HEI distributor

As far as I know, any Pontiac HEI distributor will drop right in, even one out of the short-deck 265/301. I picked up a random Pontiac HEI distributor and dropped it into a '69 Pontiac 350 no problem (I seem to recall a tech question a while back in one of the Pontiac mags where someone had dropped a 301 distributor into an earlier engine).

Now, as I'm not *100% positive* that the 301 version will work, so your safest bet is to find a 350/400/455 distributor. However, I expect that it will be easier to find a 265/301 in the junkyard because those motors hung on a little longer, and a considerably less valuable to Pontiac engine collectors.

A Chevy, Olds, etc. distributor won't work; don't bother.

You probably won't have any problems with a Catalina, but eyeball the firewall clearance first--the HEI is considerably bulkier and greater in diameter. It fit in my '69 Firebird, but I had to clock it weird to get just enough timing adjustment.

Datapoint: swap with a late 70's Pontiac 400 wagon was a "drop in" on my '68 Bonny...

Make sure to bypass the "ballast resistor" wire that will lower the voltage to the HEI (lowered the voltage to prolong points life). I just jumpered the beginning of the ballast resistor wire to the ballast resistor bypass wire (used to get 12V to the ignition during cranking); this might be more difficult on a "igniton switch in the steering wheel" model.

--Ken