Did anyone have any problems installing a HEI Distributor due to its size, and what did you do to overcome any issues?
Sometimes the cap can hit the front of the intake. I’ve seen guys grind off part of the cap. If you don’t Install it on the right tooth, you can run out of room trying to adjust timing. You can also have some clearance issues with the top radiator hose. A hose from a 1975 and later Buick engine can help. If you are running a GS ram air cleaner, it can hit there as well. You can remove part of air cleaner to correct that, but why? Use a points conversion in you current distributor. There are better options IMO.
HEI is great, but due to the huge cap, it does cause clearance issues like Larry said. When I ran HEI on my GS, I had to grind a bit on the intake edge where the distributor base would hit. The GS air cleaner I had to rotate slightly to clear the cap, also had to use a carb spacer under the Q Jet to raise the air cleaner up. I’ve since gone MSD
Buy extras. Mallory doesn't bother to include voltage protection into that turd, they expect you to buy the add-on box for surge protection. The add-on box costs as much as a replacement module. This is the Summit version, I can't instantly find the "official" Mallory version. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-830440 Edit: The Mallory version https://www.summitracing.com/parts/maa-29371/overview/
Im running it at 12 volts with a matching coil. The protection module suggests for use on systems with ballast resistors
From the Mallory instruction sheet: So either your harness has a ballast resistor, or the coil has added resistance/inductance built in. Either way, you're current-limiting the module. Good luck. My suggestion stands. Buy a spare now, so when the one in-use fails, you're not stranded by the side of the road. Or add the surge protector, to keep the fragile module alive.
