How to Set Up a HEI Distributor
- 1). Use a socket wrench to lift off the negative battery cable.
- 2). Rotate the first spark plug cap with a socket wrench and remove it carefully. Lift the spark plug out of the engine compartment.
- 3). Rotate the large bolt at the front of the crankshaft pulley with a socket wrench. Place your finger near the hole of where the initial spark plug was and rotate the large bolt. As you rotate, you will feel air being expelled on your finger. When the first piston reaches its top position, stop rotating the bolt.
- 4). Use a long screwdriver to align the oil pump drive shaft of the engine with the mating drive-tab of the distributor. Install the distributor into the engine. If the distributor does not fit, then the engine is not in the correct position and you will need to rotate the bolt on the crankshaft pulley again.
- 5). Install the cap onto the distributor and its holding clamp-and-bolt assembly with a socket wrench. Attach the electrical wiring connectors and spark plug wires to the distributor.
- 6). Reinstall the first spark plug into the engine. Reconnect the negative battery cable and close the vehicle's hood.