I will be converting my 74 88 350 to HEI. Where is the best place to wire that into power? Fuse box, if so which fuse?

 

I am looking at this model?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140859661145...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Is this decent for a otherwise stock motor set up?

 

Hard to imagine that being a quality piece when a god coil alone costs that much. Wire your HEI to a terminal on the fuse box that has 12volts at both "on" and "crank". Use a fusible link inline for protection.

 

Jim I actually bought one of those pro comp HEI units. Its been in use for 5 years now. For 50 bucks you cannot beat it to be honest even if it might need a few things. old cores go for 45 bucks. All i did to mine was add a moroso curve kit to dial in the timing.


Now for a hook up i prefer a stand alone wire on a switch. It can also act as an anti theft device . I grabbed power from the junction (relay) on the firewall on my 72. I essentially just grabbed a good (hot) lead ran one to the dash to a switch and a wore from the switch to the dist. The only down side is you have to flip the switch to start it but if you ever need to undo it its very easy as its almost stand alone.

 

so how much should I expect to spend on a quality unit then? I don't need high end, but it looks like this one is not so good I list above?

 

check post above.

 

Mind you I don't know much about these. Curve kit? Mind you I have a stock 74 350 with 70k and will only have the orig carb redone, otherwise leaving orig. Not making a hot rod out of the car. That said I just want quality plug and play unit so to speak. I see units out there for 250, can't imagine having that much in one for non hipo application.

 

I had to add a curve kit becasue the factory curve was too fast. My dad's car (77 pontiac bonneville) has one of my old olds 350's in it. It originally had a 2.41 rear end gear ratio. I had to tune the carb and slow down the timing as it was coming in wayyyy to fast for that app. i eventually installed a 3.08 gear set and put the timing back to the way it came and the car came to life lol. Its a good unit over all for the price. The timing curve is one of those things you sometimes have to mess with regardless of hipo app. or not. Its been a reliable unit .

 

In the fuse box there is a spade terminal marked IGN, you can use that. I'd run a 12ga wire. Tape and stow your original wires if you want to go back to points. You can use an aftermarket connector or just a female spade terminal to hook power to the new cap. Set your timing to 16-18 degrees BTDC. Your going to need new spark plug wires and set your spark plug gap to .045

 

If you are just leaving it stock, you might consider putting a Pertronix in your current distributor. You don't have to pull the distributor or change plug wires.

 

Here is a new unit from Auto Zone with a lifetime warranty for $115. Not sure of the quality, but I would go that route before an E-Bay El-Cheapo part,
http://www.autozone.com/external-eng...6_0_4618_1136/
Plus, you get a $25 gift card to use on oil and filters.

 

I would never buy electrical components from auto zone. Like I said from personal experience that he works well and has for other members here

 

I would personally buy a quality unit and be done with it, but I constantly get criticized on here by our resident cheapskate(s) whenever I suggest that anyone actually spend a little money to do things right. I had one of those Pro-Comps and it was a nightmare. Hard starting when warm, timing all over the place, the end of it actually bottomed out on the block, total POS. Kept the cap and threw the rest in the garbage where it belonged. That was 5 years ago. I had a thread on it over at ROP before the crash, others guys with similar issues. Do whatever you want.

 

While there is no right or wrong purchase in this price point as all are hit or miss. I have to agree with Jim, I would consider one from any of the reman manufacturers bought at a local parts store over the pro-comp just for the ease of warranty issues. I know some have had good experiences with the pro-comp while others have not. I would rather drop a bad one off at a local parts store than have to deal with a mail order vendor.

 

Actually many speed shops sell procomp. So it can be returned . I know I have about 3 local vendors who sell procomp products. The pro comp unit I have has been on my fans car I wanna say like 5 years now. It gets driven alot. Of course for the price there is a risk involved. I wouldn't trust auto zone parts even Napa electrical parts I don't like. On my 72 I have a proform unit it's been in use now for 8 years no issues.

 

So, NAPA is junk, too? Your record is clear, you ALWAYS choose the lower cost over everything, sometimes it works, sometimes not. You fail to take into account that guys time and experience levels are different. The OP does not know what a curve kit is, sounds like he wants something to drop in and go. Here is a NAPA dist for $100,
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...893_0407424799
cap and coil another $60 or so. I promise you that you buy 100 of these and 100 junkers and you will find out the failure rate.

 

The guy does not want to fool with re-curving a distributor and is keeping his engine stock. If he just wants to get rid of the points, Pertronix is perfect for him. I understand before somebody points it out that it is not HEI. He doesn't need HEI. Put in the Pertronix with their coil and he will be happy. This is my opinion which what I would do in this situation.

 

LOL no doubt you do the same with me!Need some cheese with your whine!!!

 

Jim I dont buy the cheapest i buy the best bang for the buck type deal. Im sorry jim i may be cheap but i choose wisely . Chances are the rebuilt units from napa or auto zone are rebuilt in mass quantities in foreign places so its just as much of a craps shoot as anything else to be honest.

Now as for the curving even a stock dist benefits from a proper curve . I needed to re curve for tuning purposes. You cant expect to gain anything from not doing anything. If i was to go to pertronix unit i would add a curve kit. It adds pep to the engine. It helps it spin a little faster or slower depending on needs. I curved the dist i bought to fix a slight stumble. My dad will never flat foor his car from a stand still but i made shure that if it ever happened it would not bog so i tuned his engine to work properly across the board.

 

The market place is VERY competitive, if you have a unit that is 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of most other units, you can bet that quality was cut somewhere. As long as you understand that and feel like taking the chance, fine, your call.

BTW, there is not a dang thing wrong with a points system in good working order, especially on a car that does not see a lot of miles. You will not realize any performance gains with the HEI.

 

BTW, there is not a dang thing wrong with a points system in good working order, especially on a car that does not see a lot of miles. You will not realize any performance gains with the HEI.

I agree with this 100%. I like Pertronix because I think it gives a little quicker start and I don't have to fool with points. I also think the quality of a lot of the point sets you get these days are questionable (like a lot of other parts). Points worked for a lot of years. As Joe P. will tell you, emission requirements are the only reason GM went to HEI.

 

The conversion from points to the Pertronix is certainly a viable, cost-effective option and keeps the car "stock looking".

 

Sadly, some of it is.

I've previously told the story of paying a premium at NAPA for their "best quality" rear drums for my crewcab dually. Despite the significant additional cost, they were STILL Chinesium junk that were out of round right out of the box. Bottom line is that in today's global economy, not even a proven brand name is a guarantee of getting a quality part anymore.

 

the original distributor wiring is a great way to drive a relay. run a fused(25 amp) or fusible link(16 ga.) equipped wire(12 ga.) from the junction block the switched side of the relay connects to the hei dist. simple and straight to the point.


bill

 

thanks guys for the info. Keep the detailed explanation coming. I plan to buy the HEI unit after the new year, Xmass has been costly, no fun money for the car right now.
After the HEI addition and the carb rebuild, the spring I think I will start to change it to look a little more sporty like the Grand Prix like cars of the 60's, just as big.
Thinking of putting on better sporty rims, MAYBE a hood tach, duals, new tires, new tops, the list is endless.