HEI dizzy

Hi everyone, i just got an HEI distributor & it makes no sence to me, am i suppose to cut and splice a wire thats on it? other than that there seems to be no way i can get it wired to the battery or ignition switch, i know some of u guys have done this before, i'm putting it on a 350 chevy so any help is greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance
Kale

 

Well, I don't have any freaking "dizzy's" (who's the idiot that came up with that cutsie name?) but I've installed a number of HEI distributors. All you need is an 8 or 10 gage wire from the ign post on the switch to the connector on the cap where you connect to the coil. It should say battery while the one beside it says tach. No resistor or what not. You can either remove the old wiring or fold it back on it's self and tape it if appearance isn't an issue.

 

ok, there is 3 wires going from where the points would be, and they run from there to where the resistor and coil sit on top of the distributor. are you saying i just cut the red one and put an ignition switch there?

 

and run that to the battery? thanks
kale

 

No those go on the cap closest to it then the rear one on the outside near the one you just put on is the power and the front one ahead it is the tach. DO NOT CUT ANY WIRES ON THE THREE THAT COME OUT OF THE DISTRIBUTOR, REMEMBER GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND...WHEN IN DOUBT GOOGLE IT!

 

so i open up the top part of the distributor that says LATCH and wire from there? im still confused.

 

No need to remove the top(coil cover) see pic, i do not know why they have it off but you don't need to remove it.

 

If you remove the distributor cap from the distributor body and flip it over, or easier still, just use a mirror to look underneath, you'll see the connections on the underside of the square block that sticks out of the side of the cap. The 3 innermost take the 3 wired plug that returns into the distributor body and outside of those should be 2 more - one for tach and one for power - the one to the right when looking from above is the power terminal. Simple spade connector onto that and you're good. The cap is probably marked tach and bat from above. With no tach it's a one wire deal. Simple as that.


Chris

 

Thanks for the input,I'm doing my first HEI distributor motor & had the same questions~Chuck

 

sometimes is easier with an image

 

thank you, that makes more sence now
kale

 

A man after my own heart! I cringe when I hear that "hip" name. I think it must be a yuppie thing.

 

More uptightedness. Yah, I made that word up too....

 

You don't cut any of those. The connections are in front of them in the cap for the hot wire and the tach wire.

Ricks diagram nailed it, that is what I get for assuming that the person asking the question has taken a serious look at the distributor and I didn't explain things thoroughly enough. Not Rick's diagram but the confusion on the wires on the distributor and how to connect them.

 

I would suggest one minor change - many HEI caps have provision for small locking clips that have a spade connector inside. Keeps the wire from working loose (ask me how I know). There is a similar clip to hold the tach wire.

 

ok, thanks guys i got a 1991 chevy Silverado (the one i got my 350 from) so ill check out the wiring harness on it and see if any plugs happen to clip onto that part of the distributor cap. if not ill jerry rig something, i'm good at that kind of stuff, (dont ya kinda have to be?) haha well anyways thanks guys i think i got if figured out now, thanks
kale

 

I think I know how you know as I also know now! A simple SPADE connector is made to slip out at the wrong times. It's the law of something.
It makes me happy to know I'm not the only person who gets dizzy hearing the term dizzy when talking about one of those things with plug wires protruding.

 

Didn't the Aussies bring that term here a couple of years ago? It bugs the shit outta me, but then alot of stuff does! I still like the Aussies though. Normal Norman

 

Mr 48 actually dizzy is a brit term.

They are a one wire hookup, a hot from the switch, they run on a full 12V so no resistor or resistor wire necessary.

 

Dizzy comes from our buddies across the pond.
Their cars also have wings, bonnets, and boots and tyres.
If you think about it dizzy is a perfect nickname for a thing that spins like crazy and its full name is D I S T R I B U T O R . Not only that, some folks get really "dizzy" trying to figure them out. Now when someone describes the act of installing a distributor (which takes some care, precision and intelligent logical thought) as "stabbing" ,,,,

Now here's some other stuff to get your shorts in a wad and crammed neatly into your vaginal cavity.

Points - they ain't fucking pointy at all
Washers - they have never cleaned a fucking thing.
Nuts- they taste fucking horrible, squirrels don't even bother.
Threads - well I'd like to see Something hemmed with them
Boring - as in dull and no fucking fun

 

This thread helps me a lot. It helped makes sense of the HEI
distributor I got hooked up. My TACH slot remains empty now.
So, all I need to, if I read you guys right, to connect a tach, is
to solder a Hei_tach_pigtail at the end of the tach's green wire
and just slide that connector onto the distributor protrusion,
where I see the brown wire in Rodhotz's picture , is that right?

By the way, is that the coil I see exposed in Rodhotz's picture
with his distributor's cap off? No wonder I couldn't find mine.

 

Yes, the black circular object is the coil. It is held with 4 self threading screws. Make sure the screws are tight & the ground wire is secure & tightly held with one of those screws.

 

If you do a Google search you can figure this out without repeating an existing thread.

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...j0i22i30l2.0.0.0.8913...........0.PM14SxyMCh4

If you look at the first hit it's a HAMB thread from 2005 and a lot more from websites where an HEI is on-topic equipment.

And it has been called an idiot-proof "dizzy". Not so sure anymore.

 

It is, compared to explaining points to the kid at Auto Zone.

 

My question is, if he's using a 91 it's computer controlled is it not? Just asking!

 

Only if he wants it to be.

 

You can change out the module inside the distributor to the older style(not computer controlled) and yer good to go. N.N.