I just replaced the engine harness in my 67 Chevelle. The harness I bought is apparently for an original setup not and HEI. In the new harness there is a white wire with stripes which comes from the firewall connector out to a metal "C" connector that then splices to a yellow wire which I assume the yellow wire would go to the "R" on the starter. Not sure where the "metal C" connector connected. My question is can cut this wire back to a length and use it as a HEI wire. From what I have read about the old set up, this yellow wire supplied 12 volts on an old point set up so can it now supply 12 volts to the HEI. I traced my old harness and it appears that is what was done but the wire on the old harness was yellow and black not white with stripes. Both wirea the one from the new harness and the one from the old harness look like they are coming from the same firewall spade connector. Here are some pictures of the wire.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj135/marknbrenda/DSCN2382.jpg

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj135/marknbrenda/DSCN2381.jpg

Nope, you don't want to use any part of the white/red resistor wire. There will be too much voltage drop for the HEI to work properly. You will need to remove the wire from the bulkhead connector and replace it with a 14 gauge wire. Splice that wire and the yellow wire together and connect them to the BAT terminal on the HEI. An alternative is to hook a wire into the IGN terminal of the fusebox and run it through the firewall to the BAT terminal of the HEI. You still want to connect the yellow wire to the wire from the IGN terminal so that the HEI gets voltage with the key in the start position.

The "C" terminal is to connect the wire to the + side of the coil on a points system.
Hope that helped,
BillL

Do you really need the wire from the starter "R" terminal if you have a full 12 VDC to the plus side of the coil? I don't think so since the wire from the "R" terminal is solely to supply 12 volts to the coil for starting. If you have a constant 12 volt source to the coil with the resistor wire replaced, the wire from the starter solenoid is not needed.

Nope, you don't want to use any part of the white/red resistor wire. There will be too much voltage drop for the HEI to work properly. You will need to remove the wire from the bulkhead connector and replace it with a 14 gauge wire. Splice that wire and the yellow wire together and connect them to the BAT terminal on the HEI. An alternative is to hook a wire into the IGN terminal of the fusebox and run it through the firewall to the BAT terminal of the HEI. You still want to connect the yellow wire to the wire from the IGN terminal so that the HEI gets voltage with the key in the start position.

The "C" terminal is to connect the wire to the + side of the coil on a points system.
Hope that helped,
BillL

So if I understand it right, in a point system the white/red wire at the "C" terminal would have went to the + of an external coil, then the yellow that was sliced at the "C" terminal would have went over to the "R" on the starter. But now with an HEI, neither are used. A 12 volt wire goes to the HEI, and a purple heavy wire just goes to the "S" on the starter, and a heavy red wire goes from the battery terminal to the large terminal on the starter.

Is the white/red wire a certain kind of wire or something. Why can it be replaced with another wire in the block and work but the current one won't work. Is it the guage that causes the voltage to drop but a 14 guage will hold the voltage. I'm lost when it comes to all that electrical stuff.

So it sounds like the best thing to do is run a separate wire from the IGN terminal of the fuseblock directly to the + on the HEI, then just fold up and hide the white and yellow wire as it isn't needed at all unless I had a point system. Cause I'm not sure how to remove it all together from the firewall connector and put in a different wire. Its taped up pretty good into the harness.

The white/red wire is a specified length and resistance wire. It's purpose is to drop the voltage to the coil so the points won't burn up as fast. The purpose of the yellow wire is to send a full 12 v to the coil during cranking to increase the voltage at the coil for a hotter spark and quicker starting. You will still need the yellow wire when you do your modification because the IGN terminal isn't hot when the ignition switch is in the start position. Just cut the yellow wire off at the "C" terminal and splice it into the wire from the IGN terminal.
BillL

The white/red wire is a specified length and resistance wire. It's purpose is to drop the voltage to the coil so the points won't burn up as fast. The purpose of the yellow wire is to send a full 12 v to the coil during cranking to increase the voltage at the coil for a hotter spark and quicker starting. You will still need the yellow wire when you do your modification because the IGN terminal isn't hot when the ignition switch is in the start position. Just cut the yellow wire off at the "C" terminal and splice it into the wire from the IGN terminal.
BillL

Not sure I understand this yellow wire thing. If I just run a new separate wire from the ignition terminal of the fuseblock directly to the + on the HEI, then I splice the yellow wire into the new wire that I just added, where do I connect the other end of the yellow wire. Do I really need this yellow wire. I don't mean to sound dumb but wiring is not my specialty, sorry.

The other end of the yellow wire is attached to the "R" terminal of the starter solenoid, like you said in the first post. Sorry I didn't clarify that before.
When the key is turned to "start", current is sent through the solenoid to the yellow wire, then to the HEI. This provides 12 v to the ignition when the key is in "start".
BillL

The white/red wire is a specified length and resistance wire. It's purpose is to drop the voltage to the coil so the points won't burn up as fast. The purpose of the yellow wire is to send a full 12 v to the coil during cranking to increase the voltage at the coil for a hotter spark and quicker starting. You will still need the yellow wire when you do your modification because the IGN terminal isn't hot when the ignition switch is in the start position. Just cut the yellow wire off at the "C" terminal and splice it into the wire from the IGN terminal.
BillL

Bill are you sure he needs the yellow wire? I don't know about a 67 but my 70 doesn't, pretty sure 69 and up don't. The wire from the bulkhead connector or IGN terminal of fuseblock is hot while cranking. He could always test it out, either hook it up without yellow or use a meter to check it.

Bill are you sure he needs the yellow wire? I don't know about a 67 but my 70 doesn't, pretty sure 69 and up don't. The wire from the bulkhead connector or IGN terminal of fuseblock is hot while cranking. He could always test it out, either hook it up without yellow or use a meter to check it.

Hank, I don't know for certain if he needs it or not, but it won't hurt anything. Redundancy can be good. :yes:
Mark, be sure you wrap the red/white and yellow wires after you cut them so they can't short against anything on the motor or firewall.
BillL

Hank, I don't know for certain if he needs it or not, but it won't hurt anything. Redundancy can be good. :yes:
Mark, be sure you wrap the red/white and yellow wires after you cut them so they can't short against anything on the motor or firewall.
BillL


No it won't hurt, just wondering. Some guys install many starters then you have no R terminal, no problem with HEI but it is with points.

EDIT: Meant to say mini starter

I also deleted the resistance wire and yellow coil wire and haven't had any problems whatsoever. I just run 12 volts from the same cavity as the resistance wire used to be in.

Thanks all for the response. Sounds like the best way to go is take out the resistance wire and yellow wire and replace it with another one to the HEI. Hate to unwrap that nice new harness, but seems like that would be neater and more stock looking than running a separate wire from the fusebox. Any how thanks again.