I have a 82 that came with an old 327 (used the ignition outa that since they weren't using the computer controlled carb, ignition) one of the wires going to the coil had two other wires tied into it on going to the distributor and one into a wire loom (I assume to a distribution block) both wires to the coil had voltage to them the other was coming from a distribution block mounted on the firewall next to the wipper motor. Do I need them both for the switch?? Thanks in advance

 

All you need for the HEI is a power wire that gets power when you turn the key on. That's it. One wire, nice and simple.

Brad...

 

An HEI must have 12volts (full battery voltage to operate).
A points distributor from pre 1975 operates on 9v while the car is running but needs a 12volts to start the car.
The wire (on a pre 1975 HEI car) that comes from the key switch is a resister wire that feeds 9v to the coil while in the on position
The pre HEI gm starter solenoids had an extra switched terminal
to feel 12v to directly to the coil while cranking(bypassing the resister). That is what the other wire on the coil + terminal is for.
So if you want to run a pre 1975 point distributor and coil in a 1982 Camaro you would have to add a ballast resistor
to the one wire from the key and replace the 3 terminal starter solenoid with a 4 terminal one from a pre 1975 car. And run a wire from the extra "R" terminal on the solenoid to the coil's + terminal. The coil should be a pre 1975 points type coil for inductive discharge ignitions. The ballast resister should have a value of 1.35 ohms. This ballast resistor is what limits the current draw through the points while the car is running so they don't burn out.
Also if you are using a point type igniton it is a good
idea to get in the habit of not leaving the key "on" while the car is not running. If the points happen to be closed, current will flow through them and they will burn. You have to turn the key back to "accessory" to listen to the radio while the car is off
or you'll be pushing it home. Oh the joys of point ignition!!!!

 

Hey thanks for all the help I got one more question. What does the ballast resistor lok like? I got what looked like a distribution center sorta (ceramic with two metal prongs for male female wire connectors) I read it with a multi meter twice and got 1.3 -1.4 ohms resistance. The starter was a stanadr starter (twoo places for wire hook ups and had two to the stud with the battery terminal and one to the other I took off all the looms and neither of the wires from the coil tie into one on the sarter from inside the engine compartment. Would I want the wire that has the resistor inline with it?

 

This is a typical ballast resistor. Back in the 60's everyone who owned a Chrysler had at least one spare in the glove box.
Chryslers seemed to eat them regularly.

 

To add to F-bird's already good info, the wire your car has that would have gone to the HEI is a large pink one. Find it and hook it up.

Sounds like whoever did the swap didn't wire up the ignition system right; if there's no wire going to the R terminal of the starter, then they were feeding the dist through the ballast resistor all the time, which often makes a car hard to start. Alot of modern rebuilt starters have the R terminal on the solenoid, it doesn't hurt anything and saves them from having 2 part numbers. In a HEI car there's not supposed to be anything on the R terminal.

Bottom line: find the big pink wire, hook it to BATT on the HEI; find the small brown wire in the same breakout from the harness with the big pink wire, hook it to the tach filter if there is one and the other tach filter wire to the TACH terminal, or hook the brown wire straight to the TACH terminal of the HEI if there's no tach filter in your car. Eliminate everything else.

 

So are you talking about the pink (10 gauge wire if I am correct) that goes to the starter where the battery goes to on the starter ( I got two or three large 10 awg wires in the loom leading into the dash area)? Also the two wires that were going to the coil lead into the car (the loom right next to the power brake booster) I think they tied it into the steering column somwhere or something but I can't find where either are tied into the fuse box and neither of them lead to the starter. thanks again sorry I am asking so many ?'s I just don't know too much about electrical and my boss who usually does all me electrical work is out of town for a few weeks. Thanks Again James

 

Okay I think I got this the wire that went from the resistor to the coil is where I hooked up my multi meter then I checked all the fuses with no success. I took out the resistor and put a connector onto the end of the wire feeding the resistor and presto I find that the ignition fuse is connected to that wire (pink)so that is the one that I want to use for the ignition now correct? Do I need all four wires at the starter, F Bird 88 mentions a different starter and I don't know the difference (there is one from the battery to the terminal with two wire connections and one for ground I assume)? If not is one of the ones from the starter going to the other 12volt that was to the coil (I can't find where they would go together in the engine compartment but maybe in side the passanger compartment)? Thanks James

 

Why no just go to the junk yard and find a HEI with a vacuum
canister on it. (1975/1986 carb car) and put it in and hook up the big pink wire to BAT. And be done with it.

Total cost $20

 

I am going to be putting on a vacume advcance HEI but I was just wondering if this is the correct wire because I was told that RB83L69 mentioned that it seems as though the person who did the swap initially didn't use the correct wire because it would be feeding juice all the time. Now the pink wire that ran to the resistor is the one that goes to the igniton fuse. will this work or is it wrong since the wire doesn't tie into the wires going to the starter is my ? now. Then Fbird mentioned a different starter sis they wire it so that they didn't use a different starter?

 

Yep, thats the wire. The people who put in the points dis probably tied into it for the ballast power side. Just hook up the pink wire to the battery terminal on the dis and you should be good to go.