Cheap ignition

[504]

I am setting in a doctors office waiting and a thought came to mind, has anyone tried to cut and glue together a GM HEI onto a tractor? Just curious

 

[Steve@Advance]

I'm sure it could be done.

How much are you talking about using? Just the electronic parts would be fairly simple, but you would have to have machining capability to mount the pick up coil and trigger.

Trying to use the cap, rotor, and integrated coil would get into some serious cross breeding, cutting the housings and welding the 2 back would take some sleepless nights!

 

[timcasbolt]

(quoted from post at 17:44:54 02/17/23) I am setting in a doctors office waiting and a thought came to mind, has anyone tried to cut and glue together a GM HEI onto a tractor? Just curious

remember reading about a guy that stuck an HEI in a 426 Chrysler, so anything's possible.

 

[T.R.K.]

Back in the '90s I saw a 6 cylinder HEI on what (used to be) a MM Diesel. It had the old-style coil in the cap and everything.

PRoviding there is room for the distribuitor and cap, a good machinist should be able to make the housing fit, using the original drive gear, of course.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Dad and a friend put an electronic ignition on the H in place of the distributor. From off Chevette used the whole complete unit.

 

[matthies]

Buddy had one on his 560 IH 35 years ago.

 

[wore out]

I remember reading about a guy that stuck an HEI in a 426 Chrysler, so anything's possible.

''a guy stuck an HEI in a 426 Chrysler''

That's not even a trick if you have some cash!

https://performancedistributors.com/shop/

 

[Geo-TH,In]

What about spark advance?

 

[Jeff NWOH]

You can get the hei distributors for non gm applications. Maybe something out there close enough to fit your tractor without a ton of machining..
Heres an HEI for Ford

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 18:44:54 02/17/23) I am setting in a doctors office waiting and a thought came to mind, has anyone tried to cut and glue together a GM HEI onto a tractor? Just curious

ow much of one you use is important. Notice the larger diameter and longer distance between the wire posts? That is because the HEI can put out enough HV to jump the gap between posts on the old smaller caps. Rotor needs that same voltage consideration. Have fun.

 

[timcasbolt]

(quoted from post at 00:49:26 02/18/23)

I remember reading about a guy that stuck an HEI in a 426 Chrysler, so anything's possible.

''a guy stuck an HEI in a 426 Chrysler''

That's not even a trick if you have some cash!

https://performancedistributors.com/shop/

ot at all surprised by that. This was about 30-35 years ago. He had put a 426 into a 55 Chevy and added the HEI because of the 426's inherent problems with plug fouling. This was a Hot Rod or Car Craft build.

 

[T.R.K.]

Well, in a tractor pulling application, you lock the vacuum advance (Little or no vacuum anyway with the throttle wide open.) and you probably try different sets of springs in the mechanical advance.

I mean, if a guy can put late model multiple coil ignition on an old Massey with no distribuitor on the engine at all, installing an HEI should be a piece of cake. The old HEIs from the late 70s and early 80s were self contained. Just hook up the hot wire from the switch and it would make sparks. (with no resistor wire, of course) It probably would be more trouble to just make the distribuitor fit onto the engine than to get it to run after it was installed.

My '69 GMC 1-ton has run a HEI from a 78 Monte Carlo since back in the 90s.

 

[Papaw8]

I have done it on a 360 dodge and a 302 Ford that were originally electronic ignition but only used the hei module and a separate coil. One coil was from a 4 cylinder s10 the other was from a Ford TFI . They worked good. The reason I did it was I had plenty of the hei modules and the China dura spark Ford modules wouldnt last. The dodge I didnt know anything about if the engine was good or not and didnt want to buy a coil and module to find out so I used what I already had. I have been planning on converting a tractor by using the points to trigger the module but have not got around to it yet.

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 13:28:21 02/19/23) I have done it on a 360 dodge and a 302 Ford that were originally electronic ignition but only used the hei module and a separate coil. One coil was from a 4 cylinder s10 the other was from a Ford TFI . They worked good. The reason I did it was I had plenty of the hei modules and the China dura spark Ford modules wouldnt last. The dodge I didnt know anything about if the engine was good or not and didnt want to buy a coil and module to find out so I used what I already had. I have been planning on converting a tractor by using the points to trigger the module but have not got around to it yet.

ou will find that points will carrry so small a current that they will not stay clean... BTDT.

 

[wore out]

''You will find that points will carry so small a current that they will not stay clean... BTDT''

Yep, X 2.

 

[miangus]

GM did build a four- and six-cylinder version. Maybe use the pickup coils out of the HEI to trigger an external coil. However, I think ford triggers are the easiest to use in a conversion. I have used a points style ignition to trigger a MSD box turned that motor 8,000+ every weekend no issues. I was always going to put a MSD box on my gas 4020 and use the Petrinox as the trigger.