Unless your engine is already moved forward, or you use a small diameter HEI distributor, it may not fit due to interference with the firewall. This is one of the problems many Tri-Five owners have experienced. I have two of those "
E-Bay" distributors, one I bought used and replaced the broken cap/rotor, it's now in my truck; the other is in our 51 Chevrolet Business Coupe. No problems with either so far, and the price is rediculous, it's hard to pass up. I'm not really interested in the "China argument" guys, it's far too late to change that, but I would if I could.

 

When I need a HEI, I go to the junkyard and get one, take it home, strip it completely down, clean out the housing, repack it with grease, check the bushings, sand and polish the mechanical advance assembly so it moves super smooth with no hard spots. Then I put it back together and check the end play and shim as needed. I install a new pickup coil, add a Pertronix flame thrower module and coil, install a new advance curve kit, replace the vacuum advance with a adjustable unit, replace distributor gear, slap it together and run it. Why I do this instead of buying a new one is when I build it I trust it. I build it as bulletproof as it needs to be for a street machine.

 

I already have a stock GM H.E.I. Im looking for a performance upgrade,But I like the advice about rebuilding my current one,just thought it might be cheaper and more efficient to buy new.Any advice on new units being sold?

 

Best hei?

Well MSD makes a really good HEI. It's expensive. I have a Summit brand HEI that has been in my SBC 355 for 13 years now without a issue. I think it was about $80.00 back then. Money well spent. I think they are about $90.00 + shipping now.

 

I'm running one of those Fleabay HEI's. Had it a couple years, works very well. Maybe made over seas, but it's a nice piece for $50.

 

old thread...but....my chevelle died at the Myrtle Beach car show,

and I bought one of the $50 flea market/chinese specials (it only had 7 brass terminals....found that out after I got it installed). had to re-use the old cap

i got it home, and it was cheaper than a tow,

but the car won't idle decent (have to keep it about 1100rpm)

and it wont crank (have to retard it alot)
and then, it spark knocks when it does run.

I never did this with the old Dizzy.

I took the old dizzy apart, and all it's parts look exactly like the parts in the $50 cheapie

but now..since I have had two bad $50 dizzy's....

what would be my best bet to get a new, better quality, drop in, OEM looking unit?

the GM perf Parts dizzy's are now ProForm, which i thought was just cheap parts?

in no rush, i got her home for $50, but I put the timing light on it last night, and could not get it sorted. so trying to do research BEFORE i buy a third distributor.
:smash:

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=378642


here's what I am seeing, these EXACT parts...in both of mine....And I can't tell the difference..
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/hei-comparison-178744.html

 

old thread...but....my chevelle died at the Myrtle Beach car show,

and I bought one of the $50 flea market/chinese specials (it only had 7 brass terminals....found that out after I got it installed). had to re-use the old cap

i got it home, and it was cheaper than a tow,

but the car won't idle decent (have to keep it about 1100rpm)

and it wont crank (have to retard it alot)
and then, it spark knocks when it does run.

I never did this with the old Dizzy.

I took the old dizzy apart, and all it's parts look exactly like the parts in the $50 cheapie

but now..since I have had two bad $50 dizzy's....

what would be my best bet to get a new, better quality, drop in, OEM looking unit?

the GM perf Parts dizzy's are now ProForm, which i thought was just cheap parts?

in no rush, i got her home for $50, but I put the timing light on it last night, and could not get it sorted. so trying to do research BEFORE i buy a third distributor.
:smash:

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=378642


here's what I am seeing, these EXACT parts...in both of mine....And I can't tell the difference..
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/hei-comparison-178744.html

Sounds like you have a timing issue, not a distributor one. perhaps a slipped balancer too. The only thing I've seen fail in those cheap dizzies is the module, and the cheaper modules are crap all across the board not just in those dizzies.

 

old thread but just posting my experience, bought one of those cheap ebay distributors. lasted 3 months on a street only internally stock low comp sbc before the bearing failed, seller wont cover warranty because as I was using it with an MSD box / external coil and claims that "the vehicle is used for a purpose other than standard."

dont waste your time with these, just buy a rebuilt GM, mallory or MSD from the start.

 

I bought 2 of those cheap ebay hei's 3 years and 20,000 miles ago and the one I put in is still going strong. I carry the spare one behind the seat just in case.

 

I had one of those Proform units, wore it out in no time, Moved up to a D.U.I. unit. Seems to be holding up. Added thier rev limiter too.

 

I'll comment on my experience with HEI, both in my own vehicles and customers. I find that you tend to get what you pay for. This applies to all parts. Might get lucky sometimes and get by with cheap stuff but that's an exception to the rule. Carrying a spare just means that someday, maybe in a hard rain, you're likely to be changing your distributor on the side of the road somewhere. I ended up with MSD equipment in my own car. Still use the ACCEL Billettech distributor, which has a better PIP assembly(FORD style coil and reluctor wheel) than the GM HEI( timing core and pole piece with pick up coil). The distributor now serves merely as a primary ignition pulse unit for the MSD box and as a secondary ignition switch(cap and rotor). The heavy duty power circuit in the MSD box drives the Blaster coil. Plus this way I get multiple spark discharge to improve combustion efficiency.

An issue I have had with installing high output coils like the MSD Blaster, either in the internal or external coil HEIs, is premature module failure. A quality module may hold up longer but the coil still puts excessive current load on the module, shortening its service life and reducing its reliabilty. That's because the high output coils, in order to generate higher voltage, have lower primary resistance(generally right at .5 ohm, compared to closer to 1 ohm for the stock coil) and thus draw more current, due to less primary turns and more secondary turns. The high output coils also produce higher inductive snap voltage back through the primary ignition driver than the stock coil due to greater field density(higher current). That's why the only way I recommend installing a high output coil on an electronic ignition anymore is with an add on ignition driver module like the MSD. I especially like the digital units that draw even less primary current and use their own heavy duty power section to drive the coil. Let the add on module do the heavy lifting. Give the OE style HEI module a break. At least that's my experience and understanding.

 

I'm sorry. In my rant, I forgot to answer the original question, the best HEI(internal coil) in my opinion would be the Pertronix(I like that they're a small company) followed closely by the MSD Pro Billet HEI. For the external coil, which I prefer to the internal in general, I would say MSD Pro Billet. Yes I use an ACCEL Billettech in my own car. I did this because it was a plug in to my DFI system. While the 300+ module left me years ago(fortunately in my own driveway)I have run the distributor for 15 trouble free years and numerous cap and rotor replacements. It has performed beautifully. Having said that, I don't generally recommend ACCEL ignition due to the high failure rate I have seen with their products in my profession. I hope that Prestolite is working to improve the reliabilty of this product line.

 

I don't start out looking for the lowest price on performance parts. I look for a part that will give me good value for my money. Here, in my opinion, is the best ignition unit for the money.....
GM Street/Strip DUI Distributor « Performance Distributors Performance Distributors

 

Shame on me. I forgot all about the DUI. I've heard very good things from the people I know who run this unit. Not cheap but very well made for the price.