In reply to Pete Gossett: I think they all come from the same place, If I was going to Fix one I would get a GM one from a yard and spend the 125 or so in Parts but then again GM(AC Delco)parts are expensive and today Even They are likely from the Same Furrin Country.If you could Find a NOS cheverolet dist. on line And I mean NEW,that would be the best,So the 50.00 dollar one MOFO showed you is as good as any. I thought the one you are using was a C L Buy used?
In reply to GTXVette:
I got it at a rummage sale, but there wasn't any wear or oil on the gear & shaft, so I thought it was probably unused.
The modules are really the only questionable part on these HEI's. Everything else pretty much works or doesn't with almost no in-between. So long as everything is tight I wouldn't replace it.
Have modules gone up in price lately? Last time I bought one they were only $25+/-.
You can get them on E-bay cheaper... Also Accel has a high performance version, not sure what the real difference is, but could be a little better. Or you could connect the distributor to a MSD box and use that instead of the module.
In reply to Crackers:
I originally looked on the Advance Auto site and they're around $50, but I saw some on eBay for under $20.
Edit: O' Riley has them listed for $30, NAPA shows them for $22.
Do that, either accel or Napa
While we're on the subject is there a good source for the vehicle side HEI pigtail?
Pete Gossett wrote: In reply to Crackers: I originally looked on the Advance Auto site and they're around $50, but I saw some on eBay for under $20. Edit: O' Riley has them listed for $30, NAPA shows them for $22.
AutoZone has them with lifetime warranty at $22 also.
I was just in there this morning and they still have warranty information for stuff I bought 17 years ago.
Stampie wrote: While we're on the subject is there a good source for the vehicle side HEI pigtail?
We actually used spade connectors on our stock car after one got crushed installing something the night before race day. Ran that way for years since it worked. (It's probably still running that way now knowing the owner.) The coil cover is marked for 12v and tach output so it's easy to get right.
I went out after work, hooked up my spark plug test light, and...the car fired up and ran fine. Go figure. So I checked the timing, adjusted the idle mixture screws, and set the idle. That took a few minutes, but the car was still running fine, so I peeked underneath for leaks...and the brand new radiator is leaking. 
Dumb timing light question though: The new HF timing light has an adjustable knob on the back, but the instructions aren't very clear what it does or how it should be used. I turned the knob to 20-degrees, then set my timing mark to 20-degrees. Is that correct, or do I now have 40-degrees of static timing? It seems to run fine, regardless.
Edit: And per Rock Auto's warranty policy I can either send the bad radiator back, then they'll send me a replacement...which won't work since I recycled the box. Or I can go ahead & order a new radiator, then ship this one back once I get it...except I'll be out of town all next week. So I guess I'll pull the radiator when I get back, confirm it's actually leaking at the end tank again as it appears, then order another one.
In reply to Pete Gossett:
It's HAUNTED! FEARFUL OF ALL THIS CHALLENGE TALK
The dial "adds timing" (actually a delay), if you set the dial to say 36 degrees or whatever to do your all in timing you'd adjust the distributor so the TDC mark lines up under the light to get 36 degrees of advance. If you set the knob at 20 and adjusted the timing to the 20 mark you would have 40 degrees of advance. IDK if I'd trust the accuracy of a cheap one though, the correct "timing tape" sticker on the balancer will always be right if the pointer is correct.
In reply to BrokenYugo:
Thanks, I'll back it off 20-degrees.
What are you doing with 20 degrees? That sounds high for idle/initial and way low for the all in (3000RPM+) figure, which is the generally preferred way to do it on a performance engine or an unknown distributor. All adjustments need to be made with the vacuum advance line disconnected.
In reply to BrokenYugo:
I was thinking someone here suggested that value?
I said to put it at 30 degrees at 3000 rpm, so the gun is set at 30 and the timing mark on the engine reads 0. when it come's back to idle No more than 12 and no less than 8 and as said with the Vacuum line disconnected and the carb side plugged, these numbers need to be more defined but with stock parts that may be hard to do,you want about 6 more degress after 3500 but to get that with a stock advance mech. you will have nearly 20 at idle and that Is too high.
In reply to GTXVette:
I'll try to remember all that until I get the radiator swapped out again in a couple weeks. 
I spent some time last year trying to fix the timing in my Chevy Van (95 TBI):
Check and adjust timing, disable some automatic timing circuit, check and adjust timing, new cap and rotor, check and adjust timing, new distributor, wires, check and adjust timing, borrow another timing light, check and adjust timing, etc.
Finally took it to the mechanic. After a few days, he discovered a fuel pump relay that was bad, but intermittent.
BrokenYugo wrote: What are you doing with 20 degrees? That sounds high for idle/initial and way low for the all in (3000RPM+) figure, which is the generally preferred way to do it on a performance engine or an unknown distributor. All adjustments need to be made with the vacuum advance line disconnected.
Whatever happened to setting it at idle and then advancing it until it pings over several test runs, then backing it off 2 degrees.
This way you get the most advanced for your setup and the fuel you use.
That again my timing light is from the early seventies and does not have the knob on the back to make adjustments to the light.
At this point my goal would be to get the engine running consistently and not worrying about best performance. I would set the initial timing and work on the running issue.
On those models you should be able to "hear" the pump cycle when you turn on the Key Switch, Pete ask around for an Ign.advance kit .It's a pair of weights they are shaped like the letter L or J Kinda Between the two and some springs what is done is a combo of weights and different tension springs will Tailor the advance to get it where you want it. But we will do that .......Later after it's running good. IRRS that is how you do it with NO timing light, with no adj. on the lite just Look at the Balencer numbers
The nice thing about the timing light with the dial, you only need one good timing mark on the engine, the zero mark. On my Maserati the timing marks are under the car at the flywheel, so I transferred one mark to the front/top. Also makes checking the full advance easier, set the dial on the light to what you want or expect the full advance to be. Then just watch the zero mark on the engine as you increase the RPM, keep increasing the RPM until the timing stops changing, the timing should now be at zero, if not you can adjust the light dial a little to see what it really is.
Mr. Gasket #929G (or equivalent) ~$10
You will likely want a LIGHT spring and a MEDIUM spring. Don't use the weights.
https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/mrg-929g/overview/
SkinnyG wrote: Mr. Gasket #929G (or equivalent) ~$10 You will likely want a LIGHT spring and a MEDIUM spring. Don't use the weights. https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/mrg-929g/overview/
This is true I never like the after market weights,and have even shaved down Factory weights, Back in the Old Day's you understand. thanks for the pic. but again AFTER all else is running Good.
Dumb question on the radiator. Did you check all hoses? You were monkeying around with the system. Put a new radiator in my Rainier, radiator was leaking. Turned out to be the cap was FUBAR. Just sayin'
In reply to Dirtydog:
Upper & lower hose and both caps are new.
It's leaking from the bottom of the radiator from inside the shroud. It wasn't leaking bad last night, just a small steady stream. So I put my oil drip pan underneath it. I expected to find it overflowed this morning, but there's not even enough coolant to cover the bottom of the pan.
The temp was only around 160 when I shut of off, so I think it was just starting to build pressure, and based on what I can tell from above it probably is at the end tank seam - again. I'm going to drain as much coolant into jugs tonight as I can, then pull the radiator & see if I can confirm the source.
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