For the resistor wire, if you don't want to hassle with "replacing" anything at the moment. Run a new parallel wire using tap-in connectors. Put one end as close to the firewall box as you can, and put the otherend right before the metal split clip thats there. The wire should be a braided cloth covered wire, carefull tho as after 30years the cloth is brittle and comes apart kinda easy. If you goof up, plaster it with electricians tape Use the 16-20gauge (i think is the range) tap-in connectors. 10gauge is to much imo. I used 14 or 16gauge, I don't remember which. Works perfectly and took about 10min once I found the wire. Just another opinion and option for ya. Scott
Resister wire removal from back of fuse block? Larry (or anyone else), how do you remove the resister wire from the back of the fuse block? This is a little harder than expected, do you grip the connector as shown (see attached .jpg)? Also if the resistor wire is replaced and a new wire is routed from the HEI to the back of the fuse box why remove the wire that runs to the starter solenoid? Can't I just cut and isolate the end for now and remove it in a couple of months when I have the engine out?
Craig, Kind of hard to see in the picture. If you have unbolted the firewall connector the clip has to be compressed from behind and the wire and clip will pull out from the front. When you see the clip, you will understand how it connects into the firewall connector. I wish I had a picture of the clip to post. The clip has a sort of barb to it and it actually hooks into the connector. You can leave the wire that attaches to the solenoid if you like, just tape it off, that wire will have 12 volts only while the starter is cranking the engine. The wire you are running from the firewall connector will have 12 volts whenever the ignition is on.(which is what the HEI needs)
Larry, not sure which side is "behind side", the view in the picture above is the engine compartment side (vs. the interior side). I have to assume the connector and wire comes out the engine compartment side, correct? I ordered the Year One replacement wire that has the correct ends, this should help. Thanks again.
Craig, The wire comes out from the engine side, but the clip must be compressed from the interior side. When you get the year one part it will be clearer. Good Luck.
Thanks, thats what I suspected. Well I slid the HEI into position tonight but before I removed the points dist. I marked where the vac. and rotor pointed (I did this with the #1 piston at TDC on the compression stroke). I slid the HEI into place (after modifying the fuel line that was in the way) and the rotor pointed a small amount off the mark. I removed the HEI and re-installed it (one tooth?) and the rotor pointed a small amount to the other side of the original mark. Should the HEI rotor point exactly to the same mark or can it be a little off. The mark was made on some masking tape applied to the shroud and the variation from the first and second install was ~3" with the original mark in the middle. Is this unusual? Maybe I went two teeth instead of one?
Reading Plugs Well, I pulled the Bosch plugs (HR9BPX) today. They look good I think, the attached picture shows them laid out in order starting with the top left as #1, 3, 5, & 7 then on the right top #2, 4, 6, 8. The number 2 plug got broken (under the AC bracket you know). The main difference between them is color. I replaced them with cheap (R44TS) AC Delco and gapped them to .045", they should hold me until the 455 swap, They are one step colder than what the book called for.
timing from the 72 shop manual - initial timing at idle is 4 degrees 72 350 , running 91 octane fuel. gerry 72 gs 350
Well I got everything back together late last night. No luck getting it started though. It tried to "run-on" at very low rpm but never really got going, this was the first try. I then pulled the dist. and rotated one tooth, no luck I tried back one and forward one tooth. It was late and I had to hit the sack. Today I tried again, first I hooked up the timing light to see where I was with the timing and the timing light never came on. I've got 12.8 volts at the connector (at the dist.) but no spark at the plug. I am using a new MSD coil, could it be fried? o No: Any suggestions on a radiator hose that clears the new larger HEI. This thing is huge. Oh! I don't have anything that shows where #1 is on the HEI distributor cap, I think I know but I'd like to confirm. Here's the new (and old) wire that I got from Year One to replace the resistor wire. It's easy to see how the tab clicks into the back of the fuse box now.
Craig, Try using an upper radiator hose from a 75 Regal 350, that should work. Make sure you are getting a spark at the plugs. If you have been trying to start it for a while, check that the plugs are not fuel fouled. Good luck.
O.K. I got it fired up :beer I made a silly mistake just prior to posting earlier, I forgot to plug the dist. connector into the coil ou: You will not get a spark at the plug if it is not connected (no matter if everything else is connected) Duh.. Engine never sounded so sweet! Thanks for the radiator hose recommendation, I'll pick one up tomorrow, thanks!
Vac. advance Here is a picture of the HEI dist. with the cap and rotor off, anything look wrong? This dist. was set-up for a 455 with good street performance cam but for now I'm using it on my 350. It seems all my vac. advance is all in even at idle. I know I have more vac. now with the 350 than I will with the performance 455 but I expected some vac. advance after say 750 rpm's??? Notice how the weight on the bottom is hanging down, are these springs too week. Anything else look wrong? The center plate does not look right to me, but I have nothing to reference it to. Will it hurt to run it this way, I'm hoping for a test and tune tomorrow night. It runs noticably smoother with the HEI even with all the advance in at 600 rpm idle. THANKS.
Did you change the distributor gear going from a 455 to a 350? Just curious whether or not you did before switching the distributor over. Rob
Craig, How much end-play is there in that distributor? Is it a new rebuild or a junkyard treasure? Grab the advance weight plate and pull the shaft in and out. If there is enough play to give you a good thunk at the ends, and it seems to be measureable, like 1/32 inch or more, you've got too much. They make shim washers to take up the end-play, they go on the shaft just above the gear. I've never seen weights do what yours are doing. I'll look at my HEI conversion when I get home tonight and post again. Let's see, what else, oh yeah. Set your initial timing with vacuum advance hose disconnected and plugged on the carb end. Because you have a lot of vacuum at idle, when you reconnect the hose, yes, the timing marks will show more timing advance and the idle speed will increase. You then back off the idle speed adjustment to get spec idle speed in Drive with wheels blocked and brake set.
Craig - Have you had the weights off to check the condition of the pins and bushings? It's possible that there is excessive play in the weight's hole or the pin/bushing. Could also just be gravity - you'll notice the top weight touches the center shaft and the bottom weight hangs down a bit. Our distributors are on a slight angle! Even with a new one, there will be a certain amount of 'play'. To add to what John K. said, also move the shaft side-to-side. Too much clearance that way will have the pick-up and reluctor contacting each other. If you have alot of side-to-side play, the housing bushing is most likely shot. They can be replaced or just find another housing. Scott
I had this HEI completely rebuilt. The center plate is angled and it seems one of the weights rides up onto the center plate as the weights swing out and the inside section swings in. Is this the way it should be (on the right side in the picture)? See small green arrow in picture above. One side goes over the center plate and eventually drags (arrow) and the other weight goes under the center plate, this just does not look right to me. Not sure what to call the center plate? The timing stays the same whether the vac. advance is connected or dis-connected and plugged, revved or idling.
Craig, your right the weight shouldn't be riding on top of the center plate. I don't have an HEI to look at but the small end of the weight sould be against the little cam under the center plate like the weight on the left. I would say the way it is it would bind up and you wouldn't get any advance. Hope this helps.
That helps a lot! I also noticed that the tip of one of the weights (small end) is broken off. You can just barely see it in the picture above, it's the weight on the left/bottom. Are new weights easy to come by? What information do I need to get the right parts, are all the HEI weights the same? I assume the replacement weights need to be the same and I should not use the weights from the points dist? The springs in this HEI are much lighter weight than ones in the points dist. and are red in color.
Craig, the HEI weights are different than the points weights. You can get the weight and spring kits from Summit or Jeg's. About the only difference in manufactures is the ones from MSD and Moroso are finished better. The weights are alot smoother, just makes them work easier.
