IGNITION REHAB

ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEMS were just coming online as the original muscle car era was fading out.The electronic triggering replaced traditional breaker points, eliminating a maintenance item while providing both more consistency and the ability to run a more powerful spark.

General Motors had offered “transistorized” ignitions on some models in the ’60s, but those systems were notoriously troublesome. However, during the 1974 model year, a new electronic ignition debuted on select GM models called High Energy Ignition, which would quickly come to be known as simply “HEI.” The new system became standard on all GM passenger car and light truck V-8 engines for 1975, and soon proved to require very little maintenance. The coil was located inside, under a cover at the top of the distributor cap, and the control module was mounted in the base so that the entire ignition system was contained in the distributor itself — only a single power feed wire was required.