TFI vs. HEI

[Uncl-N8]

Your opinion on Ford TFI ignition upgrade vs. the GM HEI distributon swap. AMC 258 I6cyl. Pros, cons, side notes, testimonials, comentary, snide remarks, exc... Or coments on any other 258 improvements. I look forward to your posts, advice, and assistance.

[Caver Dave]

TFI: available cheaply from junkyard parts, but sometimes too "complicated" an install for some folks to fathom

HEI: junkyard renditions are scarce, but available aftermarket ($100-ish) and easy setup (1 wire); some earlier oriental versions had mega-hard drive gears that destroyed camshaft gears, but those haven't been seen in a long while

Both are a HUGE improvement over points, so we'll bypass ALL of the Ford-vs-Chevy kindergarten crap that usually follows this type of question!

[WILL]

Do both. Use a TFI type coil and an HEI module with the stock distributer pickup. Change the distributor cap and rotor to the large style.

[Caver Dave]

Originally Posted by WILL

Do both. Use a TFI type coil and an HEI module with the stock distributer pickup. Change the distributor cap and rotor to the large style.

The best of both worlds... An OE takeout/drop-in dizzy and a $15 HEI module (reportedly a bit hotter & longer life than the DS module) that doesn't use any special connectors! But you'd definitely want to do the base/cap/rotor upgrade!

[Uncl-N8]

So what you are proposing is that you would use the stock distributor, tfi big cap rotor and wires, but a gm ignition module and coil? Or the just the gm ignition module and the tfi coil?

[Caver Dave]

Originally Posted by Uncl-N8

So what you are proposing is that you would use the stock distributor, tfi big cap rotor and wires, but a gm ignition module and coil? Or the just the gm ignition module and the tfi coil?

- Stock Motorcraft ELECTRONIC dizzy
- Big cap/base/rotor/wires
- Ford TFI coil
- GM HEI module mounted to an AL heatsink (in place of the Ford DuraSparkII box)

[Jim_Lou]

Isn't that HEI module the one that GM put inside the distributor? Small enough to carry a spare in the glove box?

[Caver Dave]

Originally Posted by Jim_Lou

Isn't that HEI module the one that GM put inside the distributor? Small enough to carry a spare in the glove box?

Yeap... but what's a glove box? All I had was a door & hole under the dash!

[Jim_Lou]

That's all I had, too, until I bent up a SS box and welded it in.

So if GM could put it inside the distributor, why does it need a heat sink? Belt and suspenders?

[WILL]

This piece of bent metal with the heat sink compound that came with the module is all the heat sink I have.