?
If you want to go back to points, just buy a [good] set of points and a condenser, remove the Mallory parts, and install the new points.

Fourth, your neighbor is correct in the essentials: You will gain no performance from installing an HEI unit, but you will be left with an incorrect advance curve, which you wil then have to reset by trial and error.
HEI will not make your spark plugs wear faster, but it will show up bad igniton wires (irrelevant when installing a new HEI, as you would also have to install a new set of wires).

- Eric

 

I have the timing set 12 degrees before top dead center

 

this what Im thinking of installing is it worth it or should I go with stock so is it worth it

 

Maybe you need to tell us a bit more about your engine.

Year?
Displacement?
Compression?
Cam?
Stock or modified?
Anything, really.

- Eric

 

Its a 1972 Cutlass Supreme with a red 350 Oldsmobile vin number R its all I really know about the car it was given to me I'm the 4th owner just replaced the carb with a qaudrajet like I said I dont really know what been done to it.

 

All pre-1975 Olds 350s were originally gold, so the fact that it's red isn't important.

It is a 350, and not a pre-1970 455 or 425, right?

Does it look like it's been repainted thoroughly, as in, was it removed from the car to be painted?
If so, almost anything could have been done to it.
If it looks basically original with some red spray on the valve covers and intake manifold, then it's probably an original '72 8.5:1 350, and, realistically, installing HEI probably wouldn't hurt anything but your wallet (though it wouldn't help anything either) - you're not going to get much more out of one of those engines by tweeking the timing, but you're not going to lose much by changing the advance curve either.

We may be at the point where we need (clear) pictures now.

- Eric

 

The casting number on the block says 350 pre 1975 but no its been painted all the way through from the bottom of the block up no gold to be seen but I think you're right because it has no power but that could be other issues. I think the best thing is for me to pull the engine and send it out to have it gone through or do it myself, any ideas on what I should do to it to optaine the horsepower i want. I want 325 to 400 hp with as much low end torque with decent gas mileage. For one thing Ive been reading about putting a 200r4 to get an overdrive, just don't know what to do to the engine so any insight on which way to go would be very helpful as in what cam to go with and if it is stock on the lower end should I bore it 30 over and I just had full kidney failure so I'm on a tight budget do to I cant work anymore and I'm on disability so any and all help,hints would be great and thanks for taking the time to answer my questions

 

I'd check for vacuum leaks and throw a vacuum gauge on it to see what that looks like first. make sure the choke is pulling all the way off. Why was the carb changed?

 

It had a edelbrock 1406 and needed to be rebuilt and the guy helping with it said he had a quadrajet built and just sitting there he sold it to me cheap and he said it came of a 1974 omega I've checked with a vacuum gauge its reading between 12-14.

 

That's very low, should be closer to 20. When you checked your timing, at what rpm, and did you remove and plug the vacuum advance line? Did you verify all your wires are in the correct order and are tight?

 

yes to all except don't know what rpm because I don't have a rpm gauge and he didn't hook up a external one. So expert opinion I might have a vacuum leak because youre saying I should be closer to 20 could be the carb he sold me I checked around the intake no change in idle with a can of carb cleaner really nothing around the base of the carb either where else could be leaking around the air horn. He's blaming the distributor because we cant change the dwell.

 

And one more question can you install headers on 1972 cutlass supreme with a350 some say no because of room issues Thanks

 

Headers are not an issue on a 72 outside of the normal fitment issues with headers. All the manufacturers make them for your car.

 

Which, as noted, is not the reason, and means that his knowledge is limited.

He sounds helpful, but beware of relying on him completely.

You have no idea what is inside that engine - by your description it appears to have been out of the car.
It may have been rebuilt or modified in a number of different ways, so you have a completely unknown quantity, and the low vacuum may be because of a flaw, or may be an inherent quality of the engine.

We cannot give you very good advice here without knowing more.

- Eric

 

OK thanks guys and as soon as I have more info Ill pass it on

 

HEI ignition debuted about the same time as unleaded gas was introduced. I think it was removing lead that increased plug life more than any benefits electronic ignition may have.

Roger.