brennano1

I am looking to upgrade to an HEI distributor. I want to be able to attach my MSD 6al-2 ignition box to it without having to do any weird modifications. So basically I want something that i can plug and play. Anyone know of an HEI setup that won't cost hundreds of dollars but will get the job done well? My 350 is basically stock except for long tube headers and a somewhat mild cam.

1977L48

do you still have the cable driven tach?

GDaina

I have one but doesn't have a tack drive..

Mike Ward

You will gain nothing in performance, so why bother?

lars

An HEI will give you no performance upgrade whatsoever over the stock, correctly set up ignition system. It will give you a problem with your tach drive, wiring/connection for power feed, and the fact that you will have to eliminate all your nice stock ignition shielding and end up with a non-stock looking system that really looks out of place on a stock '72.

brennano1

I wanted to make the switch for reliability, i don't want to have to mess with the points on the car and since I am adding the 6al-2 on it i thought this would be a good time to do it. I just spoke to the rep at Summit Racing and he said by adding the 6al-2 to the car, I'm virtually making the points last forever since the load is reduced to almost nothing.

That made sense.
I ordered a set of MSD 8.5 wires, msd blaster 2 coil, stock replacement plugs and with the MSD 6al-2 I think I should be in good shape. Next step is getting the carb tuned to perfection.



Thanks for the quick responses. I'm glad I hadn't already ordered one before reading your reply's.

7T1vette

Hmmm.... A few hundred dollars for electrical parts to replace a $5 set of points, once per year. Tough decision...

Scott Marzahl

IMHO a cheap Pertonix points replacement kit is easier to install and hide than that big MSD box. Personally I stick with NAPA/Echlin performance points, good to 7,500 RPM and hassle free.

7T1vette

If you feel the need to go electronic, Pertronix is probably the way to go.

{But it still would take 7-10 years to amortize that expense, over the cost of points during that same time. Just sayin'....}

CheezMoe

My 73 OEM distributor went south few years back, bad shaft bushing etc so I took the easy route and went with a Pro-Comp HEI w TAC drive on my 73. Never looked back. The dist shield fits fine!...The ignition system performs flawlessly and the only variable is timing. No external MSD required and only purists can tell its not stock....so heres my worried look.! I may one day rebuild the original just to do it and have with the car, but as long as Im driving it I'll keep the HEI. Just not having to worry about variance in dwell jacking with the timing is reason enough imo!

PeteZO6

I love it when several known experts on this forum chime in with excellent advise and then the person asking the question ignores what they say.

I suppose the advertisers and editoral content in the enthusiast magazines have more influence than straight up, unbiased advise. You can lead a horse to water.........


Pete

1977L48

I always thought the HEI was better, no points and more volts to your spark plugs, 40k with a stock HEI unit, and it only goes up from there, more combustion, a more constant spark, more power and reliability. and should be good for at least 1 more MPG.

ezobens

Seems silly IMO to add an MSD box and the additional wiring to support it to an engine compartment that has no space to begin with.

If points are your concern, throw in a Pertronix unit and call it a day.
No sense in tossing a ton of money and hardware in for something that won't make the car run any better.

Just my .02