The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - To HEI or not to HEI

mr48chev · 03-28-2023, 06:15 PM

Points are fine as long as you aren't having starting issues and are ok with the gas mileage. It's hard to get top quality points and condensers in some areas now though.

The best thing about points is if you burn them and they stick on the road you can take them out, scrounge up an old emery board and buff them up and stick them back in, set them ball park close with a match book cover and go again most of the time. There is a couple somewhere in the country who tell about a guy in a 51 Mercury doing just that with the points in the Dodge pickup that belonged to his dad that they were moving across country with and were stuck in a road side spot about ten miles west of Little America Wyoming.

As for changing to HEI or electronic, It is hard to beat an oem pre computer HEI for reliability. Again, use quality internal parts when you redo one but they don't usually need much more than a cap and rotor and go again.

I have the Napa HEI test bulliton here in my photobucket album They handed these out around 1980. https://app.photobucket.com/u/mr48ch...8-34b5e1631d08

I am not a big Pertronix fan simply because if they crap out on the road you are stuck unless you actually do have the points and condenser and what ever piece you need to change them back to points on the side of the road to get going again packed away in the truck. You aren't going to toddle into a Napa, Autozone or O'Reilly's in some side of the big long roads town and find Pertronix parts. My policy has always been that I want any part that might fail on a road trip that can be removed and replaced reasonably simply on the side of the road or in a parking lot to be a part that has readily availble repair components or can be easily replaced with an easy to get part. If you have a rod knock, burn up a trans or blow a rear end that means find a trailer and a tow rig but if the alternator/generator, starter, ignition or a fuel system component fails you should be able to find a suitable replacement that lets you continue with your trip under the truck's own power.

03-28-2023, 06:15 PM	#44
mr48chev Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Toppenish, WA Posts: 15,306	Re: To HEI or not to HEI - 69 C20 with Stock 307 Points are fine as long as you aren't having starting issues and are ok with the gas mileage. It's hard to get top quality points and condensers in some areas now though. The best thing about points is if you burn them and they stick on the road you can take them out, scrounge up an old emery board and buff them up and stick them back in, set them ball park close with a match book cover and go again most of the time. There is a couple somewhere in the country who tell about a guy in a 51 Mercury doing just that with the points in the Dodge pickup that belonged to his dad that they were moving across country with and were stuck in a road side spot about ten miles west of Little America Wyoming. As for changing to HEI or electronic, It is hard to beat an oem pre computer HEI for reliability. Again, use quality internal parts when you redo one but they don't usually need much more than a cap and rotor and go again. I have the Napa HEI test bulliton here in my photobucket album They handed these out around 1980. https://app.photobucket.com/u/mr48ch...8-34b5e1631d08 I am not a big Pertronix fan simply because if they crap out on the road you are stuck unless you actually do have the points and condenser and what ever piece you need to change them back to points on the side of the road to get going again packed away in the truck. You aren't going to toddle into a Napa, Autozone or O'Reilly's in some side of the big long roads town and find Pertronix parts. My policy has always been that I want any part that might fail on a road trip that can be removed and replaced reasonably simply on the side of the road or in a parking lot to be a part that has readily availble repair components or can be easily replaced with an easy to get part. If you have a rod knock, burn up a trans or blow a rear end that means find a trailer and a tow rig but if the alternator/generator, starter, ignition or a fuel system component fails you should be able to find a suitable replacement that lets you continue with your trip under the truck's own power. __________________ Founding member of the too many projects, too little time and money club. My ongoing truck projects: 48 Chev 3100 that will run a 292 Six. 71 GMC 2500 that is getting a Cad 500 transplant. 77 C 30 dualie, 454, 4 speed with a 10 foot flatbed and hoist. It does the heavy work and hauls the projects around.