HEI Distributor in a 69
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,101
Likes: 3
From: Cruising somewhere in St. Louis, Missouri
jacobs -
This is Lars writing from luerja's 'puter in San Francisco:
Any Chevy HEI will drop right in your Vette with no problem. There are 2 issues:
1. Chevy HEI distributors do not have tach drive provision
2. HEI requires that a full 12 volts be applied to the "BAT" terminal of the distributor. Your car is set up to provide dropped voltage through the restistor wire.
Lars
This is Lars writing from luerja's 'puter in San Francisco:
Any Chevy HEI will drop right in your Vette with no problem. There are 2 issues:
1. Chevy HEI distributors do not have tach drive provision
2. HEI requires that a full 12 volts be applied to the "BAT" terminal of the distributor. Your car is set up to provide dropped voltage through the restistor wire.
Lars
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Verdad Gallardo
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 6,493
Likes: 6
From: Bloomington MN
Cruise-In II Veteran
jacobsed,
I have an HEI in my 69. You won't have any physical fit issues. You can buy an HEI mini harness from the Corvette wiring suppliers like Lectric Limited or M&H electric. It will have factory ends and look like it belongs....only about 20 bucks if I remember right. I had my stock tach converted to late model electronic (the mechanism was out of a late Z28 if I remember right). This is not cheap, and requires recalibration of the retrofit tach mechanism. Otherwise you could always go with an aftermarket tach, or a 75-77 tach, although the guage faces are different.
Since I put on the HEI, I haven't had any problems. The car runs better than ever (although I made quite a few other changes as well). If I had to do it again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Good luck.
I have an HEI in my 69. You won't have any physical fit issues. You can buy an HEI mini harness from the Corvette wiring suppliers like Lectric Limited or M&H electric. It will have factory ends and look like it belongs....only about 20 bucks if I remember right. I had my stock tach converted to late model electronic (the mechanism was out of a late Z28 if I remember right). This is not cheap, and requires recalibration of the retrofit tach mechanism. Otherwise you could always go with an aftermarket tach, or a 75-77 tach, although the guage faces are different.
Since I put on the HEI, I haven't had any problems. The car runs better than ever (although I made quite a few other changes as well). If I had to do it again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Good luck.
Senior Member since 1492
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 87,936
Likes: 156
From: Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get me...
St. Jude Donor '09
I'll doing the HEI tach driver conversion soon. Got a buddy who has one in a '63 with a 454. He dropped the body on with enough clearance for the HEI. 
Racer
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 421
Likes: 2
From: Long Grove, IL
If you need to buy one, there is another thread going with a great price on a tach drive HEI unit but it sounds like the price may be increasing soon.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...52&forum_id=57
Regards,
Jay
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...52&forum_id=57
Regards,
Jay
