HEI distributor on 400 big block in 1974 Dodge Dart Sport

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Mallory has two versions of a coil for the HEI set-up.
The street version is good for up to 5,500 RPMs.
The street/strip version works best from 4,000 to 7,000 RPMs
It is a large round coil similar to the Accel 'Super Coil'.

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Petronix makes an under cap 50,000 volt performance HEI coil as well. It has .50 ohms resistance.

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Moroso ProCoil under cap performance HEI coil

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Proform also makes an under cap performance HEI coil

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This should be most of the more common stock mounting coils. You can go to an external coil as well, however then you lose the point of HEI which is to have everything self contained in one unit for a clean installation.

Feel free to post any other findings, just trying to keep a descent record for anyone who is thinking of going this route.
Hopefully this will prove to be a reliable and powerful option for people looking for an aftermarket ignition set-up that do not have the money to spend on an digital ignition set-up like the MSD Pro-billet distributor ($350), MSD digital 6+ box ($350) & MSD HVC coil ($150)...
 
Well I got my replacement distributor cap and wire harness a couple days ago. I got it all installed earlier today along with the MSD digital module. Can't wait to fire this engine up!
The red cap looks much better in my opinion. Although the set-up is not subtle anymore.

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im kinda curious as to why you would buy a blowtie dizzy and then spend $$ to fix it to install on your Mopar. why not just buy a Mopar distributor?
hell, why not just drop a sbc in the car?
 
dartcustom said:
yes the HEI will clean up your wiring + you get to throw the ballast away for good if the module goes up you can just pick anouther one up at a parts store really cheap and the mod will only cost you about $30 the only other thing you will need becides the module is a few butt connectors (or I like to solder and heat shrink them) also you could really benifeit from going with an msd blaster coil. I did the mod a few years ago 4? somthing like that and I'v never had a problem with it yet
Click to expand...

You only get to throw the ballast away if you go the full HEI with the coil in the cap. If you use one of the distributors with the HEI module hung on the side and a conventional coil you still need the ballast recommended by the coil manufacturer. If you purchase a coil that does not need an external ballast you you could use it with a mopar system without the ballast too.

Mopar modules, pickups and such are just as easily picked up at the local parts store and are just as cheap as the HEI parts. Other than eliminating a couple of wires there is no advantage to the HEI system over a mopar electronic system.
 
sweatybetty said:
im kinda curious as to why you would buy a blowtie dizzy and then spend $$ to fix it to install on your Mopar. why not just buy a Mopar distributor?
Click to expand...

As already stated because of the fact that it really cleans up the wiring on the inside of the engine bay. It is a simple one wire hook-up. Also as already stated with the performance upgrades (MSD digital module w/ adjustable RPM limiter, high performance coil) it can handle up to 9,000 RPMs without dropping off. Combine that with the fact that it is a new distributor and HEI uses the spark plug style terminal connections instead of the old loose slip-in socket type that the Mopars had.
For only $270.00 (shipped) it seemed to be the best package that I could put together for my ignition system budget of $400.00.

Did I mention the supersized bright red HEI distributor cap looks awesome on the from of a Mopar big block?

If I bought a new Mopar distributor, I'd still have to get the Mopar Performance ECU, a performance coil, some type of RPM limiter, and an aftermarket cap with the spark plug style terminals...

sweatybetty said:
hell, why not just drop a sbc in the car?
Click to expand...
:roll:
 
I had $130.00 left in my ignition system budget and all I need is an ignition wire set (~95.00) so I splurged and picked up this red MSD 'Extreme Output' coil cover (PN: 84021) to match my new red distributor cap. It looks the same as their original MSD 'Extreme Output' coil cover (PN: 84022), however this one is manufactured to fit stock HEI distributor caps. Price was $40.00 shipped.

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I also bought the MSD SuperConductor 8.5mm performance ignition wire set for Mopars that have the male/HEI style terminals (PN: 32739). They feature only 40-50 ohms of resistance per foot of ignition wire which is the least of any helically wound wire. They have over 40 feet of conductor wrapped in a single foot of ignition wire. They also have an extremely effective EMI choke to keep the EMI inside the wire so it will not interfere with any other electronics. They are dual crimped (a solid crimp for the conductor and seperate solid crimp for the sleeve) not only reduces the chance of arching to the block or exhaust through the boot, they are guaranteed not to pull off in 5 years!

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I spent $410.00 shipped for the entire ignition system and all parts were purchased new from reputable suppliers. Pretty close to my budget, if only all my projects stayed that close to the initial budget.
(Mopar 383/400 HEI distributor w/ high performance coil, MSD 9,000 RPM digital module w/ adjustable RPM limiter, MSD 'Extreme Output' coil cover, MSD SuperConductor 8.5mm ignition wires, 10 awg power wire for distributor power)
 
GEEE! For a lot less than that you could have purchased a mopar performance distributor and a MSD, Accel, Crane or Mallory capacitive discharge igntion box and had a much better setup. Plus you could have left the mopar ECU installed and had a back up that was as easy as switching over some wires.
 
The point of the HEI set-up is to get rid of that extra mess. Keep in mind $96.00 of the above price was for the MSD ignition wires, and $40.00 was an unessesary MSD coil cover.
With that in mind, I have about $275.00 into the distributor/ignition system.

Even the cheaper analog MSD 6AL box is $250.00 shipped. That's about what I have into my entire digital HEI set-up. The Mopar Performance distributor is another $175.00 shipped on top of that. A cheap MSD Blaster2 coil is another $50.00 shipped.
Thats $475.00, not including the $96.00 ignition wires or the male/HEI terminal cap ($50 shipped).
It would cost me ~$620.00 to go that route and I am not convinced that the analog CD boxes are any better than the digital HEI set-ups, especially for an additional $210.00. < Thats almost a set of KB240 pistons or about helf way to some 440 source connecting rods...
 
I also bought everything seperately from different vendors. One could save a couple dollars if everything was purchased at one time through a single vendor.

I am not saying this set-up is the best, because it is not.

For less than $275.00 shipped, it is a great alternative if you need a nice, clean, reliable, and digital distributor & ignition set-up and do not have the cash for a performance distributor, CD box, coil, and such...

Add in the $96.00 for the MSD SuperConductor ignition wires to keep carry the power to the plugs and the $40.00 I spent on the MSD coil cover to make it look a little more trick (strickly cosmetic), I think $410.00 it is a great bargain.
 
The only issue with the above referenced link is it's suggesting that you can elminate the ballast resistor. You can't unless you purchase a coil that does not require a ballast resistor in which case you could eliminate the ballast with a mopar ecu too.

The GM HEI system did not use a ballast resistor becuase of the design of the coil not because of the module. Also, if you use a stock HEI module it has less rpm capability than the stock mopar ecu, you need to purchase a performance module to get any advantage.
 
I have one in my 68 B body. I have photos posted of the engine compartment in the gallery. I had to remove the wiper motor to run the HEI. The system works well and I haven't found a "stock" type unit I really like or am willing to spend even more dollars on. Just my $.02.
 
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