# HEI Distributor in 1965 C10 with 350 V8?



## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

Hello, I got a hold of a used HEI distributor that's in good shape. I just wanted to ask if anyone has ever though about or tried to put one in a Chevy 350 small block that's in a 1965 Chevy C10 and if they succeeded without any issues or if it does not fit due to the firewall. I am not sure at all if it will work.:4-dontkno I now have the points distributor with the external cylindrical coil.


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## Midnight Tech (Dec 31, 2001)

Ghost, what engine did the truck have originally?


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## dkan33 (Sep 26, 2010)

The dist. will work with no problem on that eng . All you have to do is supply a 12 volt source that is hot with the key on to the dist.


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## wolfen1086 (Oct 4, 2007)

I never did it on a 65, but I did transplant a 350 into a 72 Chevy Pickup once and put a HEI ign on it without any problems.

But personally I'd stick with points they are a lot easier (at least for me) to wok with than the electronic stuff.


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## Midnight Tech (Dec 31, 2001)

dkan33 said:


> The dist. will work with no problem on that eng.


My thoughts exactly - you should have plenty of room between the distributor and firewall.


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

Yes, I know the HEI will work fine on the engine. It came as stock on the newer Chevy V8s even. But, just like on some other cars that originally didn't have a v8, sometimes HEIs didn't clear their firewalls. I think mine won't clear. Original engine was the c10s stock 6 cylinder, swapped years ago...


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## wolfen1086 (Oct 4, 2007)

if your worried about fit, the best thing I can tell you without looking at it is to measure the total diameter of the cap, wires on the cap, and HEI coil, then find the center, place the center over the center of the current dist, and add two inches on each end, if yo0u still have clearance then it'll fit. if not it might not fit, I say two inches because your going to want to leave room to put new wires on the cap every now and then.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

All depends on how far back or forward the engine was mounted, if it was mounted in the stock location there should be plenty of room the 6cly was longer, the V8's had enough room for the HEI cap.
Or there's always the Acell after market HEI dist that's smaller then the points dist.


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## whatup (May 22, 2011)

yes it will clear


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

I hope it does, because I would like to upgrade to HEI.


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## wolfen1086 (Oct 4, 2007)

Should fit. might be a little close, but it should.

Now about that vac line with a screw in it, did you use a straight slot or waste a #2 Phillips? LOL


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

I hope it does. I'm having trouble finding the right wires to do the upgrade to HEI. People say there should be two wires on the + of the coil, one from the firewall to the coil, and one from the coil to the starter's resister. Or maybe a wire from the firewall, to the starter's resister, then to the coil at a lower voltage. I do not understand in this confusion. I know that I need the 12v wire from the ignition to connect to the HEI, and the points distributor uses that wire but brings down the voltage at the resister first. This truck just has that one red wire on the + of the coil, and that one wire is coming from the wiring plug harness on the firewall. Does that mean I've been running this distributor at full 12v and I burned out the points, hence my other thread of my engine not running on all 8 cylinders? Can someone try to explain? I hope I made sense. I did the best I can.

Lol that screw was a phillips. I've done all kinds of things to plug vac lines.


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## wolfen1086 (Oct 4, 2007)

Hope this helps

HEI wiring - Google Search

Just about every HEI wiring I can think of is on this site.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Usually only one wire to the Plus side on HEI the starter R post is not used.
The original reason for the R post was to bypass the resistor wire(on GM's) or the resistor block and supply a full 12v to give it an extra boost to start, since the HEI uses a full 12v without a resistor in the circuit.

The wire next to the + on the cap is for a Tach hook up.


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

Lol I'll just test my red wire that's on the coil for changes with ignition on and off and when on ill test if it's 12v. If it is, I'll use it on the HEI (and I screwed up my points then) and if it isn't, then I'll have to do some wire hunting. My truck doesn't have stock-like wiring in it since it's a lot older and belonged to a rancher, then my dad. So, I always gotta go wire hunting for everything that I put in and tinker with.


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

Also if it's alright, I wanted to ask what you guys prefer? Points or HEI? Or what are the advantages and disadvantages of doing the upgrade, like what are HEI's flaws?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

HEI = hotter more reliable spark, down side if the module or pick up coil fails your dead in where it sits, with points you can always file with a Emory board and set the gap with a match book cover to get you home(provided you can find both of those today ).

HEI is my preference, for the last couple setups/conversions I've used a few of the newer setups, with fuel injection(throttle body) and the smaller cap with the separate coil, but they are getting harder to find in salvage yards complete with the harness, ecm and sensors.


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

Alright. I did the conversion. It was really quick. The longest part was hammering the firewall in a little with not much room due to the carb. I got it in a little bit, and I have a wire that's up against the firewall right now after some timing. Will that cause an issue?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Plug wire or other? If it's rubbing on the firewall yes it'll be an issue sooner or later.


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

Spark plug wire. It's number 5 on drivers side. Maybe I could move a tooth over so it will time with the cap more straight?


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## Midnight Tech (Dec 31, 2001)

Take the cap off and massage the firewall a bit more with the hammer in that spot.


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

Will do. It's just tough.


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## wolfen1086 (Oct 4, 2007)

Just remember to tap is lightly, not too hard or you'll have all kinds of room behind it. All the way to the radio


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

Haha my firewall is thick though. Lightly doesn't do anything. I have to tap pretty hard to get any clearance.


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## wolfen1086 (Oct 4, 2007)

Ok then tap away, just not hard enough to punch a hole


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## kjms1 (Jun 4, 2010)

when your engine mount goes out your going to know it right away ... as the cap gets busted by the firewall LOL


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## The1965Ghost (Feb 25, 2010)

Oh yea, I won't get a hole in that thick firewall haha. I'll change my engine mounts soon. They are still good but I was thinking about doing it anyway to start fresh.


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