fiatboy Posted July 26, 2017 Posted July 26, 2017 When I see photos of some model cars, it looks like some have larger diameter plug wires. Anybody know anything about this? Thanks
Jantrix Posted July 26, 2017 Posted July 26, 2017 (edited) Yep. A lot of us use 30 gauge wrapping wire due to availability and color choices. They are a bit out of scale than the wire you will get with a pre-wired dizzy, but I think they look better.We used to get it at Radio Shack, but sadly those days are past. A Google search might find you some. Edited July 26, 2017 by Jantrix
Mark Posted July 26, 2017 Posted July 26, 2017 The 30 AWG wire (size refers to the wire without insulation) is all over the place on eBay. Apparently the video game geeks use it to fix their stuff. I've never seen anything but red at Radio Shack (I'd either paint it with thinned black acrylic, or color it with a Sharpie) but you can get it in black, white, whatever on eBay.
crazyjim Posted July 26, 2017 Posted July 26, 2017 I carry a bunch of different color wire as well as boot material. My link is below.
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 26, 2017 Posted July 26, 2017 (edited) There seem to be basically three schools of thought on plug-wire diameter for models: scale (me and some few others), garden-hose (lots) and the third, whatever doofy looking (but cheap) krap is lying around. Edited July 26, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy
blunc Posted July 27, 2017 Posted July 27, 2017 electronics distributors are a great place to get various gauges of wire with different colors of insulation (I think most of the sellers of pre-wired distributors buy their wire in bulk from these sources.electronics distributors also have braided wire.Digikey, Mouser and Newark are a few of the companies I have purchased from although I'm guessing Amazon will have stuff also.
gtx6970 Posted July 27, 2017 Posted July 27, 2017 (edited) I don't build much outside box stock anymore. Ive done my share of drilling and wiring up dist caps and engines for many years in the past. Now if I want to add that kind of detail ( which is rare anymore ) . I use these,,,,,might I suggest http://www.madmodeling.com/store/ for $5 ea. how can you go wrong. Avail in all kinds of wire colors and dist cap colors to fit most any need Edited December 2, 2017 by gtx6970
fiatboy Posted July 28, 2017 Author Posted July 28, 2017 What do you use, then, for a distributor 'blank'? The ones in kits are pretty small. Thanks
Mark Posted July 28, 2017 Posted July 28, 2017 What do you use, then, for a distributor 'blank'? The ones in kits are pretty small. ThanksA lot of kit distributors are undersize, but not all. Even some of the undersize ones can be drilled for individual wires...start with a drill way smaller than the wire you intend to use, and redrill with larger bits once the holes are established.Someone posted step-by-step instructions a couple of weeks ago on making a pre-wired distributor using short pieces of wire insulation that slip over the plug wires, and some acrylic fingernail plastic. I didn't have the acrylic on hand, but tried something similar with just the wire insulation, and it worked pretty well. I started with a piece of round styrene rod drilled at one end for the coil wire, then superglued eight short lengths of insulation around it, spaced evenly. Once everything cured, I then sliced the "distributor cap" off in one piece. It looked pretty good. I've made distributor caps by drilling the holes into a length of round sprue (a lot of newer kits have perfectly round parts trees) then shaping the "cap" around the drilled holes. Those tend to look rough compared to the molded parts, so I only use those where the distributor is at the rear, buried behind other parts like air cleaners and ignition coils. As for wire, "cheap" and "wrong" don't necessarily go hand in hand, provided you can measure the cheap stuff you find and then figure out what it can be used for. If you haven't got a digital caliper, get one. The cheapie Harbor Freight units (under ten bucks on sale or with a coupon) will work just fine. First thing you do is throw away the battery that comes with it and get a name brand one. And, take the battery out when you aren't using the thing. The caliper has lots of other uses: measuring drill bits after you accidently dump all of them out of the drill index, measuring the thickness of sheet plastic bought off of the scrap pile at the local plastics supplier, and many more. Pop the hood open on your car, measure the diameter of the plug wires, heater hoses, battery cables, fuel line, and anything else you might want to do in scale. Divide by whatever scale you are working in, to determine what diameter material you will need for each application. Then measure the wire you have. Whether 1:1 or in scale, don't go by the wire manufacturers' reference, because they are measuring the bare wire and not the insulation. We're not using the wire for its intended purpose, so our measurements need to include the insulation.
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 28, 2017 Posted July 28, 2017 ...As for wire, "cheap" and "wrong" don't necessarily go hand in hand, provided you can measure the cheap stuff you find and then figure out what it can be used for. If you haven't got a digital caliper, get one. The cheapie Harbor Freight units (under ten bucks on sale or with a coupon) will work just fine. First thing you do is throw away the battery that comes with it and get a name brand one. And, take the battery out when you aren't using the thing. The caliper has lots of other uses: measuring drill bits after you accidently dump all of them out of the drill index, measuring the thickness of sheet plastic bought off of the scrap pile at the local plastics supplier, and many more. Pop the hood open on your car, measure the diameter of the plug wires, heater hoses, battery cables, fuel line, and anything else you might want to do in scale. Divide by whatever scale you are working in, to determine what diameter material you will need for each application. Then measure the wire you have. Whether 1:1 or in scale, don't go by the wire manufacturers' reference, because they are measuring the bare wire and not the insulation. We're not using the wire for its intended purpose, so our measurements need to include the insulation.Excellent.For 1/25 scale, correct-scale plug wires will have an outside diameter in the .011" to .016" range. The thinnest are older-car factory wires, the fattest being recent racing-engine wires.You can find spools of colored beading wire at craft stores that will make perfect scale wires (though not always in the color you might want), cheap.Many people will also tell you "scale" wires look too small.I disagree. I'm used to looking at real engines day-in, day-out, and the proportions you get using scale-diameter wire look correct to my eye...because they are.
crazyjim Posted July 28, 2017 Posted July 28, 2017 (edited) I'll let out a HUGE secret. Google kynar wire or go to ebay and search there. Or better yet, buy your scale wire from me. Edited July 28, 2017 by crazyjim
Kris Morgan Posted July 30, 2017 Posted July 30, 2017 What do you use, then, for a distributor 'blank'? The ones in kits are pretty small. ThanksWith the prewired one found here, everything is there for you. Infact, the Riders Hobby in Grand Rapids carries them. www.madmodeling.com
peteski Posted August 2, 2017 Posted August 2, 2017 The 30 AWG Kynar wire-wrapping wire is often used for high performance spark plug wires in 1:24 scale models. The 30 AWG wire itself has a diameter of 0.010" and the overall diameter with the insulation is about 0.016". That works out to be 0.38 scale inches in 1:24 scale model.
ScottH454 Posted August 2, 2017 Posted August 2, 2017 Here you go guys, take a look at what this site has to offer. The train hobbiest use some pretty small wire that we can use on our cars. An while your there grab the heat shrink tubing in a roll an that can be trimmed an heated on your wires for a tight fit plug boot. http://tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Products/Supplies/Wire/Wire.htm
crazyjim Posted August 2, 2017 Posted August 2, 2017 Prices are at least double from the source I use.
peteski Posted August 3, 2017 Posted August 3, 2017 Yes, many of the model train hobby items can be used for our hobby and vice versa (I dabble in many hobbies myself).Yes, the prices are usually higher when things like wire are bought from model railroad vendors instead of other sources (like industrial electrical suppliers). The model railroad decoder wires are nice and flexible, but most are too thick for representing 1:24 plug wires. They are good for modeling thicker wires - like battery cables or for representing rubber hoses.
my66s55 Posted August 3, 2017 Posted August 3, 2017 Prices are at least double from the source I use.But they are much less than yours.Yes, many of the model train hobby items can be used for our hobby and vice versa (I dabble in many hobbies myself).Yes, the prices are usually higher when things like wire are bought from model railroad vendors instead of other sources (like industrial electrical suppliers). The model railroad decoder wires are nice and flexible, but most are too thick for representing 1:24 plug wires. They are good for modeling thicker wires - like battery cables or for representing rubber hoses.I calculated the diameter against the plug wires on my 66 Merc and the 30 gauge are perfect.I ordered 10' of black and orange Yesterday when I found the train website listed above.
ScottH454 Posted August 4, 2017 Posted August 4, 2017 Prices are at least double from the source I use. Hey, so that is the cheapest an safest place I've bought from an there was also another site with finer wire that is higher price. I tried to look on your store but you host your photos on photobucket an that is just a joke, that site won't even let you view from their own site. From what I can tell the wire you have an that Kynar wire is more of a plastic translucent insulation. I already have a bunch of that an they look nothing like plug wires. If you want to contribute can you tell us where you get your wire from an or do you know where to get 34AWG colored insulated wire from? BTW my66s55 is right an my link sells 10' of 30AWG for $2.95 vs your 4' for $3.00. Just trying to help here guys as the OP was asking I too have seen a lot of bad wire jobs. Ok so I am posting a photo of my wired engine, this is 32AWG wire from the train site I linked to. Also plug boots are the heat shrink I got from them.
Kit Basher Posted August 4, 2017 Posted August 4, 2017 do you know where to get 34AWG colored insulated wire from? http://www.micronmeters.com/c-46-insulated-wire.aspx
crazyjim Posted August 4, 2017 Posted August 4, 2017 (edited) I got kynar wire off ebay from PingFong in CA. I'll be adjusting my wire prices in the very near future.I looked up other wire suppliers - Detail Master 2' $4.99, Lex's Scale Detail 3' $5.00, Pro Tech 5' $3.75. Edited August 4, 2017 by crazyjim
ScottH454 Posted August 4, 2017 Posted August 4, 2017 http://www.micronmeters.com/c-46-insulated-wire.aspxha that is the other place i was talking about. 50ft min is $13 but the shipping is $15. But all this wire talk i still placed an order last night for 36 white an red n yellow 34.
Greg Myers Posted August 4, 2017 Posted August 4, 2017 Yep. A lot of us use 30 gauge wrapping wire due to availability and color choices. They are a bit out of scale than the wire you will get with a pre-wired dizzy, but I think they look better. We used to get it at Radio Shack, but sadly those days are past. A Google search might find you some. What's a "Dizzy " ?
peteski Posted August 7, 2017 Posted August 7, 2017 The 30AWG Wire Wrapping wire's outside diameter (with insulation) is about 0.016" or up to 0.020". That is good for representing the 1:24 scale high-performance ignition wire, but too thick for average pedestrian factory-stock model car.Detail Master sells 0.012" overall diameter ignition wire which is expensive but gives a better scale representation of the factory-stock wire. I also use Detail Master 0.007" detail wire for ignition wires in 1:43 scale cars. Pro-Tech also has some nice ignition wire. Those thinner wires are pretty much imposable to find in small quantities.
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