>
> I understand why HEI ought to be better, but the empirical evidence
suggests
> that there isn't a whole lot of practical difference, at least where cold
> weather or high revs are not a factor.
>
I'll second that. Over the years I chaned points to HEI on a 71 Nova 250 six
that I ran 10 years as a winter beater. I couldn't find any difference with
HEI on starting or fuel mileage. I kept track of gas fill ups over 50,000
miles. My other conversion was my yard truck a 1965 C30 with 230 six. I
also didn't find any difference before and after HEI.
I believe HEI prevents the occasional miss that we may not detect but wrecks
havoc with emissions. I once wrote a letter to Skinned Knuckles Magazine
asking if HEI was a prerequisite for a catalytic converter, with the
rationale that the occasional miss with points would overheat a converter to
shorten its life. Bill Cannon, the editor, worked for Ford in the 1970s in
their emissions dept, I believe, and said he thought they were unrelated.
In any case, drivers don't like to get under the hood or get maintenance, so
point adjustments and replacements just don't cut it with "modern" cars.
Bob ADler
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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