Prewired 8cyl distributor install

[CA Whitecloud]

I'm not sure what to do with this.  All info I find is for DIY wiring.

[redscampi]

I've no direct experience with these, but I'd say drill an appropriately sized hole in the place you want the distributor and glue it in. Looks like you may have to remove the kit distributor to do that.

[stitchdup]

just do what Gary said to do then follow the wiring guide you found after its glued down and secure. You'll get a better bond if you give the distibutor shaft a light sand before gluing it down

[StevenGuthmiller]

It’s helpful to plan a little further in advance.

It would have been infinitely easier to remove the kit distributor and prep for its replacement long before any paint was applied.

 

 

 

Steve

[Bainford]

I have not used these myself, but fitting one should be fairly straightforward. However, as Steve pointed out, it's a bit too late now for this build. For the next one...

You need to delete the original distributor and drill a hole to accept the shaft of the pre-wired one. You must also drill a small hole in each spark plug location in the cylinder heads. These holes need to be a bit larger than the wires. A #73-#69 drill bit should work. The more easily obtainable 1/32" is ok too. You will need a pinvise for the drill bits. Glue the new distributor shaft in its hole. Once set, route the individual wires to the spark plug holes, cut to length, and apply glue. CA works well here, applied with a toothpick. Route and drape the wires for an authentic look before cutting and gluing. Adding PE wire looms can give your wiring job a tidy look. As for the boots, the material provided with your distributor kit looks quite out of scale. You'd be better off not bothering with it.

...or, better yet, give a shot at developing the skill of wiring an engine without a pre-wired distributor. Personally, I think many of these pre-wired distributors don't look any better than no wires at all. If you want a good, authentic looking engine, there is no substitute for doing it by scratch. And it's really not that hard at all. Once you have done a couple, the basic method becomes second hand. Many engines provide unique challenges, but that is also why wiring by scratch is better; it's not a one size fits all. Best of all, that cool looking engine you're admiring is all your own work.

Either way, good luck with your project.

[Bills72sj]

I have taken to making them myself. Sometimes with boots sometimes not.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I use pre-wired distributors from M.A.D. all of the time.

Nothing better or worse about doing them yourself versus buying them pre-wired.

It's just a matter of what you would rather spend your time on.

Personally, I see no reason to spend time on wiring a distributor when I can buy one that's better than what I'm going to do anyway, is cheap, and allows me to spend that time on other things.

Wiring distributors feels a lot like "busy work" to me, and yes, I have done it many times in the past.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

[bobss396]

As of late, I am making my own. I have gotten Gofer ones in the past that were almost falling apart in the package. Other good ones if you like adding wires and what Norm Veber sells, nice looking caps and bodies in resin. Scale Repros makes some nice aluminum ones, I get them on eBay. I have some 3D printed ones, but almost a lock that the holes need to be opened up.

I measure the distributor shaft first, then open the engine block with some clearance, .005" is good. Some of the 3D ones, I cut off the supplied shaft and use 1/16" aluminum tubing. Regular styrene rod will work. I install them with a dab of CA glue in the drilled hole in the block.

Spark plug holes, I drill with a .026" - .029" drill in a pin vise. I drill extra deep so I can get a lot of wire in the holes. Those I secure with CA glue. If they will show, I add "boots" cut from some wire I have laying around.   

[NOBLNG]

15 hours ago, CA Whitecloud said:

I'm not sure what to do with this.  All info I find is for DIY wiring.

Just like Gary said. You should google some images of the engine you are doing in order to determine the proper spark plug locations and whether they are straight or angled. Decide whether you want to bother with the proper firing order or not. No one will notice the wrong firing order unless you enter a contest….but don’t part them down the middle at the distributor like a haircut.? Personally I don’t care for the Gofer ones, as they don’t look realistic to me. I have drilled kit distributors if they are large enough, and have made my own from sprue and some .020” wire.

[Jon Haigwood]

I always use short pieces of boot material and slide them down to the distributer cap , then use a piece of shrink tubing around the middle of the distributer and a short way up the cap boots. When heated it shrinks around the boots and looks more like a distributor cap. And I always use the correct wiring order going in the proper rotation and #1 in the correct location . but that's just me. 

[R. Thorne]

I really like the M.A.D. Distributors.  

[espo]

Like so many others I have also been using the prewired distributers for some time. In my case I just don't have the patience to try and drill out most kits distributers. The metal or aluminum distributer housing doesn't seem correct to me, so I just paint that part a semi-gloss black. The tubing included in the kit in your picture can be cut in short lengths to represent the spark plug boots for the plug wires. A couple of things to plan out before you start wiring the plug leads. Determine where the spark plugs on the engine you are wiring are located. Often you will see where someone has mistaken a simulated head bolt for a spark plug location when drilling the cylinder heads for the wires. The other visual that some get wrong is the firing order of the distributer. I use an old Chilton's manual to verify the firing order when I use them as it will also show where to start with the #1 plug wire, but there are many other sources for this information. When you get comfortable doing the distributer, you'll start adding wires for the alternator and heater hose lines. Counting rivets comes next, but this all adds to the overall look of a models' engine compartment.  

[dragstk]

Im going to second (or third) ? the use of the M.A.D. distributors. Like Steven, Im all about buying something that is better than I could/or have the time to make

[Straightliner59]

Or, you can do this:

 

[CA Whitecloud]

On 1/12/2024 at 12:44 PM, dragstk said:

M.A.D. distributors

I'm unable to find a link to this vendor.

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, CA Whitecloud said:

I'm unable to find a link to this vendor.

 

https://www.madmodeling.com/

 

 

 

 

Steve

[bobss396]

This is a 3D printed distributor, source is unknown. It came with a spindly shaft, so I chopped that off, pinned the rest to a piece of 1/16" aluminum tubing.

Wire is Radio Shack wire wrap wire. Boots are from a bundle of scrap wire I got somewhere.

 

 

[Skip]

I'm with all the others who use MAD prewired distributors. The other Go-To Distributors are Replicas & Miniatures of MD, Norm makes a great drilled distributor, you supply the wiring, but all the holes are clean and wire ready.

Bench-time is valuable, I try to spend it as wisely as possible. That is, if there is a product readily available like MAD & R & M distributors, then any extra expense is justified, (cost is minimal compared to time spent prepping a kit distributor).

[Redisetta]

This guy makes some great stuff. I have bought from him a couple of times. Fast turnaround 

https://connkurmodelparts.com/

[CA Whitecloud]

I went with a Gopher Racing pre wired distributor. First time using add on. Came out Ok. I was over cautious when trimming so the cables might be too long.

 

 

 

 

Cal

[bobss396]

19 hours ago, CA Whitecloud said:

I went with a Gopher Racing pre wired distributor. First time using add on. Came out Ok. I was over cautious when trimming so the cables might be too long.

 

 

 

 

Cal

With military wiring we did at work, it is easier to lose an inch of excess wire than to gain an extra inch of wire. It was almost always easier to lose the excess in the routing/dressing process.

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 1/14/2024 at 12:34 PM, Skip said:

 The other Go-To Distributors are Replicas & Miniatures of MD, Norm makes a great drilled distributor, you supply the wiring, but all the holes are clean and wire ready.

My favorites, by far.

EDIT: And he offers them for several applications besides generic 4-6-8 cylinders.

Edited January 16, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ace-Garageguy]

19 hours ago, CA Whitecloud said:

I went with a Gopher Racing pre wired distributor. First time using add on. Came out Ok. I was over cautious when trimming so the cables might be too long.

 

Real cars tend to route secondary wires (plug wires) as short as possible.

Always prudent to look at photos of the full-scale engine you're modeling.

AND...as I believe someone else mentioned...I drill the holes in the heads all the way through into the space in the center of the block.

Makes it easy to just push somewhat-too-long wires in to the right length, mark 'em, pull 'em out, and trim.

[CA Whitecloud]

On 1/16/2024 at 6:20 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Real cars tend to route secondary wires (plug wires) as short as possible.

Always prudent to look at photos of the full-scale engine you're modeling.

AND...as I believe someone else mentioned...I drill the holes in the heads all the way through into the space in the center of the block.

Makes it easy to just push somewhat-too-long wires in to the right length, mark 'em, pull 'em out, and trim.

Next time I will plan installation out before I glue on headers.

[TarheelRick]

On 1/16/2024 at 9:20 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Makes it easy to just push somewhat-too-long wires in to the right length, mark 'em, pull 'em out, and trim.

I do pretty much the same, but will often leave the excess inside the block.