Crazy project and stupid questions

[Tkauk]

So some of you guys may have seen this beast on expedition portal a number of years ago, and I’m the sucker that ended up with it. It’s an 86 waggy with a 74 chinook camper mated to it. Needs LOTS of work to get it where it needs to be but I might just be the only person stubborn enough to do it. I’ve got it moved into my shop and I’m trying to get it running, the previous owner put an HDI distributor on it, and after I tested my spark on all cylinders I’m getting and orange spark. Is the distributor bad? Am I not getting enough amperage? The distributor looks brand new to me but I’m by no means a mechanic. It also turns over kind of slowly compared to what I’ve seen on YouTube despite having a brand new battery.

[Stuka]

First, welcome to the forum!

Next, I am going to assume that you meant to type HEI distributer? I will assume as much as that would have had either points or prestolite from the factory.

HEI is a very easy distributer to work with. It has a single 12V wire going to it, the coil and ignition module are both inside the cap. If you have an orange spark, either you aren't getting 12V to it (check with a multimeter) or the coil needs to be replaced. The coils in these is not known for having issues as its a thin film insulated style. I suppose the distributer could have a bad ground also, so check the ground strap from the engine block to the chassis.

For starting up slow with a new battery, check the battery cables. If there is any green on the wires, toss em.

[will e]

Howdy from Phoenix. First, check the firing order. The AMC's are a bit weird. Next, if you have an HEI, take the single wire and attach it directly to the positive on the battery for testing. Start the engine. Be careful, the only way to stop the engine will be to yank this wire. If the engine starts you know that the distributor works and your next step will be to determine where the power is coming from and the voltage.

[soonerck]

Wow, I just found a post that isn't 10 years old and is relevant! I'm not or hope I'm not hijacking, but wanted to add my problem with an HEI as it might be relevant. I got it started after the swap and didn't have a timing light handy. It sputtered a bit due to out of time and also two wires not being snapped down enough onto the plugs. Finally it died after me messing with the timing a bit. No biggie. I turned it off and went to borrow a timing light. An hour later I returned and went to start it again. Cranked and cranked but wouldn't fire. Pulled no. 1 plug and tested. No spark. Tested hot to the dizzy showed 12+ volts. Tested same hot during cranking and it dropped a bit to as low as 10.73 volts temporarily. Pulled cap to insure shaft was turning and it was. Do these things have an internal fuse? Should I try the hot straight from the battery as suggested to Tkauk? If this isn't proper protocol for where and how to ask this question please let me know. I'm still new to the forum world.

Update: was missing the spring loaded carbon button!

[rapom]

Sounds like you need a new module. It's inside the cap and easy to change. Just make sure you get a quality one. Check Rock Auto and look up one for a 1975 chevy pickup if you have the 4 pinned module.

[Greenmachine]

I haven't seen your project, but would love to. Please post some pictures when you get a chance.

[bigun]

I haven't seen your project, but would love to. Please post some pictures when you get a chance.

X2

[weeegoneeer]

X3!

[melford72]

This sounded so insane that I had to look for it. Pretty sure this is the one. https://expeditionportal.com/forum/thre ... op.144581/
You should start a build thread. A bunch of people probably will want to follow along.

[soonerck]

Sounds like you need a new module. It's inside the cap and easy to change. Just make sure you get a quality one. Check Rock Auto and look up one for a 1975 chevy pickup if you have the 4 pinned module.

Update: was missing the spring loaded carbon button!

When you're not familiar with the anatomy of a distributor you'll spend hours trouble shooting and never know you're missing a key component. Bought an hei cap from autozone and it fired right up. Backed it out of the shop and found the button that came with it run over on the floor.

You don't know what you don't know. I'll never forget!