HEI in a boat?

[Lumpy]

Hello,
Would a HEI distributor with vaccuum advance be a lot better than a mallory dual point with mechanical advance? It seems most all older boats I see have the old dual point style distributors in them. Just wondering if this was for a reason or if it is just the fact that they are old and havent been updated yet? Right now I have an old mallory dual point on my 427 in my flatbottom. Any tricks or tips for using an HEI in a boat or is it just like in a car? Thanks....Lumpy

[hack job]

i would say no hei cause of the fact that it is not a sealed unit !i would go with the pertronix system for your mallory distb. and that jsut gose right in your distb. its really easy to install and works great! just my .02 wink

[MikeF]

I second that recommendation. There is a new Pertronix 2 module that has a variable dwell for better saturation of the coil at higher RPM's. If I had to do it again, that is what I'd do.
I would also recommend sending the dist to have it adjusted for your flatty. They will ask you a bunch of questions about your engine. They can set it up for the combination that you have for peak performance. :D

[77charger]

i ran a pertronics in my old jet put it in last spring and i have never worried about it since it works really good and i am happy with it.(brother now owns the boat)
but the heis are simple too.but only seen them in closed engine compartments.

[canuck1]

HEI 19 yrs no problems

[Moomawnster]

I was told that the dual points are fine till the RPM's get really high , then the electronics are better .My motor never see's more than 4k but I changed to a Mallory unilite just to reduce the parts and work of a tune up... I've had no problems with it :D Just a note ,Marine distributors are sealed so that if they are under a cover the gas fumes can't get to the SPARK! eek!
[ November 09, 2002, 12:49 AM: Message edited by: Moomawnster ]

[Lumpy]

Thanks for all the quick replies......One more question...Would I be better off using a distributor with vaccuum advance compared to my current mechanical setup? Thanks....Lumpy

[beached1]

I have run an HEI on my 427 for a few years now with no problems. I just recently put a Jacobs CDI and Ultra coil on it and now it's even better.

[Wet Dream]

Hei on my exposed engine. No problems and still spins the motor over 5000 without missing a beat. Its been splashed quite a few times from a hard reverse and the water splashes all over the engine, but nothing went wrong.

[Boater Bill]

Electronic ignition is the only way to go. The Pertronix conversions seem popular. I would stay with mechanical advance and take MikeF's recommendation regarding setup.

[MikeF]

L, Vacuum advance is really only good for cars. Reason is, When a car is cruising down the road you are at part throttle and vacuum goes higher. This lets the vacuum diaphram pull the advance forward and can give better mileage. (as a note, as soon as the throttle is opened suddenly....all vacuum signal is gone and advance moves mainly to mechanical only)
In a boat, the engine is always under load. However far you open the throttle is how fast the boat will go for that engine speed. There is no part throttle operation so vacuum advance is not utilized for any real benefit (i.e. mileage). Operation of the boat is usually above 3K rpm when all advance is in already (usually).

[Dennis Moore]

The HEI is simply the best ignition to use for an automotive style engine that will see rpm between idle and 5,500. It has much more spark duration in this range than any other ignition system. The problem is that it isn't flameproof and could ignite gasoline fumes.
If you have a radical engine that idles rough the vacumm advance could be used to smooth out the idle if it is connected to engine vacuum at the carburetor below the throttle blades. Anytime the throttle blades are closed the vacuum advance will advance the timing and stabilize the idle (as soon as the throttle blades are opened the vacuum advance will go away).
For an example,the initial timing could be set at 14 degrees at the balancer and then by connecting the vacuum advance an additional 10 degrees could be added. The engine would have 24 degrees advance at an idle. This would make the engine idle very good at idle speeds and in gear with the throttle closed. As soon as the throttle is opened the vacuum advance goes away and the engines timing relies on the mechanical advance like a normal marine engine.
Just as an experiment, rotate your distributor to the point where the engine idles the smoothest, you will see that it is usually somewhere between 22 and 26 degrees advance at an idle.
What do you guys think?
Sincerely
Dennis Moore

[LeE ss13]

A lot of Super Stock racers run HEIs because of the "stock" requirement in the class. Last year the Kilo record was set at 121 mph. Not bad for a single carbureted (830 cfm) flat tappet cam, normally aspirated 427 cubic inch flatbottom. eh??

[MikeF]

Who wants a smooth idle? :D (j/k DM) Good for driveability and not looking like a person the others on the launch ramp are going to have to tow back in eek! wink .
I will try the 22/26 adv adj when I can get to it to see what you're saying.
ss13, Very cool! That's about as simple as a platform gets. K.I.S.S. w/ the correct setup. It does not get much better than that!

[HOSS]

Run the HEI. Maintenance free and will handle 7500 rpm stock. Points are the past and suck. If they didn`t then they would still be used to this day. HEI parts are every where. Would love to run one in my Ford.

[126driver]

LeE ss13:
A lot of Super Stock racers run HEIs because of the "stock" requirement in the class. Last year the Kilo record was set at 121 mph. Not bad for a single carbureted (830 cfm) flat tappet cam, normally aspirated 427 cubic inch flatbottom. eh??Yeah, and hook up with John Avery at Engine Dynamics(626) 337-4614. He does a lot of SS stuff. He'll set you up right.

[flat broke]

HOSS:
Run the HEI. Maintenance free and will handle 7500 rpm stock. Points are the past and suck. If they didn`t then they would still be used to this day. HEI parts are every where. Would love to run one in my Ford.Hoss,
I'm going to have to dissagree on that statement. Yes the parts are everywhere, but a stock HEI will not support 7500 RPM. Most of em fall flat on their face above 5k. I ran a stock HEI with a new stock module, and a new stock coil in my 65 Chevelle, When running down a stretch of road near home that is about a mile light to light, I would have plenty of time to hold the RPMs above 5k, and the distributor/coil would start to fall off. The main problem is the in cap coil which just can't keep up with the demand at those types of RPM. The module can also be improved because it gets miserly with the voltage.
Yes the GM HEI can run well, and support higher RPMs, but it will require an upgraded coil and module. After I made those mods, I could hold the car at 6500RPM for extended periods of time without the normal falloff experienced prior to the upgrades. For a street car that doesn't need any sort of timing controled events like boost retard etc, a modified HEI is a nice setup. On an open engine setup, the same would apply.
In this situtation you already have a mallory though, take it in, have it recurved and throw in the pertronix. That should give you better starting, and negate any worry about the condition of your points. My dad ran that setup in his 330hp 454 21' open bow and it made the boat much nicer as far as starting and overal driveability. If you want a little more spark, buy an MSD 6a/6al down the road and use the pertronix equipped distributor as a trigger for a hotter ignition.
I've run my boat 9:1 468 with a pertronix equipped Mallory and it worked well. I then incorporated an MSD 6a, and it ran even better.
Hope that helps,
Chris

[LeE ss13]

126driver:
Yeah, and hook up with John Avery at Engine Dynamics(626) 337-4614. He does a lot of SS stuff. He'll set you up right.Didn't you end up trying one of his carburetors too ?? He brought one down to BayFair last year for one of us to try and I thought you got it.

[LeE ss13]

126driver:
Yeah, and hook up with John Avery at Engine Dynamics(626) 337-4614. He does a lot of SS stuff. He'll set you up right.Didn't you end up trying one of his carburetors too ?? He brought one down to BayFair last year for one of us to try and I thought you got it.

[126driver]

Yeah, I have two of his HEI's and one carb. Getting ready to send our other carb to him. He da man! :p

[BrendellaJet]

try www.performancedistributors.com (http://www.performancedistributors.com)
I tried one of their cap, rotor and dyna mod upgrades. As soon as I started the motor, it began spitting out pieces of carbon build up that was in my cylinders(tops of pistons and on the valves too) Scared me at first, then it stopped and I realized what it was. That coil kicks ass.

[wfodude]

just break down spend the coin and get an MSD magnetic distributor and a 6AL box ..done... forever dependeble and will light up a city block

[West Coast Dave]

We now run a billet MSD distributor w/ a 6A box now, but for 3 years we ran a HEI gutted so yhat it was only a pick up point thru a 6A w/ an after market coil and spun a 14:1 8,200 rpm w/ NO problems. You have to worry about a closed system etc. in a covered engine compartment. If you have a used HEI around use it!!

[Liberator TJ1984]

Running HEI on 327 w/MSD AL6 ..Spinning up to 7000rpm. no spark troubles ...change out the Carbon Rotor contact with the High performance ones you can get from MSD or Mallory .made of copper..should work fine...a good friend keeps a spare HEI in his toolbox just incase one of the High Dollar setups fail while at the lake...he undoes their system drops in the HEI and away they go again..personally saw him do this several times last year ...good luck

[396_WAYS_TO_SPIT]

Since were on the subject I think I will ask a couple of questions. I have a MSD Hei coil(good one), Accell cap,rotor and 8.8 m wires and a MSD 6al box going on my 454. DO you guys think this is a good set up? My distributor has a mechanical advance. I was thinking about putting a curv kit in it.
thanks 396

[West Coast Dave]

Go ahead and get a curve kit and put the distributor on a machine and you can play w/ the curve to get it right where you want. Stock springs are usually stiff and full advance comes in really late. We end up usually using the softest or next to softest when we are done.

[mjm10]

hei works great do not use vacuum advance set timing at about 12 degreses advance then adjust mech advance to get 38- 40 total at 3500 rpm big block chevs love lots of timing

[mjm10]

hei works great do not use vacuum advance set timing at about 12 degreses advance then adjust mech advance to get 38- 40 total at 3500 rpm big block chevs love lots of timing