Thread: The "resistance wire" and Converting to HEI

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I searched "HEI" in the forums and got zero results

Anyhow, My 65 biscayne was converted to HEI by the previous owner when he installed his 350. I have since plucked the mouse, refurbished the engine compartment (read: removed all wiring), and dropped in a rat. I am now at the stage where I am accounting for, and connecting, all of the loose ends in my wiring harness.

It appears that he just ran the "resistance wire" (the one with braided insulation that went to the old coil) straight to the "BATT" terminal on the HEI unit.

1. Why does the resistance wire look different than all the rest (i.e. the funny insulation)?

2. Is this safe?

I have found several problems in this harness to include melted insulation on the purple solenoind wire which was caused by I dont know what (engaging the starter too long?). Most of the other wires seem fine outside of being spliced in multiple areas (I have heard the term "cobb job" used to describe the work that was done previously). This is one area that I dont want to screw up.

-Thanks

You don't want to use the resistor wire to power the HEI run a new #12 wire from the ignition sw. The purple wire I beleave is the neutral safety switch wire there is a switch on the column where the purple wire should go to and from one end goes to the starter the other to the ignition sw. that way the engine won't start unless your in park or neutral. Hope this helps
Charlie

The funny insulation is for the heat caused by the resistance wire. And cffisher is right, don't use that wire for HEI. There was a post about that same thing here a while ago, cost them a young fortune to track it down.

you want a good 12v ign on source. you can get rid of the resistance wire and the bypass wire ( goes to starter ) for HEI, when my dad converted his '72 350 motor in his '72 C10 he ran the wire from a ign on unfused circuit on the fuse box

Good luck on the "cobb job" repair. Get that thing on the road before everyone starts building Biscaynes.

i wired my HEI in my mustang directly to the battery with a switch hidden under the drivers seat, along with a fuel pump switch.... its kinda a fail safe for keeping people from stealing my car... along with the lojack and the silent alarm with the pager.... cant wait for the day i get to catch someone breaking into me car

The resistance wire looks to be about a #16 stranded steel wire (not copper). Odd.
I'll run a new #12 as suggested. Running it to a switched source on the fuse box sounds like a good idea and possibly less painful. Thanks.
The purple wire goes directly to my ignition switch and looks like it only got hot as far back as the firewall. The car, originally being a standard, does not have the NSW. It is wired for it though and the two-purple-wire plug appears to have a factory jumper (shorting plug) installed.

65NY, thanks for the encouraging words. I am not worried though because 1)there are not that many out there, 2)There are not that many people that even know what it is, and 3) there are even fewer that see the beauty in the beast. Much as is the case with your dusty old (albeit running) 1-yr model New Yorker. An even rarer (?) or more rare (?) model.

Thanks ALL!