If you have a classic, vintage, or otherwise old car, you've probably heard of the distributor that it features. It's part of the ignition system that transfers current from the battery to the ...

The distributor has two jobs: to house a switch that tells the coil when to send a spark, and to send that spark to each individual cylinder in the correct order. The distributor shaft is spun by the ...

If there is a standard in the world for a stand-alone electronic ignition distributor for GM engines, it has to be the High Energy Ignition or HEI distributor. This large cap distributor first ...

At some point in the mid 1970s or so, GM (with Delco Remy) came up with a new electronic ignition system known as HEI or High Energy Ignition. We've touted this as an upgrade for many engines in ...

When General Motors introduced the High Energy Ignition (HEI) distributor in the mid-1970s, it was revolutionary. So much so that it still has a strong following among today's hot rodders. Like other ...

Editor's Note: Way back in March of 1998, GMHTP ran "Opti-Spark" by Ray Bohacz, an engineering-level dissection of GM's Opti-Spark distributor. This evolutionary ignition component was a bridge ...

The ignition (or distributor) cap is where ignition wires that run to the spark plugs receive high-voltage current from the ignition coil. Metal contacts in the cap connect with contacts in the ...

When you’re trying to learn about older cars, you might as well be signing up for the debate club. Every question, especially when it comes to breaker points, electronic, and multiple spark discharge ...