I want to rebuild a 350 and put it in my chevelle. I bought this chevelle when I was sixteen and came with an hei ignition. I would like to have the new engine have hei ignition but am not sure what I need to do or modify for this. also never rebuilt an engine before. any recommended reading or videos for the job?

Get "How to rebuild small block chevys".

HEI is a simple drop-in dist unit that is supplied with 12volt switched current only. The book might say.... but the book is definately your best friend.

you can buy a modified harness for your hei too...

Hello people,

If his car already has an HEI then he doesn't need to do anything for a new engine except stick the HEI into the hole at the back of the manifold. :rolleyes:

That and a mentor, or spend a couple of years getting hands-on experience so he doesn't end up like our pal in Sacramento.

Aint it the truth! graemlins/hurray.gif

SO DO I JUST HAVE TO ORDER AN HEI UNIT FOR THE SPECIFIC ENGINE I REBUILD? iS THE HEI UNIT THE DISTRIBUTOR?

Yes, the HEI is the distributor...

GM called it High Energy Ignition... HEI for short... This was on all (or most) GM vehicles from 1974 or 1975 on up... Although you will need the Chevy V8 version...

Yes the HEI unit is a distibuter. Any Chevrolet small block HEI will work. Go to the parts store and say I need an HEI distibuter for a Chevrolet 350. They should beable to set you up.
The basic engine swap is direct bolt on. I highly recomend you be involved with the engine removal process so you can see where everything goes and how it hooks up. I did my first swap some years ago, my uncle helped/ directed but I was the monkey turning the wrench and skinning knuckles! It is important to pay attention to the brackets and how they are put on. i.e. pwr steering.
Once you see what's going on during the removal process you shouldn't have any problems putting the new engine back in.

Perhaps he wants a new HEI instead of using an otherwise old worn out one.

Yes HEI is what they called the distributor. Any 74-80 Chevy V8 should have one. You can also buy them new thru Summit and Jegs. Make sure the one you get is not for the computer controled 80's smog engines.