I am going to try and do the HEI upgrade, and today i got a reman distributor and mo-3000 rotor from NAPA. i wouldn't call the rotor to distributor shaft fit snug, to try and describe how it fits, when i turn the distributor upside down sometimes it falls off the shaft and sometimes it doesn't. does it sound like it is too loose? and if that is too loose, is it safe to put a piece of napkin or foil or something between the shaft and rotor to make it snug? the rotor does not fit on the shaft with two layers of napkin but fits very tightly with one layer

Sure, that'd be fine. Or a square of electrical tape.

Make sure you push the rotor all the way down on the shaft.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

thank you sir. on the HEI subject, i got a cheapo coil at Autozone "for a '74 Dart", Duralast C819. on the coil itself is printed, "use with primary resistance wire or external resistor". i beleive the HEI setup does not use an external resistor, and i do not know if it has a "primary resistance wire". does this sound like the right coil to use?

Nope, I don't. See coil recommendations in the HEI upgrade article. It really doesn't cost much more to do it right, and it'll pay you in the long run.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.