Chevy Cars: Installing Distributors

Well, it's finally happened. Gasoline prices have jumped through the stratosphere and are now over three bucks a gallon! That just burns me up, as I'm sure it does most of you. Speaking of burn, one of the best solutions to achieving an efficient burn on this super-expensive gasoline is to upgrade your old points system distributors to that of an HEI. (High Energy Ignition) Let's think about this for a minute. The engine we are looking at in this picture is a mildly modified 327 small-block still running the old points distributor. What better way to give the ignition system some serious zap than by updating it? It's out with the old, and in with the new and improved.

The first step is to remove the antiquated stock distributor, vacuum line, and plug wires. Also when doing anything electrical, we like to unhook the battery terminals.
The first step is to remove the antiquated stock distributor, vacuum line, and plug wires.
Yes, the HEI distributor is bigger, and in this case bigger is better. Swapping out and replacing a distributor is as easy as sliding your feet into a pair of tube socks. Wait a minute, I take that back. I have watched my young son on occasion put his socks on backwards. You'll know in a hurry if you have the distributor 180 out or if the rotor is pointing in a different direction from where the old one was positioned. Once the new distributor is in place and the cap back on, run a 12-volt lead wire to the appropriate terminal on the cap and reattach the vacuum line.
Yes, the HEI distributor is bigger, and in this case bigger is better. Swapping out and re
Next comes the new set of spiral-wound plug wires from Performance Distributors. These low-resistance wires are insulated to withstand higher temps, and can be ordered with 90-degree angled boots to run under a set of headers.
Next comes the new set of spiral-wound plug wires from Performance Distributors. These low

Nearly a year ago, I upgraded the distributor in my '88 Camaro using a Screamin' Demon coil and a set of Live Wire wires from Performance Distributors. Being a creature of habit and armed with the experience and knowledge that Performance Distributors can deliver the goods, we gave our friends in Memphis a call. We explained to them that the small-block in this wagon is not a high-end, high-horse, stump-pulling torque monster. Its intended use is to get around town and get the job done. With that information in their laps, Performance Distributors can then build a custom-curved distributor based on the information that was given to them. Performance Distributors then sent us its DUI (Davis Unified Ignition) Street and Strip ignition system, along with a set of its performance plug wires. In the June 2006 issue of Super Chevy, we ran an article on 10 common HEI myths that you might hear. So that we're not redundant and repeat the same article, all we will do is to install this high-performance distributor, get a hotter spark, which in turn leads to a better burn of that horribly expensive fuel in our tanks. Besides a hotter-burning spark, one of the big advantages of an HEI distributor is that you will never have to worry about changing burnt points again.

As an added bonus, each wire is numbered and length-specific for its position on the loom.
With a hotter-burning ignition, it is a good idea to regap the spark plugs. The instructions tell us to open the gap up to 0.050 or 0.055, and that's just what we did.
With a hotter-burning ignition, it is a good idea to regap the spark plugs. The instructio
After all is said and done, a quick check of the timing to make sure everything is running smooth would be a wise few minutes of invested time.
After all is said and done, a quick check of the timing to make sure everything is running