I'm having an LT1 manifold machined to fit a Gen1 block, and will be using an HEI dist. I'm told I'll need the small cap HEI dist for this to work, and I was wondering what they came on from the factory so I can start looking. It has an external coil from what I understand. Thanks.

 

Hey your from the C3 board....Not sure exactly what you need that you can't find in the summit cat... My 72 Camaro had a small cap and remote coil ...and points.

 

Yeah, that's me. I mainly just want to know what vehicles came stock with the small cap HEI.

 

All small cap HEIs were computer controlled, aside from earlier small cap points distributors.

First year for this in 3rd gens was 1987, I beleive. If not, definitely 88-up. Yes, the coil was both externally mounted and small, bolted to the intake on stock engines but just as easily mounted on the firewall or wherever is convenient for non-stock applications.

Although there are more wires visible with an external small cap HEI setup, everything is, electronically speaking, identical to earlier large/in-cap HEIs.

 

Will the small cap distributor from a roller cam (87-92) fit a early model gen-1 non-roller block? I remember the gear being different material for a roller cam and if you used an early model dizzy with a roller cam it would ruin the gear.
Other question is would the bronze gear for the roller cam work ok on the flat tappet cam?
Durango: What kind of induction are you going to run on the LT1 intake?

 

Normal aspiration. I have no plans...or room under the hood...for forced induction.

The gear will have to be replaced, but I have one matched to go with the cam I installed...an LT4 Hot Cam.

 

I should add that although the coil-to-distributor connections are the same between large/in-cap HEIs and smal/divorced coil HEIs, the connection back to the ECM is different and I am not sure if just connecting the right wires together would make it work properly (i.e. the way the ECM talks to the distributors may be different, electronically speaking).

 

You are right, and when I asked the guy doing my harness this...he informed me it wouldn't be a problem to have the harness switched from Opti-Spark ignition, to small cap HEI.

 

What you want is a Dave Ray built Dizzy. He builds them form the old small body points dizzy. He designed most of our ign system for GM, he still builds for many top racing teams, parts have been used on HP TV, Chuck the heavy set GM guy who left the show is a good buddy of his. No one sells or builds a better one them him. All summit sells is marked up made in mexico junk that do not pass real race standards. Racers with "name brand" dizzy are handbuilt here, not mass produced catalog stuff.

http://www.davessmallbodyheis.com/

He has his own section at Buick Thunder forum.

http://viragotech.com/buickthunder/f.../index.php?c=3

If you want that little edge that will put you ahead of the pack with "equal" match cars. A Dave Ray dizzy is the answer.

He is like EFhunton. when he speaks listen.

 

Thanks for that suggesting, but I don't race and spending the extra money for a top notch race part seems like a waste for me in a cruising car. I will probably end up buying a new/refurb dist from a local parts house.

Was it in agreement that I could get one from an early '90's Camaro and be fine? A small cap HEI and external coil? Thanks.

 

Yes, the '90-'92 TBI cars have the small cap, along with the TPI cars (harder to find though).

Also, the Caprice vehicles have them. Don't get one from a newer Caprice where the distributor is under the cowl. They have a larger housing.

The other vehicles that used the small cap distributor are full size vans and pickups. They are so common, GM must have made a bazillion of them.

RBob.

 

Definately try to find one in a V8 van in the yard. If the dog house is already off, it takes like 5 minutes to pull the distributer from one. You are not battling the firewall the whole time to remove it.

 

Great. So I need to find a dist from a '90-'92 V8 Chevy Van. Sweet. Thanks.

 

Actually they used them from 1987-1996 on the Old Style Fullsize vans with TBI engines.

 

Could the same be said fro TBI trucks? Or just vans?

 

1987-1995 on Truck, Suburbans, Fullsize Blazer/Jimmy, Even P-series Vans and Motorhome chassis used the same distributer. 305/350/454 all have the same unit.

 

Certainly '87-'92 for V8 f-bodies.

 

Sweet, that'll make finding one easy, and plentiful at part stores locally. When you buy the distributor do you have to buy the coil separately?

 

Yup... Unless they'll give it to you free.

 

A free one would be great...even from a forum member...*Hint Hint*...

 

I have an extra one. I'd have to dig it up tho.
If you can't find one in a few days, mebbe I can dig mine up.

 

I will, thanks.

 

i have a small cap dizzy that i took off a tpi car with a roller cam if it is what your looking for may also still have the coil laying around here also

 

Thanks so much. I've called a few salvage yards here, and most I've had looked at were of poor quality. I would rather find either a used one in good shape, or get a new one from a parts store.

 

Find one yet? I'm still looking for my spare. If I can find it I'll send it to you cheap... IF I can find it.

 

Nope. I was gonna call around and see what new ones are selling for at local parts stores. How good of shape is your spare in? Will it need to be rebuilt? Thanks so much for all the help.

 

They both were working when I removed them.
I have to make sure I can find them both before I send one away, cause I'll need one. When will you need to have it?

 

No rush at all. I'm still putting together all the parts I'll need for this swap, and it's going on an engine that won't be installed until early Spring. I have a few months to get it all squared away and everything accounted for.

Again, thanks so much for helping me out...I really appreciate it.

 

No problem. I'm looking forward to finding out how it runs.
I'm in the process of accumulating all the parts for an LT1 top end on a Gen1 myself, including LT1 heads. Might end up building a 383.
LT1 or Miniram is the way to go for big power under a stock hood.
Here's an interesting site about LT1 impalas.
http://www.karl-ellwein.org/

 

Thanks a lot. That's one I have not found. Are you sending your manifold to the same place to have it machined for the HEI dist and Gen1 block?

 

I'll do as much of the work myself as possible.
When LT1 heads are used, there is less machine work and less welding to be done cause the bolt pattern matches already. When John Millican owned that site, there were more links that contained DIY info. I'll prolly get a welder and do the welding myself, or borrow a friends.
I'm a big fan of DIY. Sometimes the labor I put into something by the time I get it right makes it hard to justify, but then other times things work out right the first time.
I thought I'd put all the top end parts on top of a block and then use the existing dist holes as a guide to drill a pilot hole, then use a hole saw to enlarge it. Then I'd figure out a way to get it the right height and perpendicular on the mounting surface.
The dist hole itself is way oversize, so that's not all that critical.
There aren't many dimensions on the entire project, other than milling the heads that need to be within .01" or so. And a lot of those can be done with hand tools or a $50 harbor freight drill press.
The welded areas aren't in places where there's a lot of stress, so with some practice, a rookie should be able to do those without much risk.
It all looked confusing at first, but the more I looked at it the simpler it became.
There are head/intake combos out there that flow better, but if you do the work yourself HP/$ it's hard to find a better deal. Plus it fits under the stock hood.

 

I pulled my LT1 intake off a complete motor, and decided at the last minute to stay with my Gen1 heads. I picked up a set of '89 350 heads, drilled the steam holes, and have them mounted already. I stayed with these because they have already been freshened, and if I ever swap to better flowing heads, I don't have to worry about these matching up to my LT1 manifold.

 

That sounds like a workable plan.

 

Thanks so much. Just let me know when and if you find that spare dist and I'll Paypal you some shipping money. Again, I really appreciate the help.

Also, I want to see some pics of your motor.

 

P... P.... Pics??
Imagine a pile of dusty parts in a storage locker. Somewhere in there is buried a TPI distributor + coil.
I do have a nice solid roller cam tho.
I bought that so I could clearance my stroker crank for it. But then I priced out all the other parts to go with it. Heavy duty pushrods, valves, springs, rockers and solid roller lifters all added up to a heavy duty price tag.
Looking forward to the day

 

Sounds like how I did it. I started buying parts one at a time starting with the block. Took two years to finish all the steps of buying parts and making trips to the machine shop. I would be done right now but I switched to LT1 EFI.

 

I almost had mine running. But after I started my rebuilt engine last yr, I found out the block was cracked. But that might have been a blessing in disguise, cause the cam got eaten up on startup, and the timing chain was rubbing on the block too, and the block was honed without torque plates and the bore wear was all uneven at the top, and the drug addicts who worked at the shop where the block was machined didn't even clean all the crud out of it when they tanked it. I had an oil pan full of metal chips after 1 hr running time.
I learned a lot about the right way and the wrong way on that project. And I resolved to build a stroker using a roller block, and to make sure the next project goes right. I was glad I started it up on a test stand instead of putting it in the car. When I got over the heartbreak, I began buying parts for my next engine. I still need to buy a set of ferrea valves that will be compatible with my solid roller before I assemble the heads. But I have a balloon payment due on my property soon, so the chevy's on hold again.
I couldn't say no to a set of $150 LT1 heads on ebay though.
I love the LT1 / Miniram concept for a low intake that fits under the stock hood.

 

That's exactly what I love about the LT1. I moved from carb to LT1 without a second thought.

 

Yeah you'd have to have a tall carb intake to give you the top end that an LT1 intake gives you.
I'm amazed at the hwy MPG #s that some LT1 guys are claiming, compared to their 1/4 mi times. One guy with an 11.9 sec vette said he'd gotten as good as 30 mpg cruising.
There are 2 reasons I don't get an LS1.
One is cause I can build my gen1 sbc with cash outlays of $100 -$200.
And the second reason is cause with the gen1 I can use a carb / HEI if the EFI goes down.
I had a EFI wiring harness that was destroyed by a hungry rat one time, and I swore that I'd never have a car that can't be converted to carb in an emergency.

 

You're very right, and being that I just puled a manifold and carb OFF this engine to make way for the LT1...all I'd have to do is modify the fuel system and I'll be good to go if a harness mishap happens.

I hope I get 25 MPG. I'll have an over drive transmission, but it's still a low ratio rear.

 

Seen this?

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tpi/...ight=lt1+heads

 

Great link...I'm gonna pass that on to a friend of mine that's doing that to his aluminum LT1 heads for a Gen1 block.