1971 350
Putting an HEI distributor on and not sure where to get a hot for the 12v as the old coil wires are a reduced voltage.
Is is possible to remove the resistor or whatever that's giving me the reduced voltage so that it will be 12v and if not where is the best place to get a hot for the distributor?
I'm also having a hard time with finding wires. I would like to keep them at 8mm so that I can keep using the existing holders. My wires go under the headers. The four front cylinders go between the engine mounts and the block. is that normal? Two wires on the passenger side go between the starter and the block before going through or between the engine mount and block. The wires I got from Jegs are a foot short for this routing. I told them they went under not over when ordering but still got the short set!
Whats the best wires to get for this job or what do I ask for?

 

Couple of ways to get the full 12v to the HEI. One is to go to the fuse block with a 10ga wire and plug into the "IGN" port. Another way is to go right to the ignition switch and get it there. Third way is to split the bulkhead connector from the firewall and find the existing wire to the coil. Remove it from that point and run your new 10ga wire from there with a Packard type 56 terminal plugged into that cavity in the engine harness, then stow the original wire in case you (or someone else) wants to return to original.

 

The old coil wire should be a resistance wire from the "R" post on the starter solenoid. Eliminate that wire and run a 14 gauge wire from the "R" post to the HEI. This is what I would use for plug wires. https://www.jegs.com/i/Taylor/895/73051/10002/-1

 

The R post on the starter solenoid is to supply 12v to the coil when starting only.

 

Where were you yesterday! %#&@%
I would have been pissed if it was a long wire run. No harm done, I needed the practice anyways.

 

You are correct, must have been a senior moment. All HEI solenoids have one small terminal instead of two, but running a 10 gauge wire from the fuse block is overkill, 14 gauge is sufficient.

 

Ended up running a wire next to the oil pressure line to the IGN terminal on the fuse block which seems to be fused through the Back up turn signal fuse.