Are both the 350 and 400-455 HEI Dis. the same except for the gear? They look the same from the pictures I have seen, but I do know that they hae differnt tooth # I think the 350 is 1 tooth differnt than the 455??? I guees what I am asking is can I take my Accel(Cap and coil) Hei with stock distributor base and shaft out of my old 350, change the gear, and install it in my new 455, or are the internal parts differnt???? Thanks in Advance, Carlo No:
Carl, Here's some interesting info for you. Click on the link in that thread [somewhere in the middle] to get even more info....:TU:
350 has 14 tooth gear, 455 has 13 tooth gear. You can switch them to run in either engine. Depending what the HEI came out of, the advance curve can vary. Bottom line is you can use a 350 HEI in a 455 by changing the gear, but you may need to modify/tune the advance curve for optimal performance. Most HEI's have too much mechanical advance which requires you to run small initial advances. Buicks run better with initial advances at 12* +, and the mechanical all in below 2000-2500.
Thanks for the info, I figured they were the same shaft, but I needed some reinforcement that it would work. Does it make much differance who I get the gear from, to make the swap? I just spent $800+ with Poston(Headers,intake,frame pads,and gaskets) to get the 455 in my car and make it run. So I had hoped to save some money here. Thanks Again, Carl:3gears:
Here is another question. Mallory makes a Unilite distributor for a 455. Has anyone successfully put a stock 350 gear on one of these distributors??
