What is HEI distributors? Are the better to have?

 

"High Energy Ignition". GM came out with it as standard electronic ignition (replacing point distributors) starting in the '75 model year. Mostly a big improvement over the old points and condensor, it has a tendancy to lay over and play dead at about 4500 RPMs. The coil-in-cap and one-wire connection made it popular as a points distributor upgrade. Later, it lost the mechanical/vacuum advance with computer controls. Then, with TPI, it was simply too big, so it took on a smaller form with the coil external to the distributor again.

Basically, your stock engine already has it. If you are eliminating the computer, an older mechanical/vacuum advance version is a relatively cheap replacement. If you get a GM part, then the coil and control module need to be upgraded. If you get a performance replacement like Summit or Proform, they already have the good stuff in it.

 

57Kid, your a smart one dog. :hail: :hail:

 

i can't find any for the 455 i'm swapping in. can someone help?

I've went to TAPerformance and looked. They have them, but I don't want to buy from them. I'd rather order out of Summit, or Jeg's. I see the one from TAPerformance in the jegs magazine, but it says its for Chevy's or Ford's.

 

Is this a Pontiac or Buick 455? Going through my Summit catalog

 

buick

 

Thumbed through it and didnt see anything either.. Whats wrong with the service from TAPerformance?

 

Are you sure the engine doesn't already have it? Or, does it just not have any distributor?

 

As for TAPerformance, I'd like to order from a catalog, not online, because I have no credit car that I can use to order online. Whereas if I have a catalog, I can send a money order with my order form.

My engine does have a distributor, but not an HEI one.

I think I found a Pro-Billitt one that MSD makes, I was wanting Mallory, but can't find. Oh well.