I am planning on putting HEI in a 1967 Camaro that has always had points. What is involved in changing over to HEI other than the new distributer?

Any recommendations for brands etc. The camaro is going to be powered by a 383 with Dart 200 Iron Eagle. Not planning on racing it (has the original 308(?) open rear end) I am planning on upgrading that too. Nothing heavy, just a 12 bolt. Suggestions on what rear end and where to get it.
Thanks

 

I ran a Mallory Unilite on my 68 Camaro and loved it. However with my "new" 67 I'm leaning towards trying the Ignitor II kit. Basically you rebuild the old points distributor into a modern electronic unit. Its about the same price as a complete HEI (maybe more) but it retains the stock look (I love sleepers) and its much smaller so there are no clearance issues.

The only thing holding me up at this point is my kid. His car is on the fritz; I can't sell his old car; and to top that off, he and a buddy "borrowed" my 95 Z/28 and crashed it. Money just aint rollin' in at the moment.

 

well i got the MSD pro-billet diestributor, and love it, looks stock and plugs right in to the MSD 6a box, so easy to set up. If you were thinkin about getting an HEI distributor, i dont think they fit on the 67's because the firewall is so close. I know in your message you didnt say your gettin one, but if you were thinkin about it, they dont fit.

 

So, from what I hear, I should do what jg95z28 says. In that case, jg95z28, can you tell me more about what your idea is and where to get thge parts? Thanks

 

Its the Pertronix Ignitor II.

Jeg's, Summit and all the normal spots carry it.

Here's the link on Jeg's website ($112.99)

 

I've seen complaints all over the net about Petronix products involved in conversion. Same can be said about Pro Form. Local racer was telling me about Petronix unreliability. Told me to look into Accel for the conversion I want to do on 68 Buick i picked up.

It appears the firewall has to be banged in pretty well for a good fit with the distributor placement in Chevy. I have mine in front so its not an issue.

I think the easiest way is to get a used GM HEI unit and make sure cam gear is right. I think the ones for big blocks have 14 teeth and small blocks 13 teeth. Someone will chime in if I'm wrong.

I think Accell makes a unit that fits into points area on original unit but don't know much more than that. I was doing an HEI search and ran into this thread.

 

Why would you even need to make an adjustment to the firewall for a Petronix unit? It all fits under the stock cap.

Do you have any sources on Petronix reliablity? I'd like to learn more. I've been researching this since I bought my RS in March and your the first person that's had anything negative to say.

Thanks.

 

if you meant 307 you'll need to change your engine mounts. Believe it or not the 350 engine mounts are slightly different...I'm telling you this because I broke a distributer that I changed to HEI because when the engine deflects under throttle it smacks the firewall.

So either beat up your firewall or get different mounts

 

If you put a GM HEI as replacement the firewall needs to bang in a little, at least from what I can tell.

Yes the Pertonix is a point replacement unit that fits right on non HEI distributor.

Local racers who run 1966 to 1971 Fords, Chevys, and Oldsmobiles told me units will burn out and are unreliable. Might be OK for a daily driver but they're telling me to use Accel conversion products instead.

The various GM V-8 classic tech forum on other sites have non positive comments, too. I just starting looking on Wed 5/28/03 and have read more than one thread about unreliabilty of Petronix unit. Enough to sway my opinion. My seaches should turn up the same as your searches so I don't have an explanation for you for difference in opinions.

Good luck

 

Why again are you so hell bent on HEI? I bought a MSD pro-billet distributor for my 67 and absolutly love it. Just tossed it right in, works perfect, no adjustments!

 

CHP, can you tell me more about exactly what you have and have to do for a pro billet? What are the advantages?

 

Hmmm. Well my 67 isn't a daily driver, but then it isn't a race car either. Just a weekend cruiser.

I've used Accel in the past without problems, so that's an alternative. I also never had any problems with the Malloy Unilite in my 68, so that's another option.

 

Well before i bought the distributor i already had the MSD 6A box and blaster 2 coil set-up when i decided to get away from a points system. I tried the Petronix ignitor system and after setting it up my car ran like crap. I tried messing with it, but could never get it to run right. Thats when i decided to go with an MSD distributor. The distributor i have is the MSD Street Pro-Billet, PN 8361 It plugs straight into the MSD box which was nice for me to hook up, but In Summit's catalog there is a different part number for a non-msd setup the part number is MSD-8360 www.MSDignition.com
Here is the part description
Pro-Billet Ready-To-Run,
PN 8360
The Pro-Billet Ready-to-Run Distributor is exactly what it sounds like. Install it, connect three wires and you're ready to roll. This distributor is much like the HEI, except it does not have an internal coil. If the bulk of an HEI won't fit in your engine and you want a simple and clean ignition system, this is the distributor for you.
Built down inside the billet aluminum housing there is a powerful inductive ignition module. This module is responsible for sending plenty of spark energy to the coil no matter what rpm you're at. The distributor relies on MSD's race proven magnetic pickup for accurate trigger signals.
Just above the pickup there is an easy-to-adjust mechanical advance. MSD supplies different advance springs and stop bushings so you can custom tailor an advance curve to match your application. Also, a vacuum advance canister supplies great cruising economy!

 

Thanks Guys