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I got a 69 chevelle with 454 in it i got a edelbrock perfomer intake and a 750 cfm edelbrock carb on it and the hei distributor i can only crank out 5,000 rpms is that all a 454 can put out or do i need to change something
Help
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Is this a cheap HEI Distributor? Is your timing set properly? Try borrowing a distributor from a friend if possible that works right. We have seen many defective MSD Streetfire or Procomp HEI Distributors that would not allow it to rev up past 5000 range...swapped distributors and bam...
near as I can tell MSD Streetfire = Procomp HEI Distributors. Are either one of these any better than the infamous $52 HEI from Skip White and similar vendors.
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its the autozone one :/ it was like $180 but it will not let me get above 5,000 what do you think the 454 should put out?
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What cam, valvesprings, and heads are you using?
Also...what happens at 5000rpm? Does it just run out of power...or is it dramatic? Like popping, sputtering, or anything like that. Does it happen in every gear at 5000, or just top gear at 5000?
Faulty ignition can definitely cause issues with making RPM, but we would have to verify everything else just to make sure its not obivously something else.
I guess a good question to ask would be, did you ever have any other ignition on this motor? And if you did...how did the motor run with the other igition? If the problems started immediately after swapping distributors, then an ignition problem either caused by, or as a result of the new distributor would be the safest place to look.
Did you bypass the factory resistor wire and make sure that HEI distributor is getting a full 12 volt signal?
Also...what happens at 5000rpm? Does it just run out of power...or is it dramatic? Like popping, sputtering, or anything like that. Does it happen in every gear at 5000, or just top gear at 5000?
Faulty ignition can definitely cause issues with making RPM, but we would have to verify everything else just to make sure its not obivously something else.
I guess a good question to ask would be, did you ever have any other ignition on this motor? And if you did...how did the motor run with the other igition? If the problems started immediately after swapping distributors, then an ignition problem either caused by, or as a result of the new distributor would be the safest place to look.
Did you bypass the factory resistor wire and make sure that HEI distributor is getting a full 12 volt signal?
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its an original motor as far as i know when i got the car the motor didnt run i put this ignition in before i got it running. the problem happens in all of the gears it just cuts out and its very dramaitic
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what year 454? A 454 wouldnt have been original to a 69. The 454 didnt come around til 70.
And what about that resistor wire? How did you wire the HEI up?
And what about that resistor wire? How did you wire the HEI up?
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well it was a 396 in it but the guy i bought it from stuck the 454 in it. me and my neighbor put in a painless wiring harness in Im not sure what year the 454 is i got the the numbers off the block if that would help
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Yeah numbers would help. casting number, and the numbers off of the front with the suffix code would help determine the year.
Some stock 454's were plenty healthy. Course...there are a bunch out there that ended up in trucs that were total slugs in stock form. I drove one in a full sized dump that couldnt make it to 5K if its life depended on it. Power right off idle til around 4K at best in the big heavy truck.
Just depends on the engine build. Could be major valve float... could be that ignition.
Which painless? I have a painless harness for a 50's truck street rod project and I ordered it with the intent of using electronic ingition, so all would be well. But if you have access to a multimemter....I suggest making sure you have full 12 volts at the distributor.
Some stock 454's were plenty healthy. Course...there are a bunch out there that ended up in trucs that were total slugs in stock form. I drove one in a full sized dump that couldnt make it to 5K if its life depended on it. Power right off idle til around 4K at best in the big heavy truck.
Just depends on the engine build. Could be major valve float... could be that ignition.
Which painless? I have a painless harness for a 50's truck street rod project and I ordered it with the intent of using electronic ingition, so all would be well. But if you have access to a multimemter....I suggest making sure you have full 12 volts at the distributor.
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So if i posted the numbers up here could someone tell me what year it is? and.... I got the car at the interior shop and the motor is pulled so i wont be able to test it for a while but that is the first thing ill do... i got a fluke 88 multimeter so ill check for power at the distributor when i get it all back together.. And i got the regular wiring harness for the 69 chevelle from painless Maybe ill just set up the original iginiton system and see what happens? Thanks Jake
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