Bypassing ballast resistor to fit HEI

[MilesnMiles]

Just got all the parts to set up an HEI conversion. I know how to wire it up but, Can someone tell me exactly how I bypass the ballast resistor ? Should be obvious to me, but simple instructions or pics with crayons would help

[Dave999]

go to Halfords

Get the bumper box of mixed crimp on connectors

in it you will find 4-6 piggyback lucar spade connectors

this is a male spade mounted on the back of the usual female slip on connector.

see here

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-spade- ... blue-l27ay

crimp 2 onto a 3 inch length of wire (same or fatter than the wire to the ballast)


smear with vasaline
Plug one end onto the Right end of the ballast
Plug the other onto the left end

then connect the original wires that went to the ballast to the piggy backs

looks standard
works fine


if you have a 4 pin ballast

you do this job twice. upper right to upper left
lower right to lower left

now all the wires that go from the ballast to the engine have 12-14 volts all the time the ignition is on

pick one

put it to coil +
or just use your orginal (depends on orginal config of car)

coil - should have tacho

run a wire from + on the module to + on the coil (B for battery)
run a wire from - on the module to - on the coil (C coil switch)

earth the module

run 2 wires from dizzy to the other end

set static timing at 8-10 BTDC
try and start it

if it won't start

swap the wires from the dizzy to the module over

then set timing properly.

dave

[Dave999]

alternative1

run wire from car fuse box end of ballast direct to coil

i.e find which one of the ballast feeds is 12 volt all the time the ignition is on

and extend it to the coil +

totally removes from circuit the whole ballast and electronic ignition loom that was there from day 1

doesn't look as standard but has fewer connectiosn to go wrong


alternative 2

put your module inside the old blue/grey/ornage/crome box

wire it to the pins

use the old loom with the ballast bypassed as per my orginal post

looks exceedingly standard

[Dave999]

if you do mount it in original box
you will have to dig out the sealer first
the rip out the circuit board

the connector for the loom is held on with a bolt that runs through to the inside

so is the transistor
leave the transistor mounted on the box to hold on the heat sink and just chop off its legs.

make sure you earth the module mounting hole well
module needs to be bolted flat to the metal of the box or heat sink


then after wiring it up to the pins on the connector

seal it up

draw round original box on a nylon chopping board

cut out

file to fit

seal it into the back of the box with bathroom sealer


run with a 12 volt coil with 0.5to 1.0 ohm resistance

blaster 2 (spendy)
fbo (spendy)
Lucas DLB198 cheap as chips (good for a jag, good for an Aston, range rover, TVR good enough for a mopar) £16-£30 from you local motor factors


Dave

[MilesnMiles]

Thanks for all the options Dave. Not concerned with stock looking so will go for option or two with the latter sounding the neatest.
I do have a follow up question that is related.
Once I've done away with orange box and all the old wiring I need to ensure that the field wires from alt to volt regulator are intact.

Green field straight to regulator is easy.

I presume that the blue field wire should be spliced to the 12v circuit from ignition to coil +
Sound right to you?

[Dave999]

this is not an area I know on 3rd generation US cars

you have loads more wires than necessary

wiring diagram and we can work it out

really depends on type of alternator and type of regulator


doing the swap to HEI shouldn't impact this area

[MilesnMiles]

Dave, I have a wiring diagram, just look into make sure I had it right. The blue filed wire interacts with the plug that goes into the Orange box from memory. If I cut out the ECU box I need to address the blue field wire circuit.
As you say, doesn't interact with the HEI circuit but it part of the retiring job.

[Dave999]

OK the blue wire sounds like a feed direct from the alternator at 12 volts

as long as its 12 volts only when the ignition is on you could connect it to the coil +

however I'd be inclined to try without it first and see if it all works

not sure what the back EMF from the coil will do to the alternator

if nothing works

or the car starts but the alternator isn't charging (less than 12 volts at battery )

check what voltage is on the blue wire

if its 12 volts when running just tape it up or connect it to the output stud

if its zero volts when running

just earth it somewhere


if your dash "Charge lamp" lamp stops working

that's the feed for it and you need to get it to the dash lamp

Dave

[MilesnMiles]

Thanks Dave, I need to delve a little deeper to ensure I get it right. I'll go back to the wiring diagram and charging circuit and look again.

[Scooby]

Miles not interrupt Dave's very helpful advice ... But check with Anton when we did the engine change over he installed my HEI distributor ..and did away with all the other bits of electrical parts.
Being lazy I know but I was away and just him to get on with it
Rich

[MilesnMiles]

Rich
I do like to consult the mad scientist that is Dave999 though!

[Steve]

Hi Miles....good thread and lots of great info from Dave etc. Im too tired to fully absorb it this eve but I will over the next day or two.

Ive done this conversion twice now and there has been a fair bit of head scratching both times. I got there and it transformed the Polara.

I seem to do the same research each time and come up with the same diagrams off the internet. I really want to do one schematic that covers the ECU, coil, ballast resistor and VR all in one so the next conversion will be much easier. Without the head scratching, this conversion including all the wiring can be done in a day, no problem

[MilesnMiles]

Yes, quite Steve. The HEI is the easy bit, it's maintaining the charging filed etc that I need to get right.