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Technical Lowering an HEI distributor cap

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Neighborwood, Oct 17, 2016.

  1. Neighborwood
    Joined: Nov 7, 2010
    Posts: 37

    Neighborwood
    Member

    Had a 305 Chevy under the 3" set back in my 1922 Dodge track roadster. No Dist. in place yet.
    Well brother-in-law Lary stops by and says "got enough room for the dist.?". Sure says me.
    Lacked ~2" of height to accommodate the HEI. I am in full panic mode. Do not want to cut a gap in the cowell, nor can the engine be lowered. It is 4" off the pavement already. Geesh!
    Good ole internet to the rescue.
    Found a Fierro sight where some were dropping in 350 Chevys and needed the top room for the distributor. Do not remember the originator so credit could be given for genius.
    Take a 1976 Chevy six cylinder HEI dist. cap. Cut it off just above the mounting screw heads (gulp) so I did.
    Then get a 1996 Chevy pickup crab cap and rotor. Cut off the bottom of this cap along with the plastic webs which act as wiring terminal supports. It has to have a semi tight fit into the lower cap.
    This part is hard part. the dist. has to be timed and aligned so the rotor is timed correctly and the rotor has to be within .060 of the cap terminals. took me ~ 28 tries.
    Watch carefully that the upper cap terminals do not block the access to the hold down screws.
    Then epoxy it together. Rough up the epoxied surfaces before gluing. There will be holes between the two pieces. Just back these with masking tape and fill.
    The setup fired the first time. Was I happy and relieved.
     
  2. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,870

    squirrel
    Member

  3. Jibs
    Joined: May 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,893

    Jibs
    Member

    Pictures or it didn't happen.
     
    dan griffin, nochop, scotty t and 2 others like this.
  4. big duece
    Joined: Jul 28, 2008
    Posts: 6,826

    big duece
    Member
    from kansas

    Your going to go through that each time you need a cap? What about a msd low profile dist for a blower?
     

  5. Hombre
    Joined: Aug 22, 2008
    Posts: 1,075

    Hombre
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Big Duece has that right, why not run a low profile dizzy? I believe the part number is MSD84891.
     
    golferforpar likes this.
  6. OK how does a six cylinder distributor cap properly fire a V8 ?
     
    King ford likes this.
  7. Ebbsspeed
    Joined: Nov 11, 2005
    Posts: 6,248

    Ebbsspeed
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    From what I read, he's using the bottom part of the 6 cylinder cap and the top part of the V8 cap.
     
    loudbang likes this.
  8. OK I missed that
     
  9. 19Eddy30
    Joined: Mar 27, 2011
    Posts: 2,303

    19Eddy30
    Member
    from VA

    If you use your brain, you can accomplish & over come problems!!!
    Nice to see other's thinking out side the Box,
    I have cut Distributor down ,
    I have over the years took a look out side of the Box ,& made One off parts ,
    The only thing is , You just can not go to a parts store and get that Part,
    I would make a spare 1 or 2 ,
    I have had the HEI burn holes threw cap , rotor & to coil
     
    loudbang likes this.
  10. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,614

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    Guess you have to close your eye's to picture it! Worked for me!
    Maybe the 3 hundred and eighty something dollar price tag and the billet look scared him off, would me...................................
     
    loudbang likes this.
  11. big duece
    Joined: Jul 28, 2008
    Posts: 6,826

    big duece
    Member
    from kansas

    If it's too that much $ to fix the problem, so what. Otherwise the car is inoperable. The billet dist is no different in taste than the HEI in question for traditional flavor. If something fits, flat black it to tone down the street rod look. Pics would really help. Maybe having the cap and rotor off while installing would gain some clearance.
     
  12. aaggie
    Joined: Nov 21, 2009
    Posts: 2,530

    aaggie
    Member

    Years of experience has taught me that any time you build a one off solution to a problem you better make another for a spare and find a place in the car to carry it with you. The best but probably most expensive solution is to use the short MSD distributor with the crab cap. It requires a crank trigger and bracket so you need the whole setup.
     
    loudbang likes this.
  13. big duece
    Joined: Jul 28, 2008
    Posts: 6,826

    big duece
    Member
    from kansas

    Mallory made a single points set up YL series for marine use. No vac adv. P1010004.JPG
     
    dana barlow likes this.
  14. glrbird
    Joined: Dec 20, 2010
    Posts: 601

    glrbird
    Member

    And there are aftermarket points replacement for the Mallory to make it electronic.
     
  15. upspirate
    Joined: Apr 15, 2012
    Posts: 2,299

    upspirate
    Member

    Can this cap & rotor be used on any other YL series? Do any YL have a vacuum can? I had one on a 340 Mopar years ago, but that was a lot of years (beers) ago (1972) and I don't remember if vac or not
     
  16. big duece
    Joined: Jul 28, 2008
    Posts: 6,826

    big duece
    Member
    from kansas

    No vac can that i know of. Check with bubbas ignition for all the details.

    Sent from my SM-G900P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  17. Terrible80
    Joined: Oct 1, 2010
    Posts: 785

    Terrible80
    Member

  18. verde742
    Joined: Aug 11, 2010
    Posts: 6,258

    verde742
    Member

    I have a 1919 Dodge touring shortened, can I see a picture of your roadster?

    anybody have a WINDSHIELD FRAME LIKE THE ONE PICTURED?
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2018
  19. ididntdoit1960
    Joined: Dec 13, 2011
    Posts: 1,030

    ididntdoit1960
    Member
    from Western MA

    No - It does not fit - too small and I believe the rotor attachment/shaft is different to.......but Im sure anything is possible if you want to mix and match/modify parts........look want the OP of this thread did
     
  20. ol-nobull
    Joined: Oct 16, 2013
    Posts: 1,655

    ol-nobull
    Member

    Hi. Mine is a totally different dizzy for my 6 cylinder but I got it from Tom Langdon. He builds & rebuilds Chevy distributors with the HEI modules. Believe he has long & short & high or low profiles. It is free to contact him with your problem & see what he says. http://www.langdonsstovebolt.com/
    Good luck, Jimmie
     
  21. RichFox
    Joined: Dec 3, 2006
    Posts: 10,020

    RichFox
    Member Emeritus

    There is often room between the distributor assembly and the mainafold or what ever it is stuck into, To shorten the existing distributor. here are two that I did for four cylinder engines to clear the fuel injection. I recently needed to do the same thing to a 368 Lincoln and didn't feel like doing it myself. So I sent it to Bubba's Hot Rod Shop. A HAMB member, and had him do it.
     

    Attached Files:

    loudbang and brigrat like this.
  22. Neighborwood
    Joined: Nov 7, 2010
    Posts: 37

    Neighborwood
    Member

    The price of an applicable MSD cap was in the $800.00
    The base cap was the 1976 Chevy six cap. All the contact points went when the top was cut off. The 1996 cap had the 8 contacts and the off cap coil contact. Dick
     
    loudbang likes this.
  23. Neighborwood
    Joined: Nov 7, 2010
    Posts: 37

    Neighborwood
    Member

     
  24. Neighborwood
    Joined: Nov 7, 2010
    Posts: 37

    Neighborwood
    Member

    I have pictures but cannot figure out how to stick them in a reply. Any help would be appreciated.
     
  25. Neighborwood
    Joined: Nov 7, 2010
    Posts: 37

    Neighborwood
    Member

     
    41rodderz likes this.
  26. big duece
    Joined: Jul 28, 2008
    Posts: 6,826

    big duece
    Member
    from kansas

  27. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL

    First, your pictures must be in your computer photo file. Next....look at the three boxes in the lower right corner of the box in which you type your comments to post here. The middle box, just to the right of "post reply" ......says "upload a file". That is what is used to retrieve a photo from your computer file and place it in your reply post.

    When you click on "upload a file", a window opens with several 'slots' that allow uploading. Click on them, one at a time.....each selection will take you to your photo file. Select photo you want, hit "upload".....select another.....once you have as many as you wish to include showing in your post, you choose "thumbnail" (best for multiple photos) or "full size"...click on whichever and see your photos appear in your post. Add whatever comments you want and hit "post reply". Simpler than it sounds ......try it.

    Ray
     
  28. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,274

    loudbang
    Member

    EDIT: rats Hnstray beat me too it.

    Check your "conversations" box I sent a message to you on posting photos
     
  29. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL

    Oops! Sorry.......:(

    Ray :D
     
  30. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,274

    loudbang
    Member

    No problem you cut a better light than me :cool:
     
    belair likes this.

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