Distributor Question

[1SIK69]

My dad has a 59 Apache. It has a straight 6. He is wanting to convert the distributor to HEI. is there a certain year model he can get to swap it out and what all is involved? Thanks.

[mr48chev]

I'm pretty sure that he will have to look for an aftermarket HEI or other electronic distributor or conversion kit.

I have a friend who modified Hei distributors to fit where they didn't belong before the aftermarket ones came out so it might be possible to modifiy one off a 250 or 292 to fit and work. That might take several hours of machine shop time though.

[mr48chev]

I did a bit of snooping and it seems that Drummin89 has modified an Hei for his 235 http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=337554

Maybe he will chime in and give an idea of what is involved.

[Fred T]

Modification of an HEI distributor from the newer six is fairly easy. You need to remove the mounting flange and make a mounting clamp similar the the mount on your 235. The end of the shaft needs to be cut about 3/8" shorter and reprofiled similar to the older. Engagement with the oil pump and cam is critical. All of these distributors have the large cap, which looks out of place on the older engine.

Another option is a converted distributor from a carbureted 2.8 V6. These are available from www.stoveboltengineco.com. You get the small cap with this.

A third option is a Pertronix conversion. It replaces the points in your distributor. If your distributor shaft is still tight, it is an easy conversion.