I saw a HEI distributor on summit for 89.95 complete with coil/cap+rotor etc. What a killer deal for a complete unit. But the main question is,who makes the product? Most likely a Proform distributor but why so cheap? I'd rather buy NEW than go resue my junk yard core I have in the garage.

Im trying to convert my 84' vette to carb and blow-through Procharger early-mid next year. Im on a budget but not a complete cheap budget. If its a decent starting point then im going for it since down the road a better module/coil could be used as upgrades.:thumbsup:

Then I saw the MSD Streetfire HEI's for $159.95 and thats a good deal for budget driver/racer. THANKS!

Pretty sure Mallory is making their ignition boxes , but don't know about distributor.

I've used several junkyard HEI's that were gotten for around $25 apiece and always had good luck. I always put new parts in them, but this is about half the cost of buying a new unit.

I ordered the jegs brand last year, its still in the box. Looks like china top to bottom.

I ordered the jegs brand last year, its still in the box. Looks like china top to bottom.

thats kindof what I figured.:sad:

Most of the stuff is made from overseas it seems like now. maybe I should just bite the bullet and hope:confused: I've been running a Proform Mech. race carb for almost a year and no issues.............yet

probably by some little 9 year old Chinese girl.

i was going to get the mallory kit its on summit for 379.99 and comes with all the bells

For $89 why not?
I have always used Accel blueprint HEI's...not sure where they are made these days

For $89 why not?
I have always used Accel blueprint HEI's...not sure where they are made these days


Chris! Thank you! I needed a kick:D

Fwiw, IMAN can tell you in a New York Minute if he's around, which I doubt!!

Google David Ray, "Ignitionman" and ask him and please say hello from ol' pdq67

pdq67

we put one of those $89.95 HEI distributors in my uncle's big block Nova 2 summers ago. it was Proform brand, and actually seemed pretty well made. there was no real slop anywhere, everything was machined nice an pretty, and it only had 22 degrees of mechanical advance in it. it worked beautifully.
i didn't get a good look at the package to see if if had a "made in xxxxx" label anywhere on it, but if i needed a new HEI, i'd get one.

all of them are made in China now, you can get the same one on ebay and racing junk for about 49 bux!

Ditto
All Proform even their GM resto products all made in china/taiwan.

Kindof bummed that alot of products are maid over seas. I wonder if my Petronix distributor in my Chevelle is made in China...hmmm:confused:

im gonna suck it up and buy one and try it. I've had good luck(knock on wood!) with Chinese maid parts so far.

Why buy "new" junk from China when you can get a Genuine Delco distributor from any salvage yard, and with any care in selection at all, you'll have a perfectly usable part once it's cleaned up. With either unit you'll have to adjust the advance to suit the engine.

I don't see any reason to send your dollars to the Communists when you can get a decent Made-In-North America product for less money.

Here is a link to rebuilding a HEI distributor
http://www.rustpuppy.org/ignition2/Ignition%202b.htm

I bought one off e-bay for like ??? $65 to my door (Whitesperformance) and yes its made over seas, but looks and performs just fine. Just look up 65K Volt HEI.

im with shurkey and the others, i'd go with the junkyard ones too, make sure it has a vacuum advance diaphragm, the others are computer controlled. check it for slop top to bottom (cam gear to rotor mount) grab the wires too (to start with) run 12v to it and you've got a modern electronic ignition.

Guys,I hear you on the Chinese made crap.
Example,if I was on a budget I would rather buy a used Edelbrock intake than a new Professional Products intake.
When it comes to combing the junkyards around here,there is no chance of finding anything older than 1988 around here and thats a rarity.
Most of the yards around here has stuff that is 10-12 years old max.

I was told but never verified it, but the MSD streetfire was supposedly made in the USA. please correct me if Im wrong. Kind of sucks though, I installed it and the vacuum advance worked for 5 minutes then went bad. Summit did send me a new one, but I had to pay to ship the bad one back which didnt seem right to me. Jim

I have a 7,500rpm-8,000rpm small block 327, i use GM {old} units and delete the vacuum and machanical advance by doing some welding or buying the vacuum and mechanical lock out kit for them. I never have had an issue. I like a larger cap for higher rpm's, thats why i dont use MSD's, they are great,dont get me wrong but for high rpm we like larger caps

To further proove this all the drag cars etc now run front drive distributers which run a large cap

I have a 7,500rpm-8,000rpm small block 327, i use GM {old} units and delete the vacuum and machanical advance by doing some welding or buying the vacuum and mechanical lock out kit for them. I never have had an issue. I like a larger cap for higher rpm's, thats why i dont use MSD's, they are great,dont get me wrong but for high rpm we like larger caps

To further proove this all the drag cars etc now run front drive distributers which run a large cap
MSD does make large cap distributors- in fact, they make a very nice drop in HEI replacement. or, if you need it, i think they make an adapter to use a large later model Ford cap on a GM points distributor.

there hei is nice. their billet distributers with the small cap are great for street. If i run a large cap i always run hei modified with select parts we have used for a long time now

Good info,thanks guys,I might save money doing my own rebuild and knowing I did it unlike what happens overseas.....

That MSD streetfire dist. is a great price for my other street car(350hp corvette)

Mike,

The pertronix super hei kit is awesome. We have installed it in two cars so far with no issues, high quality cap and rotor, hi po module in 10:1 engine and one in a 11:1 engine.

The kit consists of adjustable vacuum advance, curve kit, cap together with coil and custome coil cover, rotor, module, wiring harness from module, and works very well. I used acel modules {or msd} with accel hei super coil,but not any more, pertronix in the hei's

Kindof bummed that alot of products are maid over seas. I wonder if my Petronix distributor in my Chevelle is made in China...hmmm:confused:

im gonna suck it up and buy one and try it. I've had good luck(knock on wood!) with Chinese maid parts so far.
I think Pertronix is made in the USA.

Its a reality in todays world there is not ONE SINGLE jean manufacturer left in the US. everything is out sourced MANY of those brand nmaes you all hold so dear are made in China now, just not marked that way they are reboxed state side. I can think of several reasons why NOT to and more why I should use those outsourced products. take one ea apart GM and the popoff. You will find MORE features on a brand new mach casting then on the worn out GM pc. How much does it cost to rebuild a gennie GM? Using those same CHINESE parts BTW- MORE than the a new China one. BUY American ?? Thats a laugh, you will be hard pressed to find ANYTHING 100% US made. Even Edelbrock uses oriental Elec. parts.VERY VERY SAD, but a 2000's Reality. I am a former UAW member who's job went overseas, so I KNOW how some of you feel. The fact that you cannot get a US worker to work for 1.50 a day has caused this or so we hear! Pertronix are ASSEMBLED in the US,some of the parts are over seas made. I too would buy a used Edel. intake over a new Perfomance Products one , I have seen many mach. mistakes on those. Besides a USED Edelbrock is cheaper than a NEW PP.

Its a reality in todays world there is not ONE SINGLE jean manufacturer left in the US. everything is out sourced MANY of those brand nmaes you all hold so dear are made in China now, just not marked that way they are reboxed state side. I can think of several reasons why NOT to and more why I should use those outsourced products. take one ea apart GM and the popoff. You will find MORE features on a brand new mach casting then on the worn out GM pc. How much does it cost to rebuild a gennie GM? Using those same CHINESE parts BTW- MORE than the a new China one. BUY American ?? Thats a laugh, you will be hard pressed to find ANYTHING 100% US made. Even Edelbrock uses oriental Elec. parts.VERY VERY SAD, but a 2000's Reality. I am a former UAW member who's job went overseas, so I KNOW how some of you feel. The fact that you cannot get a US worker to work for 1.50 a day has caused this or so we hear! Pertronix are ASSEMBLED in the US,some of the parts are over seas made. I too would buy a used Edel. intake over a new Perfomance Products one , I have seen many mach. mistakes on those. Besides a USED Edelbrock is cheaper than a NEW PP.


Yep, boxed in the USA, bill sent US mail what more can you ask. The CEO's got to get their big money. I own a machine shop & have since 1972. Made some brass fittings for 20 years for 1.00 ea, at the hardware store I would see them for 2.00 ea. Well China quoted them for .25 ea (my brass cost me at that time .35 ea). I saw the china parts months later at the same hardware store, guess what same 2.00 ea.

Someday nobody will be able to buy anything, but the CEO's will have their millions to live on.
Sad, "Let them eat cake".

I like using Performance Distributors DUI HEI's that are custom built for what you are building. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

http://www.performancedistributors.com

When I upgraded I watched ebay for a month and jumped on a BIN GM for $99 complete. When I got it was pleased to see its the same PN they use on the HP crate motors, they guy and pulled it off his crate motor before he ran it and upgraded to aftermarket. Some of them are coming from AU too and are not to good of guality (or so I was told).

Why buy "new" junk from China when you can get a Genuine Delco distributor from any salvage yard, and with any care in selection at all, you'll have a perfectly usable part once it's cleaned up. With either unit you'll have to adjust the advance to suit the engine.



I don't see any reason to send your dollars to the Communists when you can get a decent Made-In-North America product for less money

Thats the most valid argument I have heard...

IMO, The problem with "Chinese" quality is with the companies selling the products, often US companies. They not only outsource labor (and now support), but they don't seem to put much effort into QA/QC... If Mattel, Summit, etc want to put their name on it, they better demand a quality part from the manufacturer, no matter where it is actually made... I have been purchasing more and more "Summit" branded parts, and I am prety satisfied that the quality is as good as or better than the name brand stuff costing more... maybe its all made overseas :rolleyes:...

As for the Summit HEI, I picked one up as an interm distributor, something to "hot-wire" the engine and fire up a motor... I didn't have the time to run to the wrecking yard and search for a decent used distributor and then clean it up, and replace parts, possibly trouble shooting stuff ( back when I had the extra time, that would have been the way I went)... I bought this last February, and still haven't used it (just too damn busy this year)...

Doesn't the Summit HEI have a stronger-than-stock coil?

I like using Performance Distributors DUI HEI's that are custom built for what you are building. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

http://www.performancedistributors.com
X2 on that!! I have used them several times and they are a quality operation!!!

I've ran into the 11s/quarter mile with a coil that reads "only" 28,000 volts on a SUN machine. Why do you guys think these "high output" coils are an advantage?