Need help with SBC electronic ignition/4bbl

[Brandons63]

Hey guys, first off I have to say there are some very knowledgable people on this forum and our build would be so much more time consuming and not as enjoyable if it weren't for this forum and the great members.

I am new to the SBC. My engine background is in turbines and Cummins. Anyways these motors are simple enough and this project will be easy but I'd thought I'd get some feedback from you guys.

I have a '63 C10 that I've replaced the stuck 292 with a '65 327. The engine is running very nicely. I fear the day I hit a puddle and fry the points. I want to swap in an HEI distributor or replace the points and condenser with an electronic unit.. What does this involve? What's the best budget friendly route to take? Pics and some sort of instructional write up would be great.

Second question... The 327 has had a 2bbl 2 jet installed at some point. Is it worth the money and effort to change it for a 4bbl? If so, again what's the cheapest and best route for this? I know the history of the motor back to the early 70's and it has been used very little. It was on a 30's f**d roadster that was hauled to shows on a trailer and was removed for a factory correct resto and is a tight clean little motor.. Any advice will be appreciated!

[Brandons63]

After doing some googling looks like the Pertronix 1181LS and the 40011 oil filled flame thrower coil will be cheap and easy enough... Any thoughts? Totaling $106 after shipping looks like it will be a fine upgrade???

[The Rocknrod]

I've used that unit before. Worked for me.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

The conversion kits are good especially if you want to keep the original look. I like to get a used HEI unit & go through it. They are very reliable & put out a spark like a bolt of lightening. The carburetion depends on what you want to do with the truck. A Rochester Q-jet from the late 70's to early 80's is very fuel effechant. You can pick them up cheap at swap meets or on the internet. They are easy to o-haul if you are good mechanically. I figure you must be if you work on Cummins Diesels. The Edelbrock performer intake is good. You can pick them up reasonable used also. Or the alum. intake used on early to middle 80's SBC are real cheap & plentiful.

[Brandons63]

Thanks wrench bender for the detailed response. I did pick up a used HEI but looks like it sat out for a while.. Maybe I can try sand blasting it or disassembling it and putting it in the agitator or an ultrasonic cleaner with some acid or something of the sort. I'm interested until the aluminum intake off the 80's motors.. They bolt up the same I'm sure but they won't have the oil filler tube will they? I can't part with my corvette valve covers! As far as the carb, I want a good performer not too concerned with fuel economy, but also don't want anything too big that's going to cause problems.. I'll look into the Qjet

[lumpy63]

Edelbrock makes a manifold called the performer eps that has the hole for the oil fill tube. great choice on the vette covers the only draw back with the eps is that only accepts square bore carbs - holley - edelbrock which i don't consider a problem

[Brandons63]

Thanks man. I'm on a budget though.. I've got about $600 total into this truck.. I'm lucky just to have it with all the other toys lol, so maybe I can find one used. I think the wife is over seeing LMC and CLASSIC and SUMMIT on the debit card lol

And on the vette covers, the owner and friend of the helicopter outfit I work for has had this thing sitting under a blanket for tons of years in one of his hangars as he was going to put it in a 54 chevy he was restoring as a teen. Lost interest but wanted to keep the motor close since it was his grandfathers. Supposedly his grandfather pulled it from a 65 vette and put it in his 32 ford roadster trailer queen, but pulled it soon after for a factory correct resto. I can't help but believe him when he said it's a vette motor but it wasn't factory to the vette as there is no vette vin stamped on the block. Anyways I like it for the cool factor. The truck looks like junk but when you open the hood it just looks cool to me.

[The Rocknrod]

Originally Posted by Brandons63

... Supposedly his grandfather pulled it from a 65 vette and put it in his 32 ford roadster trailer queen, but pulled it soon after for a factory correct resto. I can't help but believe him when he said it's a vette motor but it wasn't factory to the vette as there is no vette vin stamped on the block. Anyways I like it for the cool factor. The truck looks like junk but when you open the hood it just looks cool to me.

He must have changed the intake.

[Brandons63]

Yeah for sure. Mileage maybe? Who knows...

[Captainfab]

I would go with the Performer EPS with the fill tube and a 570 Holley Street Avenger or just a 1850 600 Holley. You can pickup a brand new aftermarket HEI for about $150.00. You can also get a rebuilt HEI from your local auto parts store.

If you're not in a big hurry, there is the big swap meet coming up the weekend after July 4th in Spokane. You should be able to at least find a carb and an HEI there.

[Brandons63]

Thanks for the info! Do you have any details on the swap meet? Also, if I were to purchase a rebuilt HEI, how would I go about wiring the thing? And what year should I get it from?

[lumpy63]

Look for an HEI from 1975- early 80s it must have the 4 pin module not the 7 pin later ones were computer controlled. Your original positive wire coming from the firewall to the positive side of the coil is a resistor wire it must be removed and replaced with a non resisted wire as the HEI requires battery voltage. Just connect your new wire to the "batt" term marked on the dist cap and your all set , you can delete the yellow jumper wire that went from the outside terminal of the starter solenoid to the positive side of coil it is no longer needed.

[Brandons63]

So the HEI uses only one wire? What are the other three pins used for? Tach maybe? And the one wire coming from the firewall I'd hook to the distributer I'm assuming is the hot off the ignition? Also is the resister on the engine side of the firewall? If so...oops 😕 I built a nice wiring harness without knowing about the resistor. Now I seem to recall a wiring diagram showing 9vdc there at the coil 😅

[vince1]

On a budget I'd just grab one with wires from a junk yard. The V-8 units are still out there. Maybe grab a spare module too. I consider myself lucky to have found one for my 250 and am very pleased with the improvement in how the truck runs.

[Brandons63]

Also I forgot to ask, there isn't much room there. Do these big ol distributer and cap fit back there? Would I have to pull the engine to get the thing in and out? I do like having the small cap back there just looks wise... I'll have to do a price comparison ��

[Brandons63]

I'm assuming the "module" is the magnetic pick-up under the rotor?

[vince1]

Yes, Delco D1906 I think. I had just bought a 1979 chev P/U and traveling over the Coquihalla with lots of hills and on a really hot day, I stopped in Kamloops and it wouldn't re-start. The nearby Canadian Tire parts store didn't have one but a mechanic in the shop had a spare in his tool box.

How much room is behind your cap?

[Brandons63]

I'm away from my truck for a few days but here is the best pic I have

[65chevysub]

Originally Posted by Brandons63

After doing some googling looks like the Pertronix 1181LS and the 40011 oil filled flame thrower coil will be cheap and easy enough... Any thoughts? Totaling $106 after shipping looks like it will be a fine upgrade???

I've had the Pertronix in my stock distributor for about 10 years with no problems.(283 V-8). I had the same coil that I bought with my old Mallory Unilite distributor, and within a month, the top popped off and my truck died. Luckily I had a stock coil in my parts box, and that is what's still in it. I've never seen a top just pop up like this one did.
Does anyone have any thoughts on the Mallory Unilite distributor? A shop here fried my module several years ago but I've been thinking of putting in a new module and re-using it.

[lumpy63]

Brandon, the module is the little flat rectangular box screwed to the the inside of dist with wires attached to both ends. the distributor should fit fine if you have stock mounts, its close but it fits. if you deleted the resistor wire your all set just hook your coil + to batt term on HEI the other terminal is for your tachometer if you have one. And yes Pertronix is also a great choice, I suppose it depends on what you find and the price.

[60chevyjim]

you can go on ebay and get a complete new HEi distributer for less than $50 including shipping
I have bought several of them over the last couple years for the cars that I build , and I have never had a problem with one of them yet .
I have more than a dozen cool old 50s and 60s chevy cars n trucks that i build myself.
I put together everything that I drive myself . i don't deal with modern cars .


here is a link to get a new one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191444319410...84.m1436.l2649

my 59 has a 283 with one of these new HEI 's in it

[Mackie]

I had to hammer massage the firewall a little in my `63 so that the back plug wires on the cap wouldn't rub with an HEI.
I did some re-wiring and ran 14 ga. to the dist. from it's own breaker on a fuse panel dedicated for power w/key on. HEI likes good solid 12V.

[Chknlyps2]

You can get a HEI pig tail connector like this to run your tach and hot wire to, it clips up into the cap so it can't work its way off. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...586&ppt=C0243#

Red is hot to a 12v keyed source and green is tach. Use no smaller than 12g wire on the 12v connection and gap your plugs to .045

Or pull one from a GM car at a junk yard, not sure if they all had the tach wire though. A crimp on spade connector will also work.

This is the Accel pig tail on an HEI I put in my 68 396

[lumpy63]

Yes I agree these can be bought very economically but please be very careful with these parts they are made over seas and I have found they work in the short term, but if you put a lot of miles on your ride they will leave you stranded.Nothing like made in USA parts even if you have to rebuild em first.