For anyone interested this is how I wired my HEI ignition. Some people use the existing harness but if checked there is almost always some voltage drop through the system. HEI needs a full 12 volts and it is best to wire it directly to the battery.
looks like a LOT of extra work i would have to look at the 72 olds i just did but i belive i used the yellow and a black wire stripped em put a new connector on and pushed it in the dist or you can use factory plug on the distributor and butt connector. Done MANY of these and NEVER had a problem EVER!
Me too have done this, but i will never do it again.. The diffrence is clearly noticable between 9 and 12volts.
They need battery voltage when cranking and running only, same deal goes with the Pertronix and some other points eliminator units. You can't use the resistor wire or the wire from the ballast resistor. You probe the ignition switch wiring and find a 14 gauge wire that has power cranking and when the ignition is on only and connect the wire to that. All those wires and a relay contact would probably produce a lot more resistance and voltage drop than a single connection? The power feed to the relay should be 12 gauge if you have two loads wired in 14 gauge off of it, better to have too much than not enough.
good one! That's the way to do it! Never mind the voltage (it DOES COUNT ), but those babies draw some current and the relay solves that mischief. OOops! Forgot to mention that 14 won't cut it, needs to be 8 or 10 (just like the factory). Never confuse 'runs' with 'runs right' lol
mine always ran fine matter of fact they screamed,most of my own were V-6 and V-8 chevy vega's(74 and down). with thousands or hundreds of thousands of miles on em no probs and more importantly no LOSSES. do what ever trips your fancy.
reeeally... so exactly why DID the factory waste the wire? They 'screamed'? what kind of pain were they in? Pardon my sarcastic bitchy tongue but do the research ...those coils draw some power not available your way so naah! it doesn't work. Do it right.
Really? wow making an ass outta you is gonna be a riot.You can do all the research ya want bud. 76 olds 350 in my last 74 olds wagon with COMPLETE 71 poncho wagon dash and wiring harness complete with guages ran the same as all i have described,and i will in fact get some pics of the 72 cutlass i just finshed a few months ago same wiring no probs. like i said do whatever trips your fancy,but now you have a problem. i hope you don't mind public embarrassment.
I don't understand why some people feel the need to be so condescending on the internet. I'm always curious of they are that way in person. You would think not, but then again I run into so many people out in the real world that also act that way and I can only think about what it would take to end up that way.
Thanks Vetteman for posting. I have repaired so many botched conversions by using the method you presented that I get quite annoyed with eroneous info. Others reading all this malarkey will reach their own conclusions, I'm sure. Enough said, thanks again.
Maybe it's the internet and I can't tell. Were you saying the method I used was botched, or you fixed other botched methods and replaced them with the way I did mine?
Sorry got my tang tungled-up in my eye tooth and couldn't see what I was saying. I'm saying your method fixes the botched ones. You need to add a fusible link at the battery on the big wire(you have it as 14 ga, needs to be 10 or so) to the relay and that is about it. The HEI is a fairly effective ignition for relatively low speed engines (4k and down) as all these years have proven. Good info Ps oops just looked again and you do have a fusible link. Kudos
