How do you all feel about this adjustable advance HEI distributor?

[8v-of-fury]

It claims to be a 2-wire hook-up, where you give it 12v and run an external coil of your choice.. I assume a high powered one?

They also claim it has an easily adjustable mechanical advance.. which is pretty damn cool to me. (pardon my ignorance if this is not desirable, i am pretty new to distributor/carb engines.. mostly diesel knowledge)

The distributor in question.

Back story, last year I converted my grandmothers 1988 5th (318) from a 2bbl ESA/ELB to a 4bbl 850cfm thermoquad.

Below are some threads, links and videos to familiarize yourself with what I am working with

The post regarding all my original swap questions and the swap itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5FZD7nkJVU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiFB2WPgH_8

The electronic conversion kit I am using. << As it would appear looking back at the info for this dizzy, I bought high-performance one! LOL 7500rpm and a WILD advance curve!




The reason I am asking for your opinion on the adjustable distributor is because the proform one comes on pretty hot, and for a stock 318smogger with stock everything but the ignition and an addition of a 4 barrel.. It is fairly hard to get tuned properly. The adjustable mechanical advance seems like it would be worth the price to me.

How do you all feel?

 

[8v-of-fury]

Did some reading, even the Mallory race ready distributors come with a preset 20* of mechanical advance.. Could the one I have possibly be more?! I guess i need to get back in there with a light and subtract my initial timing to see eh?

Again, sorry.. carbs and distributor tuning is all new-ish to me. Been around them, but no tuning experience.

 

[Aspen500]

That's similar to the ignition I went with, except the mechanical isn't easily adjustable (have to weld and file the slots). Davis Unified Ignition BTW. Works like a charm, the HEI style. Cleans up the wiring a lot without the dual ballast and ignition ECU. Only need one key power wire and one to the coil.

To run on a constant 12-14 volts, you do need a "hotter" coil. I used the DUI one. The stock Chrysler coil is really designed to only run 12 volts briefly on start up and then 7 volts constant. I think it's 7 volts anyways......It'll overheat and fail prematurely with a constant 12-14 volts.

If you ever measure the actual coil primary voltage (stock system) on start, it's really only 9-10 volts after the starter sucks up most of the power and any voltage drop in the circuit through the ignition switch, wire and connections.

 

[lowbudget]

That's similar to the ignition I went with, except the mechanical isn't easily adjustable (have to weld and file the slots). Davis Unified Ignition BTW. Works like a charm, the HEI style. Cleans up the wiring a lot without the dual ballast and ignition ECU. Only need one key power wire and one to the coil.

To run on a constant 12-14 volts, you do need a "hotter" coil. I used the DUI one. The stock Chrysler coil is really designed to only run 12 volts briefly on start up and then 7 volts constant. I think it's 7 volts anyways......It'll overheat and fail prematurely with a constant 12-14 volts.

If you ever measure the actual coil primary voltage (stock system) on start, it's really only 9-10 volts after the starter sucks up most of the power and any voltage drop in the circuit through the ignition switch, wire and connections.

Have you seen these? no more welding and filing http://www.4secondsflat.com/Mopar%20Mechanical%20timing%20limiter%20plate.htm

 

[8v-of-fury]

Aspen500 wishes he had those before he spent 100 hours dialing in his igntion timing..... ! LOL

Yeah I was thinking of getting this and a hotter coil. It may be null right now on a nearly stock 318, but its all baby steps right ? Who can honestly afford to do everything at once? Get quagmire'd down and call it wuits.. no way!!

End goal is as much power as the 318 will make

 

[8v-of-fury]

Lowbudget! Those are extremely LOWBUDGET ! I do believe my proform ebay dizzy, is just a "mopar" dizzy that is a cheap knock off.. so these should work extremely well! buuuut, then i still have the low power spark system.

Question. Can the stock fender mounted ECU be used with a "hotter" non resistor'd coil? or will this fry the spark box?

http://www.4secondsflat.com/J685S instructions.htm

 

[ramenth]

Still not sold on the HEI conversion.

HEI modules without spending a lot of money for an upgrade tend to break up at around 3500-4000 r's, whereas as the ECU still keeps pulling.

GM guys cuss the module and the constant replacement if you don't have a good heat sink and smear it with a lot of dielectric grease. Gets pricey having to put modules in, too. Ballasts I sell all day long for $10. The cheapest module I have in stock is $35. Better ones sell out the door at $75. Really good ones sell for more.

 

[Darth-Car]

I have never understood the attraction for wanting to put Garbage Motors parts, on good Mopar motors. Ma-Mopar made them the best, forget the rest. The 70's Mopar electronic ignition system was so simple, yet so efficient. There is no reason to go with anything else.

 

[ramenth]

I have never understood the attraction for wanting to put Garbage Motors parts, on good Mopar motors. Ma-Mopar made them the best, forget the rest. The 70's Mopar electronic ignition system was so simple, yet so efficient. There is no reason to go with anything else.

Look no further than slantsixdan, of Daniel Stern Lighting. He's been a big proponent of this for years now, making multiple post on slantsix.org and FABO. He's posted his "data" multiple times about the spark "advantages" of HEI. Of course, when pressed, he won't tell you what his oscilloscope scope setting were.

The few that read and know, hook the two up in series. The HEI provides a hotter spark at start up, making starting easier. Once it's started they switch to the Mopar system so they can rev past 3500.

 

[8v-of-fury]

Very interesting. I am not looking to put GM parts on for shits and giggles or because I feel the mopar ECU stuff is shit.. I was just looking at the adjustable mechanical timing really! lol

However as Lowbudget stated in post #4 there are alternatives! and ways to get your mopar distributor to be adjustable

 

[80mirada]

The newer Mopar distributors have an adjustable Mallory mechanical advance in them. There is a slick kit for adjusting them, but I cannot find the link I had saved.

 

[80mirada]

The kit number is P5153446, it includes instructions, gauges and springs. This kit fits all Mopar Distributors shipped after September 2004. Looks like it is discontinued, along with Mopar distributor. Must have happened after the Accel buyout of Mallory.

 

[8v-of-fury]

Soooo would my ProForm distributor, which seems to be a mopar knockoff, that I purchased in 2014 have the adjustable advance? I guess I'll have to pop it apart and see eh:

 

[80mirada]

Probably just a knockoff of the stock one, the late mopar ones were Malory that looked stock.