308 HEI ignition conversion ?

Martin

  Seems Dan Fullerton no longer doing the conversion...anyone  else  ?   Thanks !

50C8DAN

Pertonix is about the only game in town unless you do your own.  

Here is how to do it if you want to make the jump.  Remember GM HEIs have been long gone a long time now and I imagine finding a Chevy 6 HEI is even tougher than the V8s.

If you follow these instructions you can just use your Hudson dizzy!  However, I think a Pertronix would be cheaper and faster by the time you get done!

https://www.hotrodders.com/threads/gm-distributor-electronic-ignition-module-questions.544216/page-2

superwasp

Martin, what's your goal? Are you after a hotter coil, getting away from points, or both? Dan makes a good point. You're chasing yesterday's tech with HEI. There are other options based on your goals.

50C8DAN

Note with the DYI above you would need to buy a 6 tooth reluctor for a Hudson 6.  I don't have a part number but you probably can find one online.

Martin

What are u referring to about Petronix ? Does Petronix make a distributor for a 308 Hudson ?  The HEI example given is for a chevy v8....I want a new distributor and cap i dont have a cap.  Ive got 2 stock dist. and a Mallory dual point in unknown condition.
   HEI is fine for under 6000rpm... I am Bilding a race motor in a Jet gasser. I may have to let Ken Uffheil bild me a point distributor...Dan said the gm dist. he was using is now poor quality...idk.

50C8DAN

Hmm?  Not sure seems to be miscommunication.  If you have a Hudson 6 you will need a distributor for a 6 cylinder engine.  The GM HEI conversions I am familiar with used a Chevy 6 HEI distributor as a donor for the head portion.  There are some conversions using Chrysler slant 6 distributor as well.   Pertronix does not make any distributors, but makes the replacement of the points to convert a stock distributor to an electronics one.  Pertronix does make hotter than stock coils that go with their points conversion.  These can be 12 or 6 V you need to go to their website and look up what you need.  https://pertronixbrands.com/pages/pertronix-ignition

I do not now, nor have I ever had an HEI on any of my Hudsons.   What my comment was on the HEIs is that there were far fewer inline Chevy 6s made with HEI than V8s so finding a Chevy 6 HEI will be more difficult than finding one for a V8. I would suppose a v6 one might work as well, but the shaft work would be different.  

HOWEVER!  I now see on ebay the Chinese replacement HEIs are available for both inline and V6 Chevy Engines!!!  Surprisingly the Studebaker guys have had great luck with these from all indications so if you can get someone to do the machine work this may be your ticket to make a Hudson HEI!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/283571046765?epid=20037117208&_trkparms=ispr=1&hash=item420626c96d:g:SE8AAOSwOFFdyBO2&amdata=enc:AQAGAAACoPYe5NmHp%2B2JMhMi7yxGiTJkPrKr5t53CooMSQt2orsSwcmzw5CLtzTE60FqHcnq2Fkk91QWmm5WR%2F4sktKPTtmTov%2FidI9WNyy0ffeHxWW6K0eHoTp5njtMgV4s%2Blwy63zHWjRRwuFf8b2L9vHwHlAH5MWz64BxWE9FmrWO45Dw1zmFXuBMlQ9vHDkIMpXMr06IcKNU8vNoMStfv%2B%2Bqrlt6QGttkcoQNAferAfd%2F%2FtHcPMdeW7VQwIFW5eVMFYmKFesPcPIjbkdF6BOQZEHpvjxDexLqNg0gwTVZCQUa8vFwMzKL%2FeR1Fh9urcQ%2F73Z5Lznw4dzDLQ3XSAYbg98zlRyv4wS9yHII1jU5brCozPbi00zWfkoQJ7Ae%2F%2FSgPEEX1VBN8cYM6cxQIgKWXIq7ml6bbHfEFzPqjZHEmRRPyB4vhYYN4yz3xZlounuuQ5pbCpnHNvsFgGlfd1djOEZ3BWo8PrLUMpwkKf%2BBIXpd%2FTdJSwFuZs%2FgQ3RayHbvfjSWs4zDxQCsBtsLLbdz96eI2ZxUMtDPdb7N6UIjAKquSYyhFJkKYj9pyBedUQAajYOaHRMpd1ndrrF%2BJfUUI%2FqeVKcWmX1VwbCWMvkAZ3h%2FqKBO1OoRWDtF7QAluo9miFFMQa7zh6KhkISI56nmL3i%2FqTrw5ZXb92yH2W4xNPFZpDMxPzCtXRo%2BAWbWrV8yn2Bfb%2B8B8VvRNAu6r5q2za9rzoB%2FbEc2EHkxLZmkgpA6zCtdhoJJHNbfrceU88BW8juAfTHyk%2B%2B9U%2BusOa6N18I%2Blp%2BYtlxtzeS%2Fbw23WN3DVbBXjvliu8oaAjD4VmwUfVDRCYaPL2Jziuicu7xn7%2Fwv2z5TAcI83RQp8qjRWhbkj8Lx3YPtA6eZE4a2TIuvFVwXg%3D%3D|clp:2334524|tkp:BFBMgIfowc5f

Martin

  Thanks Dan...

54coupe

You can buy a Brand new Chevy HEI inline six distributor from Oreilly's. That's what I used on the ones I did.

RichardD

 Dan, below is a URL shortener to make long links very short.  This is the utility for doing it >>>   https://tinyurl.com/app
R
Here the long one above>>>    https://tinyurl.com/2p9hemcp

50C8DAN

thanks  Most sites do it automatically anymore but I guess ours doesn't

GrimGreaser

You can trigger a HEI module with a Slant six distributor - that's the setup I have.  You can also trigger the HEI with a simple circuit that utilizes your points as the trigger.  

Martin

GrimGreaser, the slant six distributor fits a 308 or must be modified  ?

Ol racer

FYI
Ive been using Crane XR700 Point eliminator12V Units in my distributors for years because back then I inquired with Pertonix but they had no Hudson Kits at that time. However, now as you know they make 6 & 12V.....

GrimGreaser

You'll pull the shaft and mech. advance from the Hudson distributor to put into the Slant six body.  The Slant six distributor body will need to be turned slightly to fit into the distributor bore on the Hudson engine. The degree plate will install on the Slant six distributor for mounting.  

Here's how to trigger an HEI module with points:

superwasp

Grim, are you really using a 2.4 Ohm coil in your setup? That seems high for an HEI setup. I thought HEI was normally less than 1 Ohm to get the high output.

GrimGreaser

The HEI triggered point is something I came across a while ago.  When I ran it, I used the stock coil from my '65 chevy truck... didn't really pay much attention to specifics at th time 😉 

I've got a Accel universal 12volt performance coil currently. I have the separate HEI coil, but have been lazy in getting the needed connector pigtails to use it.

superwasp

Oh, that's interesting. Did you notice any difference when moving from the old chevy coil to the Accel? If not, that may speak to how little street cars benefit from the 'hotter' coil. The electronic trigger and control sure, but maybe not so much the more powerful spark.

GrimGreaser

Sorry, the engine was rebuilt between the 2 setups.  Someday I'll run a specific HEI coil and will report any difference.