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GM HEI Billet Distributor - Asian

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SWAMPHUNTER45

Well-known member
If you are running an Asian HEI billet distributor it would be wise to inspect the two posts in which the weights ride on. The posts are pressed and welded in place on the plate. It has been discovered by Mr. Branch recently that the weld may be sub-standard on some units. This is a potential fail point in these aftermarket GM HEI distributors. Inspecting the welds, posts and weights would be a wise task.
 
Thanks for the advise Swamp. I am almost to the point of cranking the engine this next weekend but was waiting on the distributor pigtail and vacuum advance lockout to arrive. I will check my posts while in their replacing these parts. Then hopefully everything will go as planned.
 
Mr. Branch completely tears them down right out of the box, measures, grinds plate clearance, lubes and reassembles them Jason. I run the Comp poly gear fyi. The thought is that we will cannibalize a factory distributor for the shaft and plate and use it in the billet housing. He advises me the GM HEI factory Cadillac pins were a hardened steel and were very strong.

Ironically this distributor had brass bushing weights and prior to the fail it appears either they got eaten up or pulled out.

Mrs. Branch ran my new distributor over to Old BLU and he welded up the pins. If he puts the heat to it, it isn't going anywhere, he can melt metal with the best of them, he made a living at it. It sounds like you are experiencing the same issues that we are with these HEI components.


Just want to share, slide safe
 
And it would also be very wise on ANY aftermarket HEI to remove the pickup coil off the top bushing and drill 2 1/16" holes in the bushing like GM did and then make the necessary provisions in the bushing support webbing to allow the grease to be able to travel freely in the grease well as originally designed by GM.

I mention this as I have yet to see any aftermarket gm HEI that worked as the originals did in the grease well top shaft bushing area.

Every single one I get sent to be reworked has been dry as a bone in the grease well area. A little looking around in there to see what our Chicom pals across the way there haven't done would save a lot of headache down the waterway.

No holes in the bushing, no grease, no grease seal in top of housing.

They'll run bout 8-10,000 miles in a car before they seize the shaft and bushing.
Fwiw.
 
Good stuff!

I will tell you this, on the unit that I had run the module and coil are top notch electronic components. The spark that they produced was intense.
 
To save you guys and gals a little more trouble...

I don't have an issue with the in cap coil or the module per se, they're good to 7500 rpm on almost all of the HEI knockoffs.

I have a VERY large issue with the stupid cap harness they put on them. It looks ok, but it is in fact the biggest cheap piece of junk you could run on anything with an internal combustion engine.

I can assure you sooner or later it will give you a no start or quit running all at once one day. The issue is the spring blades on the terminals. The automotive guys have all had issues at one time or another. I won't work one for a customer what that harness don't get trashed and replaced with a top quality replacement such as from Napa or I'm still using a big box of OEM Delco stuff from back 15 years ago. I bought these in bulk from Delco.

That one harness and those pins the OP spoke of are the Achilles heel of the whole setup.

That and this grease thing needs serious attention which I'll gladly post a separate topic on if you folks warrant the need so I don't crash the origin of this topic.
 
Sun Tuned said:
And it would also be very wise on ANY aftermarket HEI to remove the pickup coil off the top bushing and drill 2 1/16" holes in the bushing like GM did and then make the necessary provisions in the bushing support webbing to allow the grease to be able to travel freely in the grease well as originally designed by GM.

I mention this as I have yet to see any aftermarket gm HEI that worked as the originals did in the grease well top shaft bushing area.

Every single one I get sent to be reworked has been dry as a bone in the grease well area. A little looking around in there to see what our Chicom pals across the way there haven't done would save a lot of headache down the waterway.

No holes in the bushing, no grease, no grease seal in top of housing.

They'll run bout 8-10,000 miles in a car before they seize the shaft and bushing.
Fwiw.
Click to expand...
Do the MSD HEI distributors have the grease holes and the required quality you refer to.
 
It is my understanding that the MSD system is a different animal as it uses a remote box. Now that said I still believe inspection of the pins and plate area are wise.

Mr Branch advised the Accel billet GM HEI does need to have it's pins re-welded like the Asian products they are not secured as well as he feels they should be.

Maybe someone who has the MSD unit can update us on their observations. Since so much is outsourced I could see this being a common problem across the different brands and styles.
 
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