Hello, I have a 1974 454 convertible vette and I am looking into upgrading to hei. I have been looking at the Top Street Performance small cap tach drive distributor in the link below. I could not find any reviews for these distributors online. So I was wondering if anyone has used one in their car and if it is any good? If not is there another option out there for a reasonable price? I looked into getting the msd one, but by the time I get the distributor, ignition box, and coil I would be looking at close to $700. I don't really like the idea of having to put in an ignition box either, which with the top street distributor you don't have to. Thanks.

http://www.topstreetperformance.com/...ach-drive.html

 

Why are you switching to hei?

 

Well, the car feels really sluggish and I cannot get the timing dialed in. With the initial timing at 17 (I know that's probably to much) and the advanced timing at 3500rpm is only 32. So I figured switching to hei would solve all my problems.

 

I have no knowledge of these at all. Being $180, I suspect China, but cannot say for sure.

If you want a killer USA made unit, this is killer, and can be had with a good tach drive. However, it is only available in the big cap, which means no shielding.

http://performancedistributors.com/

 

You can use 1976 shielding as they came with a HELI

 

That could be an option but I would really like to keep the car as stock looking as possible, other than the distributor upgrade. I Would really like to stick with the original shield. Any ideas as to why my timing would be so screwed up with the points?

 

You could use a Pertronix to look stock.

Timing? Sticking weights. Worn/wrong springs. Needs shimming. Lots of things.
Send it to Lars. I can't do any for a few months.

 

 

Looks like the ProComp China stuff.......
I have used them but long term reliability is a big question.

I went with an old Mallory Unilite and converted the Tach to electronic......I like it because it does not bounce....and it is very accurate for a kit......
I run a 6AL box but I like them so there

Jebby

 

+1 for performancedistributors (Same as Big 2 Biird mentioned above.)

I messed around with with the HEi that came on the engine I bought, and I also added pertronix (very cool upgrade) to the distributor on the stock engine that was in the car. I say this to illustrate that I am happy learning about all of this, this is such a cool hobby. However, i reached my limit of patience and amount of time I put into the timing. Said another way, I justified the cost of a premium distributor and HAPPILY went with performancedistributors. they asked about my build, cam, torque converter, rear, etc and curved the distributor for me. All i had to do with drop it in correctly.

NOTE: I upgraded the engine wire harness from AmericanAutoWire; when I ordered it I told them I was using an HEI, so they built the HEI wire into the harness. If yours is stock harness, you'll have to change resistance wire. There's plenty of thread on this topic along; do a search.

My only (very minor) regret is that I can see the possibility of changing to Fuel injection in the future. Had I went with an MSD distributor, (aka a two-wire distributor) I could have had the fuel injection unit control timing. But that's not a big deal.

In your case, I'd consider sending your distributor to Lars. He will do for your points distributor what performancedistributors did for my HEI. I don't see a downside to either of those routes.

I did spend time messing around with and accel hei rebuild kit that included an adjustable vacuum can. I will not that again; more time spent that I will never get back.

Good luck, HTH.

 

I like the idea of the pertronix. So I would be able to put one of these in my existing distributor? http://pertronix.shptron.com/p/71181...stributor?pp=8
Or would it be better to just replace the whole thing with a new pertonix distributor like this one? http://pertronix.shptron.com/p/d7100...b-engines?pp=8
Thanks for the replies!

 

The kit. That is not a tach drive dizzy.
You still need to shim the end play, and set the curve correctly. Stock tach drive gears need to be checked as well.

 

1. Your vacuum advance can can have a hole in the diaphragm.

2. Someone may have changed the springs on the advance weights

3. The advance weights may be stuck.

4. Your vacuum hose could be plugged into the wrong port on your carb.

5. Your vacuum hose could be cracked.

Start by inspecting the vacuum hose.follow it from the distributor to the carb or intake. Check in your service manual which port the hose should be hooked up to. What year motor and displacement, and carb? One of the smart guys will tell you where it belongs.

If the vacuum hose is in the correct spot, use a mighty vac or similar tool to suck on the hose, and watch the advance plate. Does it move?

Unless my ex wife is there, its unlikely anybody can suck hard enough to to do it by mouth....

If it does move, start looking at the springs.

 

I would go with the Pertronix .

The current points can have a bad spring which will cause point bounce. This can really screw up the timing and dwell.

If the advance weights don't move freely this can cause the timing to wander also..


When you mention bad timing you have to be specific - wanders at idle, uneven timing at RPM.. dwell varying etc... Timing can be affected from the timing chain to the weights / vacuum advance... and a whole bunch in-between..

 

speedway has a distributer for 70 .00 hei cap rotor and coil.http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedw...utor,1688.html

 

I've been using a Pertronix II for 15 years, easy install, maintains the stock look and mechanical tach drive.

 

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll give pertronix a try. It sounds like it is the way to go.

 

Ok...So I've been looking on the Pertronix site a little confused as to which series to get. They have the Ignitor, Ignitor II, and Ignitor III? It looks like the Ignitor III has the most features. Which one would you guys recommend? Can I use the same weights that are in the dizzy now or will I need to switch those out for different ones? If so, with what?

 

If you need a rev limiter order the III, if not the II is good. The II had just been released when I bought mine and already had an MSD 6al with rev limit chip installed.

 

Simple is better, just be sure to read and follow the directions - then years of great driving..