After having nightmarish problems with a faulty distributor on the previous engine in this truck, I decided to do this one right.

Today saw the purchase and installation of a new Summit Racing blueprinted HEI distributor on the old straight six. With the new distributor came a new vacuum advance line made from steel brake line. I have to run rigid lines under the hood as there is a weird exhaust gas re-circulation line that gets extremely hot and seems to melt anything that has to cross over it. Which is everything...I also ran a solid line to the transmission for the vacuum modulator while I was at it.

Last weekend saw the installation of 6 new AC Delco spark plugs.

Next week will be the installation of new spark plug wires. I very well may buy the bulk wire, all the connectors, and a crimper to make the cables myself. All 6 spark plug wires reside on the same side fo the engine, which simplifies things, but causes weird placement problems. I'm hoping to get the wires to the perfect length, use a wire separator kit to keep the neat, then add boot protectors to the spark plug side to keep things safe from the engine heat. When this is all done, the truck will have an all new ignition system, including ignition fuses.

Once all the wiring has been sorted out and the engine bay cleaned up, the truck is off to a buddy for a really good tune up and inspection. Once that is done, it's simply a matter of saving some money, then pulling the engine to install a new water pump, oil pump, oil pan gasket, head gasket, and any other various sensors and seals that need done. At that point, I will probably just clean the engine up really nice, paint it real pretty, and take my good old time to get it looking the way I really want it to look.