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Our initial distributor offered a very neat low profile, but the large diameter of the head made installation impossible due to a lack of intake plenum clearance, so I switched out to a smaller-diameter-head MSD.
The MSD Pro-Billet distributor (P/N 85501) provided the intake manifold plenum clearance that we needed.
Our MSD distributor features a slip collar, allowing installed height adjustability.
In order to fit the Dart block, the nose of the drive gear was shortened and reduced in diameter (see the machined section that contrasts here with the machinist blue dye).
During distributor-height adjustment, I made sure that the distributor shaft’s oil groove lined up with the block’s oil passage.
The final distributor height brought the underhead chamfer a bit close to the slip collar, so I ground the top of the hold-down clamp for proper fit.
Our MSD 8.5mm Super Conductor spark plug wire kit.
I went a bit overboard with plug wire clamps in an effort to nail all of the wires down to prevent them from flopping around. I made two L-brackets that attach to the rear manifold bolts to provide a mounting spot for the four-wire MSD wire dividers.
The MSD wire dividers feature a snap-on/off cap for easy wire servicing. The divider base is secured to the custom L-brackets via an 8 x 32 stainless-steel button head screw and nyloc nut.
DEI’s spark plug boot protector sleeves are offered in a variety of colors, but I chose blue for this build.
The DEI sleeves feature a heat-resistant Kevlar weave.
The smaller-diameter rolled end snugs over the spark plug boot.
The rolled end of the heat shield sleeve features an internal metal ring that snugs the sleeve onto the boot. This prevents the sleeve from walking off of the boot and eliminates the need to secure the sleeves with zip ties.
I routed the plug wires under the exhaust ports. The sleeves protect the boots from heat and protect the wires from abrasion as well.
Our valve covers are Moroso’s welded aluminum big block units.
The standard method of securing the valve covers involves the use of 1/4-inch x 20 socket head cap screws (provided with the covers). However, I decided to install 1/4-inch x 20 x 4-inch studs in the heads, allowing me to use knurled aluminum knobs for clamping.
The knobs (from Cam Motion) are designed for use with air cleaners, but I thought that they’d be practical for valve cover use since no tools are required. They may seem a bit large in diameter, but they’re super-easy to handle.
Cam Motion offers these Top Seal knobs in two different heights and in a variety of colors.
I didn’t need the height offered by the tall design, so I went with the short version for the sake of appearance and clearance (no need to have ‘em sticking up further for no reason).
The Cam Motion Top Seal knobs are equipped with O-rings, which provide grip and sealing when used to clamp air cleaner lids. For my use on the valve covers, I simply removed these O-rings.
The blue valve cover knobs may look a bit large, but they’re very user-friendly. Hey, they kinda match the blue spark plug boot sleeves too.
The Victor Reinz valve cover gaskets feature a stainless core sandwiched between the rubberized cork layers, making them nice and stable, so they won’t slip in/out of location.
We had a choice of upper plenum boxes for our Profiler intake manifold, allowing us to use either one carb or two. For this build, I opted for a single Holley 1,150 cfm Dominator.
The Dominator carb, with its 1,150 cfm volume, should provide adequate air/fuel for our nutty cam and Big Chief II heads.
Tags: ASSEMBLY, CAM MOTION, CARBURETOR, DEI, HOLLEY, MOROSO, MSD, SPARK PLUG WIRES, TALL DECK DISTRIBUTOR, VALVE COVERS
