Well, I cut out of work early today and spent about thwo and a half hours removing the factory lean burn ignition from my van and replacing it with the HEI ignition setup.

The motor runs great now, I just have to swap out the carb for a non-computer controlled one.

I made an interesting discovery when I did the swap. Back when i first tested the HEI ignition system for goildduster on my old 74 valint, I discovered that the HEI unit must be ground to work properly. Tonight I discovered that the part that must be grounded is actually the metal nut-shaped portion on the top of the unit. I tried grounding just the back of the unit and it didn't work. But once I grounded the right portion of the HEI unit it fired right up. What a feeling...

Nobody can ever say you didn't give it an honest try to save the lean burn.

Glad to hear the HEI is working, it seems like a very good option for conversion based on the feedback I've seen. You've got to love cheap and simple when it comes to ignition systems.

Did you open up the plug gap a little? I've heard you can go .045 or .050 with the GM style coil.

I've found that most of the local shops (the ones that know me) don't care what kind of system I use as long as the car/truck looks solid and doesn't blow smoke. I guess they know that the lean burns are pretty impossible to keep going after so long.

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1980 Aspen 225 super six

I always run my plug gap at .045, even with the stock Mopar electronic ignition. As far as local shops go, I rarely take my vehicles to someone else to work on them, unless it is a new car like my sister's PT cruiser of my Mom's Buick.

I still need to get a better carb on the motor, but it has been running much better. Gas mileage and power have improved, but I am still measuring the gas mileage improvement. I know the carb I am running is worn out so hopefully gas mileage will improve even more when I swap it out.