Plug Wires for HEI Dist?

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Maverick
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Plug Wires for HEI Dist?

Post by Maverick »

GM Guys,

Can you suggest a car/engine that I should order plug wires for? My SFB Ford wires don't fit the HEI distributor very well. Thanks.
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Post by TireSmoker »

It's doubtful that any stock set of wires is going to fit properly (by properly, I mean not too long and flopping all over the place). A cut-to-fit kit from Summit/Jegs would probably be better and they are not hard to do at all. Put all the wires onto the spark plugs, route them around headers and such any way you wish, and then do the cut-to-fit at the distributor end.

With that said, if you just want to get a generic set so that you can get fired up, I'd shoot for something like an '80 Camaro. HEIs came out in '75 and were used across the line until the mid-late 80s when the small-cap HEI came into use (external coil w/ computer control, aka 8-pin HEI).

-Dave
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Post by Maverick »

TireSmoker wrote:It's doubtful that any stock set of wires is going to fit properly (by properly, I mean not too long and flopping all over the place). A cut-to-fit kit from Summit/Jegs would probably be better and they are not hard to do at all. Put all the wires onto the spark plugs, route them around headers and such any way you wish, and then do the cut-to-fit at the distributor end.

With that said, if you just want to get a generic set so that you can get fired up, I'd shoot for something like an '80 Camaro. HEIs came out in '75 and were used across the line until the mid-late 80s when the small-cap HEI came into use (external coil w/ computer control, aka 8-pin HEI).

-Dave
THANKS!! Good info. I'll check into a generic set. Jim
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Post by MostMint »

If you decide on the pre-cut type, I recommend selecting a vehicle that had the wires coming over the top of the valve covers. I would avoid Corvette wires as those run down under the headers - which means they would probably be way too long. Fred32v had a 78 blazer with HEI, if I recall correctly they are the type I'd suggest.

Buick had a front distributor engine - did it come in HEI era?
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Post by Fred32v »

The 1975 and/or 1976 Buick 455 would work.
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Ford Wires

Post by Maverick »

I learned that later SBFs used the male posts on the dist caps and those wires fit well with the HEI dist. Ordered a set for an '85 Mustang from Summit. Thanks for your responses. Jim
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