Can a Vortec crab-style cap be put on our L98s?

It sure would make dressing up the engine easier, shorter plug wires, and no chance of random crossfire, from wire to wire.

 

Nobody has a clue? Am I going to be the "guinea pig"?

EDIT: Sorry...I thought I had posted it DAYS ago, not just yesterday.

 

The vortec engine uses a special distributor because it has a cam sensor and all those type of electronics on it. I dont think it would work.

Have you looked at the MSD "correct-a-cap" ?

 

But, all those sensors are in the distributor housing itself. I'm not looking into using the whole distributor, just the cap and Vortec plug wires.

I can't find a MSD Correct-A-Cap, for Gen I engines.

That's all I'm trying to do, is to get the left wires on the left, right wires on the right.

 

This one? http://store.summitracing.com

 

Use a crossfire cap

 

That's exactly what I'm trying to do...You know of one then? Link? All I could find was the Summit Link I posted above, but it's not very clear on what it fits.

 

You know I've searched high and low for the small external coil style cap but never found that anyone ever made one. Your only other option is to buy a special harness to adapt a large cap distributor in your car and then buy a crossfire cap.

ed madson originally made them and then sold his business but I see these large cap distributor pop up on ebay every now and then. as well as in the back of car magaizes.

Ive seen the special wiring adapter on tpiparts.net ... then just buy a used hei/est distributor and drop it in .... vettes never used the small cap distributor so GM kept in around a few years after it was replaced in the f0-bodies. It's not that hard of a swap.

 

Like this right? Just get yourself like I said a tpiparts.net wiring adapter kit. and a 1986 f-body distributor 0r 86-91 corvette one and it will work perfectly.

I'm going to do it on my TBI engine ... Like you I hate the messy crossed wires and besides the large cap distributor gives back of engine a cleaner look.

 

That summit one looks more like a vortech thing then a 87-92 small cap or some late GM cap.

 

So.....The Vortec is a HEI-sized large distributor? If that's the case, a Vortec cap won't fit.

This one, http://store.summitracing.com mentions HEI, but doesn't clarify if it refers to the size, but I think it does.

 

sorta looks like it .. because our screws are at the base of the cap so why would they design it like that. Just looking at it's picture you can tell that cap ios larger then whats on our small cap distributors.

 

So is the verdict that the only way to do this crab cap deal is to buy an adapter from tpiparts and a big cap dist? Then replace cap with crab cap? I've been looking into for so long but was stuck at the same place when I found out there were none of those caps made for the small dist. Thanks

 

Dunno. Maybe a COMPLETE Vortec distributor could just be swapped in, instead of messing with adapters for the cap, etc.

 

according to summit:
Stock Distributor No
Distributor Type MSD
Distributor Model Billet
Engine Type V8
Trigger Style (application) Magnetic



Stock Distributor No
Distributor Type MSD
Distributor Model Billet
Engine Type V8
Trigger Style (application) Crank trigger

from that info I'd gather that it is a cap for MSD billet distributor and not for a stock dist.

 

*Subscribed*

Crab dist cap with valve cover wire routing.

Hot.

Hmm. Looking on tpiparts all I see are Large cap to small cap adapters. Not the reverse. Care to enlighten me?

 

The Vortec distributor has a hall effect sensor that reads a 180 degree signal. It is completely different than the TPI style. There is no pick up coil or module at all in the distributor. You would have to figure out an external module(Vortec perhaps) and some way to trigger the injectors. I am not saying it is impossible, but it will require some ingenuity.

 

Well, I kida figured swapping the distributors wouldn't be as simple as R & R.

 

Perhaps you could put the pickup coil in the vortec distributor and run an external module?

 

I just saw the solution in Chevy High Performance magazine, in an advertisement in the back. But I dont have the magazine with me now, and I cant find the website with a search.

 

You do realize that everyone who has been watching this thread is not waiting for you to post a response as to the product you mentioned.

 

Just went through the whole February issue and the nearest I found is a DUI distributor. I know they make one for our cars. But I think it's external coil too. You might have the March issue though. Have to go pick that up.

 

Ah!! Please find it! I'll go buy a CHP right now! In fact, if its got a turbo 3rd gen in it then I already have it...

 

Aftermarket crab-style conversion caps have been available for years. I'm not liking the $50 price tag though!

I was curious is a STOCK Vortec cap could be used.

 

Anyone ever figure out something for this? I can't even find the $50 cap that Stephen mentions. The only reference I've seen to them is in forums, and I read one post that they've been discontinued due to misfires for five or six years. :/

 

This is the Vortec cap I was referring to....


http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

I don't have HEI, & I suspect one will work for me. I just never pursued looking into it.

Some day, I'll go ask go a STOCK one & compare it side-by-side with one of those. As far as I can tell, the $50 Correct-A-Caps are no longer made.

 

So the only way it seems to get one of these is to swap dizzy's? Even the MSD crab caps only fit on their high end race distributors, which would be a lot of $$$, plus all of the retrofitting needed for a non-CC dizzy.

C'est la vie. Looks like I'll just get plug wire looms and call it a day.

 

I'd guess the Vortec dizzy is a direct fit for our cars, since S10Wildside is doing the sequential fire (Vortecs are) TPIs & using the cranshaft position sensor in the Vortec dizzies to facilitate the sequential firing correctly.

 

Autozone has a picture of one on their website, it's hard to tell if it would fit or not. It would definitely take new plug wires, and maybe a rotor too. Looks like it would cost about $36 to find out. I guess you could try it, and return it if it doesn't fit. I'm interested to know too, I hate the messy wires look back there.

http://www.autozone.com/R,APP40359/v...ductDetail.htm

Edit: Found a diagram on google images, looks like you would definitely need the vortec distributor too. The ignition module looks to be mounted to the bottom of the distributor base, instead of ontop. I also only see one plug on it. Maybe the vortec distributor + tpi ignition module would work:


Edit again: Scratch that, the ignition module is mounted underneath because it doesn't plug into the magnetic pickup ring, in fact it doesn't appear to even have a pickup ring. I have a feeling that's accomplished by the cam sensor on the vortec setup.

Vortec ignition module:
http://www.autozone.com/R,APP36037/v...ductDetail.htm