lt.dangle34 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Hey guys, starting to pick up parts for my v8 swap in my 79 280zx, and I was wondering, I have a 400hp carbed 355 with an hei distributor........ Is it worth buying the smaller style msd dist for space or will I have enough room with the hei? Pics would be great too...... Thanks for your input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robftw Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Hei will fit, it depends on how you set your motor. My hei hit the firewall a tad. I went with an external coil msd pro billet. It has a built in rev limit. And timing curve apsprings. Well worth the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarab 155 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 I used a Mallory Unilite Distributor. It's smaller in diameter than the HEI and trouble free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
331CI 280z Posted June 10, 2013 Share Posted June 10, 2013 Just put in this pro billet this weekend. It's an older model msd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lt.dangle34 Posted June 10, 2013 Author Share Posted June 10, 2013 Wow that Pro Billet frees up alot of space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 There is something wrong with that attached thumbnail. It appears to be a scarab type installation wherein the rear of the engine is 8 inches from the firewall. The JTR installation puts the engine further back such that installation or removal of the distributor becomes questionable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedRacer Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 The distributor did not free up that space. Its the fact the engine is mounted so far forward and not in the "JTR" position. Here is what the very small MSD (8570) looks like when its in the JTR position (PLUS another 1/2 ich further back). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowlerMonkey Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 Chevy made small body distritubors for the 80s and 90s TBI and TPI engines. You can pick them up used at wrecking yards for 30 bucks and experiment. Though designed to work with an ecu, you might be able to modify some harnessing and use components commonly found at the wrecking yards and use it and I'll bet MSD makes a system that plugs right in. I'm sure someone has figured out how to do it cheaply but it will take some searching and I'm not sure they ever came with vacuum advance. You might find that the output from the stator is identical to the one from the HEI or you could go the route of using the ECU from the tbi setup with a map sensor and having a prom burnt that will give you the functionality you desire and possibly more like the ability to control an a/c idle up soleniod or even cut the a/c compressor at your desired rpm/load. If they made one with a vacuum advance, the easiest route would be to find someone who found a way to use it with the normal HEI electronics but with an external coil. Lots of options but some are difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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