Hello all, I am about to drop this 351 into a '77 Maverick. Am I going to run into any problems wiring the existing ignition system into the 351 distributor?
the 351 needs a different distributor than a 302 or a I6. will it plug into the stock dura spark? if its as a dura spark distributor then yes it will plug into the the stock duraspark ignition.
it should be. the duraspark box for a 6 cylinder is different. i think it has a different dewell built into it. all the connections should be the same.
With regard to the distributor, the only difference between any 302 vs. 351w distributor is the length, due to the W's taller deck. If the distributors are the same type, (Duraspark to Duraspark, DSII to DSII, etc.) then it should be plug-and-play with the 351 distributor into your current wiring.
Not only the length but the drives for the oil pumps are different. 351W is a bigger hex drive than a 302/5.0 is. SPark
Yes, thank you for all of the great replies. I have a brand new oil pump and shaft for the 351. It uses the narrow hexagonal one. Ok so here is the scoop. The original (302) connector is round. The one on the new distributor is square and appears to have only two conductors but i could be wrong. I bought this this a good while ago so please tell me I can make this work somehow.
[/url][/IMG] This is a picture of the distributor I have. According to the site I bought it from this is supposed to be a one-wire distributor. In other words module, coil, lock, stock, and barrel. They say I just need to hook up a wire, heavy gauge, that is hot both in run and crank. And the tach hooks up to the other terminal. Can it really be that simple?
It is exactly that simple, yes. One 12v wire, and optionally another one for the tach. Don't use the original coil wire for power though, unless you're putting it on a relay. That wire is a resistor wire and won't supply the full juice that the HEI needs.
OK thanks. So is there any other wire hot while cranking that I should use? Or should I just hook up a relay? I really feel humbled on this. I have a degree in electronics and can build almost anything, but this automotive stuff is just a different animal. The old stuff anyway. Electronic fuel injection is more up my alley.
I ran mine off a relay on the coil + wire. There may be a cleaner way using another circuit but I figured new wiring couldn't hurt.
