Excellent, thanks. On my distributor, that is indeed the orange wire:



I drew a diagram. Does everything look right in it?

Yes & you use the "C" terminal for tach.

Richard

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Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

That's a great diagram,there is info all over the Internet about HEI conversions,but that diagram is the best Chrysler specific one I've seen!

Are you sure the relay is wired correctly? Don't remember the pin numbers, offhand, but something doesn't look right.

PS: Personally, I don't see the need for a relay. The HEI doesn't draw much current. I have a "portable" HEI system, that I can connect to any car with a VR distributer using 18 gauge clip leads.
On my cars I just pull 12v power from the OEM positive coil wire, and jumper the ballast resistor.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 225 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170

Yes, I'm sure. The relay is essentially a remote switch, #85 and #86 trigger it and #30 and #87 is the switch that powers the component. When you manually flip your switch (in this case, turn the key), #85 and #86 close, completing the circuit. This in turn makes #30 and #87 close, completing that circuit, allowing power to flow from the battery to the component.

The pin numbers are as follows:

#85 To Ground
#86 To Switch
#30 To (+) Battery
#87 To Component Being Turned On



No, there isn't a need for it, but it is better (as long as the relay remains functional). Without the relay, the power for the module and coil flows through fairly thin and a fairly long run of wire (18 AWG I think) through the horrible Mopar bulkhead connector (44-year-old Packard 56 terminals) twice, once to get to the ignition switch from the battery, and once to get back into the engine compartment.

With the relay you bypass the bulkhead connector for the main current draw (that factory wiring through the bulkhead connector to the ignition switch and back into the engine compartment now only needs to carry enough current to trigger the relay, which is next to nothing); the main current that is powering the component now goes directly through a short run of wire (as heavy as you want; 12 or 14 AWG would be plenty here) directly from the battery (I'll use the starter relay stud, which is connected directly to the battery via an 8 AWG wire, and also to the alternator via an 8 AWG shunt wire that I added previously, which was also done in the name of taking the load off the bulkhead connector). This results in less resistance, and also takes the load off your bulkhead connector and your ignition switch.

As a side note, if you haven't done so already, I strongly suggest putting your headlights on relays (you'll need two of them, one for the high beam circuit and one for the low beam circuit). This gives you much brighter headlights due to less resistance / increased voltage, and takes the load off the bulkhead connector and the headlight switch (which can overheat and trip the thermal breaker in the headlight switch, especially likely if you are running halogens).

I did the headlight/relay conversion to my car about a month ago and it made a world of difference. I'm getting 13.25 volts to the high beams now (as measured at the headlight terminals with the high beams on), which is perfect for sealed beam halogens (they are designed to operate at 13 volts) and it eliminated the problem of my headlights cutting out briefly after being on for a while (due to tripping the thermal breaker in the headlight switch). Here's a picture of my conversion:



And here's a large thread on the topic (specific to Dodge Chargers, but it applies to any old Chrysler, and I haven't checked this Slant Six forum, but there are probably similar threads here) - link.

Nice drawing! The relay connections are correct.

A stock GM HEI module can draw up to 4 amps, depending on engine revs. An aftermarket hi-perf module can draw up to 7.5-8 amps. There can be a power surge at startup, in extreme cases even above 25 amps, but surge time is very short. Current draw means heat, so it is necessary to use a heat transfer paste between the module and some kind of heat sink. There have been reports in various forums about damaged modules from overheating.

The voltage required to make the module produce a spark is quite low, app. 7.5-8V, but there is much better and stable output from the module at it's ideal operating voltage, 14-14.2V.

I generally agree with Charrlie_S on most occasions, but I don't agree with him on the point about a relay. The voltage in the old ignition circuit may be very much lower than at the alternator/battery, as I showed in a picture of my own readings, linked in posts on the previous page. You can get away with low voltage just to make a spark in a 'portable' system, but for a permanent installation, a relay transmitting power from the alternator/battery, will be better for the module's longevity and efficiency.

BTW, I also have HEI, headlights and el. fan on relays, powered from the alternator/battery, but my alternator is a 3-wire GM 12si giving a stable 14.4V output. As you say, it makes a world of difference!

Olaf

BTW again: One of the drawings - 'Upgraded Headlight Circiuit..." - in the link on headlight upgrades, is actually copied from our member SlantSixDan's business site, he makes a living from supplying the hardware for those upgrades. He is also the creator of this thread.

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Aspenized

I get a steady 14.4 volts from my alternator as well. My car is a '69, but a couple of years ago I converted it to the '70s-style electronic voltage regulator, along with a matching dual-field Chrysler alternator. And as I mentioned in my previous post, I also ran a shunt wire (8 AWG with a 12 AWG fusible link) from the alternator stud to the starter relay stud. This allows the bulk of the battery charging circuit load to travel along a direct 8 AWG path to the battery (there is a factory 8 AWG wire from the starter relay stud to the battery), taking the load off the factory charging circuit which goes through the bulkhead connector twice (12 AWG wires) and through the alternator gauge (ammeter). I also have the alternator gauge bypassed for good measure.



You mean the diagram posted in Reply #8 on: July 23, 2005, 02:37:56 PM? I just did a Google "Search by image" on that diagram, and sure enough, it comes from this page - link - complete with an "Image Copyright © 1998 Daniel Stern" notice. I see the copyright notice has been cropped off in the diagram that was posted on the Dodge Charger forum.

Personally, I prefer to draw my own diagrams, rather than taking someone else's without permission. If you do want to reference someone else's diagram, the proper thing to do is simply link to the page on their site which contains the diagram.

I got it done a couple days ago:



That bracket from the '92 Ford van that the coil was mounted to came in handy. All I had to do was bolt a spacer and a "foot" (same idea as a PCB foot) to the left mounting hole in order to bolt it to the two studs of my car's original coil's lower mounting bracket. Also, it had a flat area on it that was perfect for mounting the HEI module and its heat sink.

It started right up on the first try (which was a relief, because the distributor and coil were untested junkyard parts), and has run perfectly since; it idles smoother than before; feels like a different engine when driving. It also now runs just as well in the pouring rain as it does when it is sunny out. Before, it would idle slower in the rain, and feel like it might stall (though it never actually did stall in the rain).

The jumper wire I made for the two ballast resistor connectors is temporary. After I've driven the car for a while, long enough for this new setup to prove itself to me, I'll permanently splice those wires together, as well as remove the vestigial ballast resisor, and wrap and zip-tie the new wires to make everything tidy.

Does the HEI ignition affect what you should be running for spark plugs? If so, does anyone have any recommendations for spark plugs?

The spark should be hotter/better so you can run a wider gap (say .040 to .045). The better choice for the drool head and LA engines with original heads would be to run the NGK ZFRN-5's, assuming that you have not modded the engine, recurving the distributor will help improve performance and economy. That being said you'll probably get better suggestions from another forum as our engines have certain characteristics that don't translate to LA engines and vice-versa (we also don't have bolt on mods that can change the combustion process like quench heads and swirl ports that will change timing and mix requirements as well).

-D.Idiot

Thanks. My engine is stock. I'm not sure exactly what year it is. The car is a '69, but the engine is a '72 at the earliest; a '75 at the latest.

If I get the ...

NGK Part # 3459 {#ZFR5N} V-Power
.035

... spark plugs, should I gap them to .045" or leave them at the factory .035 gap?

Since your mods are now outside the original specs for the vehicle, you should start smaller and increase the gap as desired until the benefit stops
(i.e. you get to experiment to see what you car likes until it falls out of performance then back if off). Note all systems for the engine are related so when you mess with the timing or ignition, you also will have to fix with carburation to match (i.e. if your new setup and plugs are leaving the spark plug electrodes clean after a test drive and plug check, you may need to richen up the main circuit in the carb: upsize jets, readjust the metering rods, etc...). It's all a juggling act that you will have to shoulder as the end user to dial it all in.

-D.Idiot

Okay, is there anything else I need to be concerned about with those particular spark plugs, such as removing / not removing the crush washer on them, or compatibility issues with my heads? I saw mention of some of these things while searching for those plugs, but I don't know if they apply to a 318 or just to a slant-6.

For a 69, you remove the spark plug gasket.

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

What about for a '72 through '75 318? I'm pretty sure my engine is a '73, but I've yet to find the date code on it. The casting number on it (2536030 318•J2) tells me '67 through '75, and the EGR manifold (which I made a blockoff plate for) tells me it is at least a '72.