L-98 Distributor Swap to Small Diameter

AKS Racing · 10-07-2002, 06:29 PM

Who has done this mod? What is required? Wiring revisions? F-body distributor?

No, I am not swapping to an MSD billet unit. F-body small diameter, external coil. Currently have large diameter L-98 unit with MSD 6AL and relocated coil.

Any input is appreciated.

Aaron

gcrouse · 10-08-2002, 05:50 AM

Are you doing this for space, or just converting to external coil? Because MSD sells a modified coil cover for the large HEI with a post on it just like an old distributor, letting you run an external coil. IMHO it's nice having the dist terminals spaced farther apart, unless you specifically need the smaller diameter.

Don't know details but I believe you just need a late model HEI w/external coil. Don't know if the connectors match, but what you connect to the distributor module (amplifier) are power, ground, and coil output (for triggering the MSD.) Then the MSD would just drive your ext coil directly.

SloRvette · 10-08-2002, 12:02 PM

I went through the search engine from this forum to try to come up with the post I made about the swap and couldn't get it.

The search engine here sucks.

I took mine off a F-body. I took the small cap distributor, coil and bracket, the harness that connects the distributor to the coil and the connectors to the coil, and the ecm connector for the distributor off the F-body. Cut the connectors off the F-body harness with enough wire to use as pigtails to splice with.

All the wire colors for both the Vette and the F-body are going to match. I had to reverse the wire positions on the distributor to ecm connector. What I did is to cut the connector off the original distributor and use that and the connector I cut off the F-body harness to make an "adapter" to connect the distributor to the Vette harness without cutting the Vette harness. Just match wire colors.

There are pink and white wires at the original Vette distributor, the pink is 12v the white is the tach connector. I cut the connector off the Vette harness and connected the F-body connector for the coil to these. Once again, match wire color. The F-body distributor to coil harness just gets plugged into the distributor and the coil.

Right now I'm using just the stock F-body distributor and stock coil on my 383 and even using nitrous it pulls clean to 6000 with no spark issues. It works good and is a must in my book if you run a SuperRam.

Chief Muktar · 10-09-2002, 01:49 PM

John, the guy who does the LT1 intake converstions for L98's would be a great person to ask. You need a small HEI dist. when you do that swap. :cheers:

8388 · 10-09-2002, 01:54 PM

I believe MSD makes a harness adapter. Just plug n go.

AKS Racing · 10-09-2002, 11:00 PM

Thanks guys. I think I have the info that I need. Now time to locate a donor distributor.

As a comment on the must have for a SR, I have less room with the MR, even after modification of the fuel rails. Problem is the back of the passenger side rail, and the AN (-8 feed and -6 returns). I decided to forgo this issue with the new manifold on the project and just start with a small diameter distributor. I am running an 18° Chevy single plane that has been converted to FI. At this time, there appears like there is plenty of room, but why not convert and take all the questions away? Hell maybe I should be looking at crank trigger instead.

Anyways, thanks for the help.

Aaron

johnnyevans · 10-12-2002, 04:43 AM

It's not a difficult conversion. Get a small distr plug from a harness on a Camaro or any V6 car. You'll need the power plug for the distributor, the distr to coil wire and the female harness to distributor from the old harness. Cut it with about 4-6". Easiest way to put them together is to solder them together and use heat shrink tubing to protect them. You will also need the harness from your old distributor to plug on harness. Cut the wires from your distributor and then the wires from the small distributor harness match white wire and go one on one to the other three. Put it together and there's your adapter. You can do it for a couple of bucks vs $30 or so for the adapter from the aftermarket. BTW the ignition coils are all the same, really. I've tried the v6 and v8 coils and used a sun scope on them. No difference in output. My coils mounted on the side of the plenum on my Stealth top. Works great, and no problems.
Johnny