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Which Distributor????

8K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  blackbeauty74 
#1 · (Edited)
#3 ·
First Guess: both are marginal quality, made-in-China junk.

Second Guess: Made in the same factory.

Third Guess: You're better off with a used-but-usable Delco HEI that's been cleaned and lubed; and with the ignition curve suited to YOUR vehicle.
 
#4 ·
Bought one of the "Chinese junk" distributors for my 70 with 355, works great for over two years, still running very strong, it's even billet aluminum! Same maker as the ones Summit offers for $100.

Ebay; copy and paste the link below to see it, $39.00 and $12.00 shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item439e1646b7

50,000 VOLT COIL
FULLY MACHINED & POLISHED HOUSING
RED CAP AND ROTOR
BRASS TERMINALS ON CAP & ROTOR
GOOD TO 7500+ RPM
 
#6 ·
Bought one of the "Chinese junk" distributors for my 70 with 355, works great for over two years, still running very strong, it's even billet aluminum! Same maker as the ones Summit offers for $100.

Ebay; copy and paste the link below to see it, $39.00 and $12.00 shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-HEI-DISTRIBUTORS-FOR-CHEVROLET-V8-SBC-BBC_W0QQitemZ290415068855QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item439e1646b7

50,000 VOLT COIL
FULLY MACHINED & POLISHED HOUSING
RED CAP AND ROTOR
BRASS TERMINALS ON CAP & ROTOR
GOOD TO 7500+ RPM
Wow, Looks exactly the same as the two that I posted links to!! I guess they are all Chinese crap! Probably all made in the same place, just asking different prices. I'm gonna go for the one from Summit and see what happens. What's the worst thing that can happen??? Gotta be better than the old points system that came stock on the car.
 
#13 ·
Far as I know, the new GMPP HEI distributor that ISN'T the MSD version...is made in Taiwan.

I've been known to take a good used Delco/USA distributor and drop in the replacement main shaft sold to fit the GMPP/ZZ4 distributor. Fresh weights, springs, and center plate; unworn weight pivot pins all at an advantageous price--and the rest of the distributor is good ol' Made In USA Delco stuff.

Of course, that only works for the Chevrolet style distributors. If you're working on a Pontiac or Buick or whatever, the new GMPP mainshaft doesn't fit.

I was just told that most of them are made by the same company that makes the MSD distributors. Any truth to that??
First Guess: If that's true, it's the company that makes the low-budget import line of "Street Fire" crap for MSD. The "real" MSD distributors still say "Made in USA" on the box.






For ANY of you buying aftermarket distributors: BEWARE of low-quality distributor gears hanging off the bottom of some of these distributors. Lots of reported failures with these crappy gears.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Application will be on a 396, pretty much stock, with a very mild 280 Comp cam.
You're better off with a used-but-usable Delco HEI that's been cleaned and lubed; and with the ignition curve suited to YOUR vehicle.
I agree with Schurkey, Just go to a swap meet or e-bay/craiglist or an old salvage yard,
and pickup a good lookin USED Chevrolet big block/or/small block HEI distributor core .....

These are cheap and actually pretty simple to modify ... using a good timing light ... by swaping "weights", using medium weight aftermarket "springs" and finding the correct degree "center cam" ........

I've read that "HEI mechanical advance",
can vary between 5*-26* depending on the "centerplate number" and the "weight number".

http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?t=595956&page=2

Rocky Rotella and Sun Tuned are the most informative distributor guru's .....
http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/index.php
check out this Pontiac site, and search ...... "HEI center cam chart" ....... good reading ...
 
#12 ·
If you have the stock pints dist why not just install Cranes XRi or pertronics ingnitor 2 or 3 point conversion .

The Crane ign with rev limiter is $69.99 which is cheaper then a new chineese dist but the pretronics ign is more $ and is approx $100 & $140 depending on if it's the ignitor 2 or ignitor 3 ignition system with rev limiter.

That way you can keep stock looking dist but have upgrade to elec ign along with the vac adv thats benificial for most street perf motors unless running very larg cams that wok better with locked out timing and no vac adv.

You can esily cleanup the AL housing of the stock points type dist using a fine grade wire wheel on a drill or bench grinder in approx 10-15mins ,looks like new when done,i have done it mult times.

I polish up the vac adv cans using semichrome avail from Eastwood ot local motorcycle shops.

If you dont have a fine wire wheel to polish dist housing the semichrome will work just fine but that takes some elbow grease and takes approx 20-30 mins to do by hand.

Scott
 
#14 ·
i dont understand why people keep buying junk chinese hei copys when its so easy to find a used hei . like was said, clean it up ,inspect the dist shaft, advance assy get an advance curve kit and go. allways buy replacement parts like modules and pick ups from gm or for performance upgrades:performance distributors or msd's best line
 
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