is an hei odd fire dist worth the change over from the prestolite dist?

just curious, i have two oddfire hei distributors complete. from two early 77 gm 231 of's.

is the performance, mpg and emissions improvement worth the trouble to install them in my 69 225 of in place of the point prestolite dist that's in there now? or would it be better to just replace the prestolite guts with the pointless conversion kits i have seen. or would it make much difference at all?

searched and found all the threads etc. but no real discussion about the actual effects in the field.

 

HEI= High energy Ignition. Almost completely maintenance free and doesnt really wear like points. I would change it in a heartbeat if I were you. Points are srrows, not vehicles. I have thrown alot of points condenser setups in favor of HEI over my years. Definately recommend it. plus it is an all in one unit. Easy troubleshooting if something goes wrong

 

I didn't think there were Pertronics type conversions for the Prestolite, only the Delco :? The only PITA that I see from the HEI posts is the clearancing required to make it fit. From what I understand, the Pertronics is a great set-up as well, and the Delco doesn't have the clearance issues. I'm doing one of the two conversions soon, just undecided which way to go...

 

I swithced from the delco points type, to the Delco HEI. Yeah, I had to do some grinding on my intake, but the payoff was well worth it. faster easier starts, as well as more grunt down low when the engine is lugging. Wouldn't think of going back.

 

I did the Cape Conversions HEI last year. I recommend it. Installation was simple and performance greatly enhanced. I have to emphasize performance! It will wake up your dauntless.

JK

 

I disagree; what could be easier than points/condenser?

The only real knock on the Prestos is dirt and dust gets in there easily, causing shaft bushing wear; not to mention water just pours in
I still run the Presto in mine, it was a brand new assy 20 years ago; it works just fine.
The HEI didn't work for me; read the reviews, obtained parts store rebuilt, blah blah blah....call me stupid, gave up on it and put the Presto back in probably a faulty reman unit IMO. you get what you pay for I suppose.
The Delco advantage is servicability and the Pertronix unit as mentioned previously; I will go to the Delco and Pertronix someday when the Presto wears out

 

I have a Mallory dual point and it works great. Points are simple and will run when virtually destroyed. The HEI is a good swap but the draw back is the large size and the fit on the motor, If I change mine I will go with a Delco and a Pertronixs unit.

 

There is no Pertronix for the Presto. I don't like the presto dist. Delco/pert. or HEI IMHO. But what do I know. I don't even own a JEEP.

 

I went from Delco points to Delco + Pertronix. The increase in power was very noticable. Smoother idle and easier starts too. I wouldn't go back.

If you need a Delco dist, I have two. Hit me with a PM and we'll come up with something.

 

The point to earlier is simply that points condenser ignition systems are outdate technology. Hei dont ever wear and change gap and dwell. I have always carried a spare set of points when i had that type of system in any vehicle I have ever owned. i usually changed it to hei at or before the first sign of trouble with points system. Breakerless is definately the way to go, weather it be aftermarket parts, or conversion, but above all else getting rid of those points creates not only reliability, but more power and ignition timing that doesnt need to be adjusted to compensate for wear. Not trying to mean mouth anyones equiptment, but statistics dont lie. breakerless is way more reliable, and easier to troubleshoot. Oh and no more resistor to worry about.

 

Chris just to play devils advocate, timing does not need adjusted to account for points. Timing is adjusted cause the distributor's wore or moved or the timing chain stretched, all of these happen to an HEI also.
Points are only a trigger for the ignition, an HEI carries more voltage but the amperage of the coil is near identical, the ballast can be eliminated by using a coil with it built in. If you use a MSD ignition box the dwell of the distributor no longer means squat its just a signal, the HEI will then set the dwell and fire the plug. My only problem with an HEI is the coil in cap, the overly large distributor cap, and before you give me, its needed, Chrysler invented electronic ignition and used the same distributor body they always used and they worked fine and so did Fords.
I remember when HEI came out and for the 1st 5-6 years they were a giant piece of crap. If you could get one in a small body with a seperate coil they would be great.

 

I think everyone covered this pretty well. Fwiw, I have a delco dist in my 225 with the breaker points still in there. Reasoning being that I can probably fix it with a match book. Pertronix is a awsum setup, and I have them in two other vehicles. Advantage is that your points are a back up system.
Ignition power with pertronix is almost as good as HEI, I doubt that one could tell the difference. HEI is a very good ignition, with the advantage that everything is under-da-cap. But clearance is tight on a V6, be sure to carry a spare ign module and pickup coil.

My $0.02 worth
-Hill

 

Negative Johansen. Dwell will automatically change with points condenser as the points contacts wear . Ending result is improper ignition dwell and gap. As for the MSD. I see them alot when people bring them to me and the optic has burnt out AGAIN. I like reliability, and simplicity, this is why I like HEI. Moral of this whole thread, is simple, use what you like. As for clearancing, I dont know, I removed the dauntless from my Jeep and went with a chevy v8, Again my preferance. Best luck with whatever you decide.

 

An MSD box has no optics.

But that still doesn't affect timing, timing is a matter of mechanics, not electrical. I didn't say points wearing didn't affect dwell, but it has nothing to do with timing.

 

Actually, I think as the points wear and close/open at different times, that this will also change the timing. :?

What you think?

 

I did the HEI conversion on my 231. Other than the Detroit Locker in rear and the sm465 swap it was the best mod I have ever done. It runs better through the whole power band, easier starts and maintenance free. I am planning on finding another unit from a junkyard to take as a spare just in case.
Just my opinion.

 

Barry I don't mean to sound sarcastic just pointing this out, timing is strictly mechanical and have nothing to do with point wear and gap, the cam on the distributor pushes the points open and the mechanical lobe lets them close. I have personally never seen a set of worn lobes on a distributor, the slide surface on the points can wear but it can't move, so it will still open in the same place just that it may open to far or not far enough, and the spring may wear allowing it to stay open to long but the mechanics are simple and fool proof and point gap will never affect mechanical timing of the ignition signal, the only thing they can do is make the spark erratic or not work at all.
I'm not saying that the HEI isn't better but points are simple and very reliable, my points have not been set changed or tampered with in more than 8000 miles, I also have a dual point setup which means I have 2 sets to devide the work up with and that in itself makes them very reliable. heck I can even run my distributor with one set so that gives me a backup to start with.
Remember I'm only playing devils advocate here. I grew up when all cars still had them and I remember when Chrysler invented the pointless electronic ignition. I have a dual point in my Jeep simply because when my Prestolite started giving me trouble the Mallory was all I knew about and it has worked great, no stumble good clean spark burn and so on.
I had the same results instlling my Mallory over my Prestolite that the others guys get out of installing HEI over there DELCO.

 

negatory

 

what Mike said
X2

 

OK guys. It was just a thought. :stout:

No problem.