[oneslowrex]

i got a 73 nova with a 307. i had the points dist on it and the i think it went bad so i converted to a hei dist. i cant get it to start know. they said all i need to do is hook up a power wire to it. i thiught the power wire from the other dist was the yellow wire that went to the dist. can you help me out. this is my daily driver and my 2nd v8 engine so i dont know much about it.

 

[oneslowrex]

please do cuase i even used a positive wire straght from the batt and it still didnt poop., do i need to use a groun wire on the dist or is it grouned throught the engine. i need all the help i can get on this very simple job. and i checked the wire pattern fron a newer hei setup and i think the wires are in a diffrent position then the ones i have.4 wires in the back of the cap and 4 in the front and my #1 is all the way to the right in the back 4 wires.

 

[NovaNate]

OneSlowRex

The correct post for a #1 wire on an HEI is front drivers-side post, look at a Haynes manual in the front pages it will show you. It shouldn't matter where your #1 wire is on the distributor as long as the other wires continue around the distributor in the proper firing order AND the wires are hooked to the correct cylinders.

The proper way to do the swap is to remove the keyed ignition resistance wire from the firewall engine harness and replace it with a bigger wire and run it straight to the Batt/Ign terminal on the HEI. However running it from the battery should've worked for testing, but don't leave it this way. You don't need a ground wire running to the distributor.

There are some really good website that detail this if you google "HEI Swap", there is probably even threads on this site that tell you how.
http://www.oldengine.org/unfaq/hei.htm for example. It sounds confusing in words, but once you trace the wires from your ignition coil, you will see only one goes to the engine fire-wall wiring harness, that is the one to replace.

 

[Nova_Guy]

There is a plug on the cap with two connections. Most I have saw are labeled IGN and TACH. If you run a keyed 12V wire (Make sure it's keyed otherwise it won't shut off) to the IGN side it should run. The other one is of course the tachometer hook up. Make sure you have a spark at the plug wire and the firing order is right along with the distributor in the right way. There is a good thread on that in the Best Of Tech section.

 

[oneslowrex]

i got it started today. the problem was that i had the dist and the cap at seperate position. and the yellow wire fron the harness that was on the points dist worked for my power. i dont know how but all the ppl i takt to said i cant use that wire. i know need a timing gun to set it at 8 degress btdc. and i hope it runs good. this was just a error in directions for me but thankis for the info

 

[mychevyii20]

On my 67, the ignition wire came out of the firewall and went down to a post on the starter. This was a resister wire. Then a standard wire went from this same post on the starter to the distributer. The reason it went to the start is the starter would give the post full 12v jump during starting, bypassing the resistor wire, giving a hotter spark to start. This is not needed on an HEI and most people go from the firewall to the HEI with a normal wire.

Many HEIs will still run with the resistor wire in place, but it is best to replace it in the long run. Resistor wires drop the voltage, but only when their "rated" amperage is flowing thru them. Volt meters use a miniscule amount of current and will often show full voltage even with a resister wire when checking it disconnected or with the car stopped.

Resister wires were needed to keep the voltage down so the points wouldn't burn up prematurely during normal operation when they switched from 6v to 12v in the 50's. The 12v jump would help starting, especially cold starting with the choke on.

 

[oneslowrex]

it runs know but the timing is still off cause i didnt use a gun yet. i gotta throw the gun on it when i get home. the weird thing is that the car wont shift gears know. i dont know if its cuase the timings off or what.

 

[nova64000]

On my 64 with a 350 and HEI the guy who coverted it ran a seperate starter botton.(common on novas with V8 converten novas) One of the things I would eventully like to do is get it so it cranks using the regular key switch.

I noticed that there was an extra wire coming out of the small wiring harness to the starter It had a connector that was for the larger termainal. Other then that it has a purple wire (I think) with small connector and then the battery cable. What exactly would I have to do to get it to crank with the key switch?

 

[novalty]

My only suggestion for the swap is to get a distributor with a small cap. I regret getting a cheaper distributor with a large cap, as my garage love tapped the firewall to get it to fit. So when it comes time to replace the motor and tranny, I will also have to fix my firewall. Guess it is one of those live and learn events.

Good luck with your swap!

Paul a.k.a novalty