Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines Distributor

Does any body know if there is an HEI Dist for a 226 flathead six, please reply

Build one.
EvilDr235

Have you tried Tom Langdon?
www.stoveboltengineco.com
I know he has HEIs for both late and early GMs and now Mopars. I don't know about any Fords. Good luck.

Pertronix may have a conversion for it. Call and find out. If not, it may be possible to adapt one of there units for another six to your application.

That engine doesn't require & HEI in your climate.

The HEI developed by the Feds for the EPA is only a benefit to commercial vehicles or those in 'freezing' climates.

Save your money.

I am curious to hear why points are better than HEI...

Because they can be adjusted/replaced in the field W/O any special equipment.

HEI does have It's place however.

Commercial vehicles (high miles traveled), those in freezing climate(s) or on a race track/high RPM usage.

I guess It's the age old question: Which is better, belts or suspenders.

To properly set points, you would need a dwell meter. That would be considered a special tool in my book. You would also need to be able to rotate the lobes on the shaft to get the right place to set the gap opening in the first place. Not always an easy or accurate thing to do.
If my HEI module goes bad, I remove the 2 screws that hold down the module, unplug it, plug in the new one, screw it down, put the cap/rotor back on, and I'm done. You'd be lucky to be half way through changing the points by then...

If HEI is great for "heavy service" applications, why wouldn't it work great for everything all the time?

HEI is accurate all the time as it doesn't "wear out" like points, It can handle more voltage and so gives a hotter spark which it turn provides better combustion for more power and better fuel economy.

a new set of points begins to wear as soon as the engine is fired up.
robert.

Gentlemen;

The 40s era Ford flathead 6 (226")produced 90 horsepower @3300 RPM and a distributer that will never see 2K.

Do you really feel it requires a precision unit that produces 50,000+ volts to run properly in Texas, or any other warm climate??

Just the 12V conversion & newer Ford coil will be an upgrade that's almost 'overkill'.

Give the kid a break. :rolleyes:

Again, HEI does a better job than points in ALL conditions, period. No adjustments or worn parts to replace.
Harping about temperature is irrelevant. An engine will run at about the same temp regardless of geographical location anyway. Having a battery with enough cold cranking amps for the conditions is all you need to worry about.
Funny you would mention the early flatheads. That piece of crap is the reason they invented distributor machines...

well there are parts that do wear out in a hei.
the weight holes and the pins they ride on should be checked and lubed every tune up. most are not and were not.
the hei came about for 2 reasons. emissions and the fact people were too lazy to keep their cars tuned. and that is also why we have computers on the newer cars now.

I mentioned that engine because; It's the engine he has and asked about.

It is not "a piece of crap" as you may think. It's a low compression/horsepower/turning unit that doesn't require 50,000+ volts to run properly in a mild climate.

Points have been installed/adjusted W/O distributor machines or dwell meters for decades all over the USA. These are nice to have & use but not necessary at all.

Engines in sub-freezing temps (that's below +32F) start faster & run better untill warmed up with HEI because the colder mixture is more difficult to burn with the 18,000 volts delivered by a coventional ignition system.

Anyone living New York will explain how relevant this is, especialy during winter months.

The only reason HEI was created was to comply with the Federal mandate as Bob points out.

Bob,
Yes, there are parts that wear on all distributors. The parts you mention are on both types, so they don't really count for this debate. It's the stuff that's different that I'm talking about.

John,
The "piece of crap" I was refering to is the 32-48 V8, my apologies for not being clearer. I was in a hurry this morning.

If you intend to get the most out of your dizzy, then using a dwell meter isn't really an option.

I live in Wisconsin. I know what cold is. I have used both setups, and even when replacing a perfectly good point dizzy, I can tell the difference.

It doesn't matter who/why it was created, Just does it work better or not. Even by your own words, the HEI works better, so I don't understand why you would advocate using something who's time has passed. Have you tried it?

For once, the government got it right, I guess.


FWIW, I'm not trying to say you can't run points, my issue is with what appears to be an assumption that changing over to HEI isn't worth the effort, and that it is somehow worse than points to work with. Everything that I have messed around with, as well as all my friends and people I know who wrench for a living would never think of using points unless it was the only option.

For anyone who thinks I have overstepped the bounds of a moderator, my sincerest apologies. All I'm trying to do is help present correct information to the best of my abilities. I have never claimed to be an expert in any way. Alot of people rely on this site for sound advice. And from what I have seen, it is one of the few that deserves that. In my opinion, everyone that is involved with this site should feel that they can say anything if they feel they are right, and they should feel obligated to correct any mistakes. Sending info privately helps only one person, and does nothing to correct a possible mistake, even by me.

my daily driver has a hei the one ton i am building with a 292 has a hei. the last three dirt cars had a hei.
i brought up the pins and weights because most people dont even know that they are there to wear out.
one thing with a hei you can not bump start it if the battery is dead. i know that is not much of a concern now adays

the 226 has a weird dist. it does not have a mechancal advance. it works off of venturea vacuum. to move the point plate. i have a 226 and am going run a 48 stromberg and am looking at something for a dist. i will most likely adapt something else. with points.

Pertronix does make a unit for this dist, its the 1266, then P6 if you need 6V pos gound, otherwise the 1266 fits.

Part of his question delt with 'cost effectivness' and it just isn't for the reasons stated.

Just because HEI is a newer method of doing something, doesn't make it better for ALL applications.

BTW: The 59AB Ford engine was the 'racers choice' for decades until the "muscle car" era and probably set more speed records during that period than any other W/O HEI.

They wern't crap then, or now and your "blinders on" aproach isn't helpfull here at all.

The question had nothing to do with cost effectiveness, but since you mention it, how many times do you change points during the typical life of an HEI module? not to mention the time spent setting them up, which isn't needed with HEI...

Its not about which is newer or older, its which is better...

The reason the 59AB was used and did what it did is because AT THAT TIME is was the most plentiful, cheapest and most effective engine available. Much like the small block Chevy is today. They used points and magnetos back then because thats all they had.

When I look at these kinds of things, I actually try to put everything in front of me and try to make a rational choice. If you look at my posts, in general, I give more than one option, even ones I wouldn't do myself. That's why Jack asked me to be a moderator.

The question was asked twice & you only saw one.

Instalation costs are what I am speaking to, not mantaince issues which were not the part of the question.

roto-faze will make you a dist for the 226. if you are going to use some other carb besides the stock one you will half to change the dist.

not true for a stock hei, its good up to 4500rpm