Share your tips for wiring

[Greg Cullinan]

I'm attempting to install a wired distributor on a gm 409.There are 9 wires, I'm assuming 1 for the coil? Tips as far as glue,tools steps are greatly appreciated. Also any picks of in-progress or completed wiring jobs will be helpful. Or battery,brake lines detail to make under hood appearences better,Thanks

[MrObsessive]

Greg, I simply use CA glue (SPARINGLY!) to attach wiring for engines. Now I don't use a pre wired distributor, but one that was molded in resin from the aftermarket. This has the holes drilled out and I add the wires.

I like to use the end of bead wire (.020) dabbed ever so slightly in a pool of CA (super glue) and then put in the hole. Or if you're careful, you can dip just the tip of the wire into the pool of CA and then attach that way.

Some have used epoxy, but I find that messy and slow to use.

Here are a couple pics of a detailed 348 I did in a '58 Chevy years ago.

HTH!

[Chuck Most]

I like to use the end of bead wire (.020) dabbed ever so slightly in a pool of CA (super glue) and then put in the hole. Or if you're careful, you can dip just the tip of the wire into the pool of CA and then attach that way.

Some have used epoxy, but I find that messy and slow to use.

I'm with Bill- I almost exclusively use bead wire and superglue for my plug wires. I have used the aftermarket stuff, and I have no problems with it, except that it's quite pricey for what it is. You can buy a roll of bead wire or bare stem wire (the stuff florists use to tie floral arrangements together) for less than a buck, and have enough wire to do fifty or sixty models. It's also great for fuel line, brake line, etc.

Just drill out a hole just slightly larger than the actual wire, and like Bill says, dab the end of the wire in super glue. I've never used a pre-wired distributor, though I've often thought of it- drilling out a kit distributor cap is a pain!

[Greg Cullinan]

Thanks guys,I will have to try the bead wire sometime. The premade ones are pricey.What is it you use to clamp wires togheter? Mr. obsessive that motor looks great.I wasn't using super gue and was having trouble with my painted areas getting on my wires,thanks again

[GOTH KUSTOMS]

Hay Gregg you have a P/M

[Greg Cullinan]

Thanks fellas. The super glue was the ticket,before I was ising tamiya and I would get 6 on then 3 would pull off Definetly want to try doing them myself tho instead of the pre-wired.

[Ragnar]

You can buy rolls of the same wire that is sold by the after market suppliers at Radio shack fairly cheap, you can also get heat shrink insulation for plug boots at Radio Shack. If you are doing an early 60s, or fifties Hot Rod, muscle car or Custom get some 20lb test red monofilament to use as fuel lines( the hot setup at that time was red clear fuel lines. Go to GOOGLE and search for the wiring and firing order of the engines you are detailing. The Web is a GREAT resource for all kinds of 1:1 details to use in building Model Cars.

CHEERS!

Tom

[Harry P.]

Thanks fellas. The super glue was the ticket,before I was ising tamiya and I would get 6 on then 3 would pull off Definetly want to try doing them myself tho instead of the pre-wired.

You've made a very common mistake here. Your ignition wires sprout from the distributor and travel to each spark plug in giant, towering arcs. Look under the hood of any car and see what you find. Your plug wires defy gravity! No car's ignition wires look like that, they usually are held down tight to the engine via wire looms... or if no looms, the wires still droop and sag, because in the real world we have a thing called gravity. Take another look at Bill's photos and look at how the wires are routed. No giant arcs, they follow the engine closely. That's how the real deal looks. Keep the wires shorter, and closer to the engine for a much more realistic look. If you use beading wire you can shape each wire much more realistically, and the bead wire will hold its shape.

[jbwelda]

yeah harry is right, but its not necessarily do-over time. you can take a toothpick or some other similar object and

gently smooth and press the wires down and into a pattern. it does look like youve got too much wire there but if you

have drilled holes into the engine block and then passed the wire through, maybe you can grab the wires and pull some of their length out of them. but you do want them down following the contour of the motor on their way to their destination. see bills layout above, its pretty much perfect to my eyes and the harnesses are optional but they make it easier to keep them organized.

[Jantrix]

As always Bill, your work floors me. For me the wiring/plumbing is the least enjoyable part of the build so I'm pretty frugal with what I spend on it and how much of it I actually do. Here's a hemi I just did and what I used. I added only spark plug wires, fuel lines and I'll add coolant hoses later on. This is about all I ever do. The spark plug wires are 30 gauge wrapping wire from Radio Shack, they are about $3.99 for 50' and comes in several colors. As Harry mentioned running the wires along the engine and curving in the last couple millimeters or so maintains the realistic look. The spark plug boots are just insulation from a larger diameter wire.

The fuel lines are beading wire which comes in a roll and costs about $2 for 30'. The fuel fittings are small hexagonal beads from a craft store. They are silver and with a little blue/red Sharpie, the resemble anodized zerk fittings very well. In this case I just painted them bronze. The vial of beads is less than a $1 and holds enough to keep me going for a long long while yet. I hope this helps.