You use radio shack heat sink paste, they sell it in a mini tube which is plenty for cheap, a moderately thin even coat of it between the HEI and the alum plate it is mounting to. the designedtodrive piece looks pretty but is pricey for what you get, I'd just get a piece of aluminum & cut/trim/deburr/paint one yourself & some minor drilling/tapping. the original '75 chebby OE black HEI module works good and the speedway motors dynamod gets good reviews. use a full 12V coil & I'd suggest an E coil. yes connecting the wires on each end of the ballast bypasses it. do what you need to do for a clean installation. be sure & max out the dist adv systems for a spot on job