Technical 1957 Chevy truck will a HEI fit

1957 Chevy truck with Corvette 327 engine installed --want to go HEI dizzy will it fit or will cap hit firewall-- Thanks

 

There are "small" cap HEI distributors. Speedway has a number of them, including PerTronix.

 

Go to the 67 - 72 Chevy truck forum and ask that question there . A lot of truck guys on that forum.
Vic

 

It will work, there is room with the engine in the stock position. Are you sure that you have a Corvette engine ?

 

I've got a HEI in my 57 Chevy pickup.

 

My question would be why?

The HEI distributor came about in an era of igniting overly lean mixtures, during the gas crisis years.

Sure, it is a good distributor, but it is as ugly as sin, and can cause fitment issues.

 

They work well. They have a reputation that they either work or they don't. I don't have on my older cars because, like you say, They're ugly but on my truck, I don't mind.

 

They also have centrifugal advance issues, make sure the advance mechanism under the cap isn't worn out.

I recently removed the HEI from my 59 chevy truck and put a point distributor back in....looks great....works good too

 

Depends on how the engine was installed, in the stock position or with aftermarket or homemade mounts. There could be lots of room or none. We need more info about your setup.
Ditto on the reliable but ugly comments. If replacing a points distributor, remove the ballast resistor from the power feed.

 

and run a 14 gauge wire to provide power to the HEI.

 

Some well experienced TF folk in the group over there. Not the most Hamb friendly trucks though The 1947 - 1959 Chevrolet & GMC Pickups Message Board - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network (67-72chevytrucks.com)

 

In my (not the 48) 350 powered truck an instant 2 mpg and a lot faster starts without cranking it for all too much time that I did for years on end with the points. 2 mpg may not sound like much but when you go from 11 to 13 when you are driving 250 miles a week just commuting to work it adds up.

I wouldn't stick one on and engine where it was out in the open for the world to see though. TF with a 4 barrel and a big shiny air cleaner you aren't going to see much of the distributor anyhow.

 

I spent 5 years as a school bus mechanic from 77-82 There were about 25 van buses and 5 suburbans with HEI Chevy 350 engines..They were very reliable..The burned rotors were because of not changing plugs, ****ers would fire a 1/8 plug gap and burn the rotor....
But they are ugly.... and the ****ty coils made now can short too easily and fry the modules
We also had 60 full size Ford and IHC with points....They were no problem with Echlin parts for the 12,000 miles a year

 

Aren’t all small block chevys corvette motors? LOL

 

Mike Tyson ain't very good lookin but he got the job done...

 

Until he couldn't.

 

No, just the 327s.... Saying "Corvette 327" seems to be a repe***ive redundancy, especially in Cr$@&@list ads.

 

I run an small body HEI (eBay special) with an external coil. I'd be happy with a new big HEI, but I have space issues to consider.

 

I’ve never had a non vette sbc

 

The fabled Corvette junkyard where all the Vettes that valiantly gave up their engines for a hot rod are sent to live out the rest of their days.

 

I think he, Mike Tyson, still could. Today, tomorrow, next week. Like an HEI.

If points were such an end all to a spark they'd still be used in cars today. OH but wait, they sadly are not. Left to be another thing they don't teach in high school as a life skill.

 

From memory the heads give clearance issues before the distributor,even an HEI because of the shape of the bulkhead.