I don’t know exactly what years they were used and which engines had them, but there was one on my 73 BB when I got the car. After the engine rebuild, I used a HEI distributor to test fire the engine, knowing it would be a tight fit to use it once the body was back on. Sure enough, it looked too tight for my comfort once the wiper/washer motor was installed. It might work, but looks like some chaffing will occur, so no good. I’ve kept the transistor distributor for future consideration, but I’m not sure how they work, how reliable they are, or the cost associated with bringing it back to life. The engine has been rebuilt with higher compression and a better than stock cam, ( but not too radical). I’m looking to go with a smaller diameter distributor, with maybe a pertronix conversion, or if that cost is too high, maybe just a points setup like most cars had back in the day. I will be needing the tach drive on it though. Looking for suggestions.






I also have this in my parts bin. It came off my 80 L82. Car had a significant stutter around 4000 rpm, and was hard to start. Replaced with a standard GM HEI and solved issues. Perhaps just a bad module? Never looked into it, but might could be resurrected for use in the 454.

 

the 8360 has no provision for a tach
the HEI you didnt mention whether it had a tach drive provision
so the transistor distributor has another component to it, the amplifier which is typically mounted on the radiator support, I assume you have it.
the link below is an article on how the TI works and the company updates the amplifier with modern electronics.
http://www.tispecialty.com/articles/article2.htm

 

Hi 73,
In addition to the pulse amplifier that MW mentioned, the transistor ignition also requires a different coil than the points ignition used, and a separate small wiring harness that was used when engines were equipped with T.I..
Regards,
Alan

 

I removed what appeared to be an after market 12v coil, and I suppose what was an after market amplifier......there was no radiator support with the car when I got it, so I have no idea what would have been with it. I suspect this was a cobbled together ignition system by a previous owner. The car certainly was not in running condition when I got it. And yes, the HEI I bought does have a mechanical tach drive. Thank you for the link.

 

Hi 73,
Actually the pulse amplifier was mounted to the FORWARD side of the front wheel apron. Look for several holes… 2-3?.
Sorta to the left of the left side headlight.
I'm not even sure if T.I. was an option in 73, (I don't think it was), so what you have could be something a previous owner added along the way.
Regards,
Alan

 

I'm using an MSD distributor with the original TI amp and wiring. Overall, IMHO the TI is pretty reliable. As they've gotten older the amplifier seems to be the weak spot, but usually that can be tracked back to either water getting into the amp, or someone using an incorrect coil. The TI system was an early iteration of HEI. I carry a HEI ignition module around so if my amp goes dead I can plug the HEI module in and get home.

 

Stinger hasnt been manufactured since around 1998 below are the wiring instructions. You have a cobbled together system.
GREEN and YELLOW....to the distributer module
RED....to the + ive terminal on the coil (battery)
WHITE....to the - ive terminal on the coil (dist)
BLACK..... to Ground

 

Another option is to retain that TI distributor (if it works okay) and hook it up to an HEI module (hidden under some ignition shielding for a stock look). A standard points coil works quite well with the HEI module, and no ballast resistance is necessary.

I had one of those Hays modules in my '69 way back when. It finally started to go bad (misfiring under heavy load), and was my personal experience that electronic modules don't always follow the old wives' tale of "they either work or they don't". I removed the Hays module and hooked up a cheap and stone reliable HEI module to the distributor and stock coil. This setup has been trouble free for the past 34 years.

 

you can do it this way

 

That’s interesting. I recognize a module bolted underneath.....any other pictures of that set up? Does that module have a part number I could reference.

 

it is a standard GM HEI module but you need to convert the distributor to magnetic pickup using these parts and some machine work