Jeepster

Hey folks I went out to the local wreckers today and found an HEI
distributor from an 83 GMC Van (250 ci straight six) I had taken the
donor list with me so I was pretty sure I had found the right part.
Donor list >>>
http://www.mesa4x4.com/tech_articles...i/258_hei.html

This evening I started reading a bunch of stuff on the mod and I found
this:

"Start the search for an HEI from vehicles of the years 76-82 with the
GM 250. These distributors were most common in the Chevy Nova, vans
and trucks. You will be looking for the HEI with the coil built into
the cap. The proper HEI will already have 3 wires coming from the
distributor body that plug into the coil on top of the cap. Note: It
is likely that an HEI from 1976-1977 will have remote mounted coils.
These units will work just as well as the others."

One of the other pages I read said that anything after 1982 would not
work because GM had started to go with electronic ignitions at this
time.

I hope I have the right part as I went ahead and ordered the proper
gear today which cost me an arm and a leg....considering I got the
distributor for $19 Cdn.

The one I found sure looks like this one >>
http://www.geocities.com/jeeperaz/pics/hei2.jpg

JimG

Is that a performance mod or just a convenience thing? I haven't found that
answer in the articles.

I noticed where one fellow modified the OEM gear to fit the GM shaft.

http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/electrical/hei02/

--
JimG
80' CJ-7 258 CID
35" BFG MT on 15x10 Centerlines
D44 Rear, Dana 30 Front. SOA
4.56 Gears, LockRight F&R
Dana 300 w/4:1 & Currie twin sticks
Warn X8000i w/ dual batteries

"Jeepster" <yj_driver_NO_SPAM@excite.com> wrote in message
news:4rf5uv0idhd8fjulu7664bljqjs843ql2g@4ax.com...
> Hey folks I went out to the local wreckers today and found an HEI
> distributor from an 83 GMC Van (250 ci straight six) I had taken the
> donor list with me so I was pretty sure I had found the right part.
> Donor list >>>
> http://www.mesa4x4.com/tech_articles...i/258_hei.html
>
> This evening I started reading a bunch of stuff on the mod and I found
> this:
>
> "Start the search for an HEI from vehicles of the years 76-82 with the
> GM 250. These distributors were most common in the Chevy Nova, vans
> and trucks. You will be looking for the HEI with the coil built into
> the cap. The proper HEI will already have 3 wires coming from the
> distributor body that plug into the coil on top of the cap. Note: It
> is likely that an HEI from 1976-1977 will have remote mounted coils.
> These units will work just as well as the others."
>
> One of the other pages I read said that anything after 1982 would not
> work because GM had started to go with electronic ignitions at this
> time.
>
> I hope I have the right part as I went ahead and ordered the proper
> gear today which cost me an arm and a leg....considering I got the
> distributor for $19 Cdn.
>
> The one I found sure looks like this one >>
> http://www.geocities.com/jeeperaz/pics/hei2.jpg
>
>
>

JimG

Is that a performance mod or just a convenience thing? I haven't found that
answer in the articles.

I noticed where one fellow modified the OEM gear to fit the GM shaft.

http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/electrical/hei02/

--
JimG
80' CJ-7 258 CID
35" BFG MT on 15x10 Centerlines
D44 Rear, Dana 30 Front. SOA
4.56 Gears, LockRight F&R
Dana 300 w/4:1 & Currie twin sticks
Warn X8000i w/ dual batteries

"Jeepster" <yj_driver_NO_SPAM@excite.com> wrote in message
news:4rf5uv0idhd8fjulu7664bljqjs843ql2g@4ax.com...
> Hey folks I went out to the local wreckers today and found an HEI
> distributor from an 83 GMC Van (250 ci straight six) I had taken the
> donor list with me so I was pretty sure I had found the right part.
> Donor list >>>
> http://www.mesa4x4.com/tech_articles...i/258_hei.html
>
> This evening I started reading a bunch of stuff on the mod and I found
> this:
>
> "Start the search for an HEI from vehicles of the years 76-82 with the
> GM 250. These distributors were most common in the Chevy Nova, vans
> and trucks. You will be looking for the HEI with the coil built into
> the cap. The proper HEI will already have 3 wires coming from the
> distributor body that plug into the coil on top of the cap. Note: It
> is likely that an HEI from 1976-1977 will have remote mounted coils.
> These units will work just as well as the others."
>
> One of the other pages I read said that anything after 1982 would not
> work because GM had started to go with electronic ignitions at this
> time.
>
> I hope I have the right part as I went ahead and ordered the proper
> gear today which cost me an arm and a leg....considering I got the
> distributor for $19 Cdn.
>
> The one I found sure looks like this one >>
> http://www.geocities.com/jeeperaz/pics/hei2.jpg
>
>
>

JimG

Is that a performance mod or just a convenience thing? I haven't found that
answer in the articles.

I noticed where one fellow modified the OEM gear to fit the GM shaft.

http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/electrical/hei02/

--
JimG
80' CJ-7 258 CID
35" BFG MT on 15x10 Centerlines
D44 Rear, Dana 30 Front. SOA
4.56 Gears, LockRight F&R
Dana 300 w/4:1 & Currie twin sticks
Warn X8000i w/ dual batteries

"Jeepster" <yj_driver_NO_SPAM@excite.com> wrote in message
news:4rf5uv0idhd8fjulu7664bljqjs843ql2g@4ax.com...
> Hey folks I went out to the local wreckers today and found an HEI
> distributor from an 83 GMC Van (250 ci straight six) I had taken the
> donor list with me so I was pretty sure I had found the right part.
> Donor list >>>
> http://www.mesa4x4.com/tech_articles...i/258_hei.html
>
> This evening I started reading a bunch of stuff on the mod and I found
> this:
>
> "Start the search for an HEI from vehicles of the years 76-82 with the
> GM 250. These distributors were most common in the Chevy Nova, vans
> and trucks. You will be looking for the HEI with the coil built into
> the cap. The proper HEI will already have 3 wires coming from the
> distributor body that plug into the coil on top of the cap. Note: It
> is likely that an HEI from 1976-1977 will have remote mounted coils.
> These units will work just as well as the others."
>
> One of the other pages I read said that anything after 1982 would not
> work because GM had started to go with electronic ignitions at this
> time.
>
> I hope I have the right part as I went ahead and ordered the proper
> gear today which cost me an arm and a leg....considering I got the
> distributor for $19 Cdn.
>
> The one I found sure looks like this one >>
> http://www.geocities.com/jeeperaz/pics/hei2.jpg
>
>
>

Steve Cook

That's the right distributor. The electronic ignition distributors don't
have the coil in the cap and are smaller in diameter. It's not just a
convenience thing when your CJ starts eating ignition modules. I would go
thru about one a week. Got a new wiring harness, rewired everything, and
went through one a month. Still not great. So I converted to HEI. It
cleans up a lot of wires under the hood.
"Jeepster" <yj_driver_NO_SPAM@excite.com> wrote in message
news:4rf5uv0idhd8fjulu7664bljqjs843ql2g@4ax.com...
> Hey folks I went out to the local wreckers today and found an HEI
> distributor from an 83 GMC Van (250 ci straight six) I had taken the
> donor list with me so I was pretty sure I had found the right part.
> Donor list >>>
> http://www.mesa4x4.com/tech_articles...i/258_hei.html
>
> This evening I started reading a bunch of stuff on the mod and I found
> this:
>
> "Start the search for an HEI from vehicles of the years 76-82 with the
> GM 250. These distributors were most common in the Chevy Nova, vans
> and trucks. You will be looking for the HEI with the coil built into
> the cap. The proper HEI will already have 3 wires coming from the
> distributor body that plug into the coil on top of the cap. Note: It
> is likely that an HEI from 1976-1977 will have remote mounted coils.
> These units will work just as well as the others."
>
> One of the other pages I read said that anything after 1982 would not
> work because GM had started to go with electronic ignitions at this
> time.
>
> I hope I have the right part as I went ahead and ordered the proper
> gear today which cost me an arm and a leg....considering I got the
> distributor for $19 Cdn.
>
> The one I found sure looks like this one >>
> http://www.geocities.com/jeeperaz/pics/hei2.jpg
>
>
>

Steve Cook

That's the right distributor. The electronic ignition distributors don't
have the coil in the cap and are smaller in diameter. It's not just a
convenience thing when your CJ starts eating ignition modules. I would go
thru about one a week. Got a new wiring harness, rewired everything, and
went through one a month. Still not great. So I converted to HEI. It
cleans up a lot of wires under the hood.
"Jeepster" <yj_driver_NO_SPAM@excite.com> wrote in message
news:4rf5uv0idhd8fjulu7664bljqjs843ql2g@4ax.com...
> Hey folks I went out to the local wreckers today and found an HEI
> distributor from an 83 GMC Van (250 ci straight six) I had taken the
> donor list with me so I was pretty sure I had found the right part.
> Donor list >>>
> http://www.mesa4x4.com/tech_articles...i/258_hei.html
>
> This evening I started reading a bunch of stuff on the mod and I found
> this:
>
> "Start the search for an HEI from vehicles of the years 76-82 with the
> GM 250. These distributors were most common in the Chevy Nova, vans
> and trucks. You will be looking for the HEI with the coil built into
> the cap. The proper HEI will already have 3 wires coming from the
> distributor body that plug into the coil on top of the cap. Note: It
> is likely that an HEI from 1976-1977 will have remote mounted coils.
> These units will work just as well as the others."
>
> One of the other pages I read said that anything after 1982 would not
> work because GM had started to go with electronic ignitions at this
> time.
>
> I hope I have the right part as I went ahead and ordered the proper
> gear today which cost me an arm and a leg....considering I got the
> distributor for $19 Cdn.
>
> The one I found sure looks like this one >>
> http://www.geocities.com/jeeperaz/pics/hei2.jpg
>
>
>

Steve Cook

That's the right distributor. The electronic ignition distributors don't
have the coil in the cap and are smaller in diameter. It's not just a
convenience thing when your CJ starts eating ignition modules. I would go
thru about one a week. Got a new wiring harness, rewired everything, and
went through one a month. Still not great. So I converted to HEI. It
cleans up a lot of wires under the hood.
"Jeepster" <yj_driver_NO_SPAM@excite.com> wrote in message
news:4rf5uv0idhd8fjulu7664bljqjs843ql2g@4ax.com...
> Hey folks I went out to the local wreckers today and found an HEI
> distributor from an 83 GMC Van (250 ci straight six) I had taken the
> donor list with me so I was pretty sure I had found the right part.
> Donor list >>>
> http://www.mesa4x4.com/tech_articles...i/258_hei.html
>
> This evening I started reading a bunch of stuff on the mod and I found
> this:
>
> "Start the search for an HEI from vehicles of the years 76-82 with the
> GM 250. These distributors were most common in the Chevy Nova, vans
> and trucks. You will be looking for the HEI with the coil built into
> the cap. The proper HEI will already have 3 wires coming from the
> distributor body that plug into the coil on top of the cap. Note: It
> is likely that an HEI from 1976-1977 will have remote mounted coils.
> These units will work just as well as the others."
>
> One of the other pages I read said that anything after 1982 would not
> work because GM had started to go with electronic ignitions at this
> time.
>
> I hope I have the right part as I went ahead and ordered the proper
> gear today which cost me an arm and a leg....considering I got the
> distributor for $19 Cdn.
>
> The one I found sure looks like this one >>
> http://www.geocities.com/jeeperaz/pics/hei2.jpg
>
>
>

Jeepster

Yes he says he ground it down but I went and got a gear from a AMC 360
engine, which was the most expensive part of the project.

Wrecker distributor: $21
AMC Distributor gear $120 (ouch but I had no choice)
Various connectors and 10 gauge wire $10
12 V / 20 Amp relay $14

I had a hell of a time getting the spring pin back in I actually had
to take my dremel and taper one end of it. The distributor slipped
right in with out having to grind the oil pump tab which some people
have found was required to make the distributor seat properly.
The reason for the gear change is because the "teeth" are machined in
the opposite direction.
I got a set of wires for a Ford Tempo 200 cu in engine wires and went
with the original cap and rotor, regapped the plugs to .042 and
attempted to start it up, it sputtered until I ran around and cranked
on the distributor and the idle smoothed right out. Man it fires up so
nice now compared to the stock ignition but I still think I have to
tweak the carb a bit as it is a bit hard to start at times.

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 01:08:27 GMT, "JimG" <jimg@cj7_2muchspam.com>
wrote:

>Is that a performance mod or just a convenience thing? I haven't found that
>answer in the articles.
>
>I noticed where one fellow modified the OEM gear to fit the GM shaft.
>
>http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/electrical/hei02/

Jeepster

Yes he says he ground it down but I went and got a gear from a AMC 360
engine, which was the most expensive part of the project.

Wrecker distributor: $21
AMC Distributor gear $120 (ouch but I had no choice)
Various connectors and 10 gauge wire $10
12 V / 20 Amp relay $14

I had a hell of a time getting the spring pin back in I actually had
to take my dremel and taper one end of it. The distributor slipped
right in with out having to grind the oil pump tab which some people
have found was required to make the distributor seat properly.
The reason for the gear change is because the "teeth" are machined in
the opposite direction.
I got a set of wires for a Ford Tempo 200 cu in engine wires and went
with the original cap and rotor, regapped the plugs to .042 and
attempted to start it up, it sputtered until I ran around and cranked
on the distributor and the idle smoothed right out. Man it fires up so
nice now compared to the stock ignition but I still think I have to
tweak the carb a bit as it is a bit hard to start at times.

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 01:08:27 GMT, "JimG" <jimg@cj7_2muchspam.com>
wrote:

>Is that a performance mod or just a convenience thing? I haven't found that
>answer in the articles.
>
>I noticed where one fellow modified the OEM gear to fit the GM shaft.
>
>http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/electrical/hei02/

Jeepster

Yes he says he ground it down but I went and got a gear from a AMC 360
engine, which was the most expensive part of the project.

Wrecker distributor: $21
AMC Distributor gear $120 (ouch but I had no choice)
Various connectors and 10 gauge wire $10
12 V / 20 Amp relay $14

I had a hell of a time getting the spring pin back in I actually had
to take my dremel and taper one end of it. The distributor slipped
right in with out having to grind the oil pump tab which some people
have found was required to make the distributor seat properly.
The reason for the gear change is because the "teeth" are machined in
the opposite direction.
I got a set of wires for a Ford Tempo 200 cu in engine wires and went
with the original cap and rotor, regapped the plugs to .042 and
attempted to start it up, it sputtered until I ran around and cranked
on the distributor and the idle smoothed right out. Man it fires up so
nice now compared to the stock ignition but I still think I have to
tweak the carb a bit as it is a bit hard to start at times.

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 01:08:27 GMT, "JimG" <jimg@cj7_2muchspam.com>
wrote:

>Is that a performance mod or just a convenience thing? I haven't found that
>answer in the articles.
>
>I noticed where one fellow modified the OEM gear to fit the GM shaft.
>
>http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/electrical/hei02/