Wiring Engines

[Stang88]

I am working on my first model car kit (1972 Cutlass Revell Kit). I would like to do a basic wiring of the engine but having problems locating a simple basic step by step process of what type of wire to use and how to do it.

Can anyone direct me to step by step article to help me out?

[Eshaver]

Mike , it is so very difficult to answer these "broad questions " I see all too often here . If you want a simple spark plug wire set up, take the distributor , drill a .o80 hole in the middle and poke 9 pieces of fine Transformer wire , commonly found at any Radio Shack store . That's the red wire sold in a "Trio pack ". Battery cables can use the heavier Gold wire in the same pack . The green wire is smaller , and that can be used as linkage , vacuum , etc. To make you're own heater hoses , use computer gauged wires . Ed Shaver

[Monty]

If you want to make it easy on yourself, buy the pre-wired distributor from M.A.D. http://www.madmodeli...w/8cyldist.html. I've seen some aftermarket distributors that were little more than metal tubes with wiring coming out the top, while Kris's units are nicely cast resin items with multiple options for cap and wire colors, and they are very affordable. He also includes a slightly larger piece of vinyl tubing to make the plug and distributor boots.

You can also use the kit distributor by filing down the contact points and drilling your own holes using a #72 bit and a pin vice. You'll want to have the distributor housing in some kind of small vice to keep it from moving, and you may want to see what the other members recommend to keep the bit from "skating". You can use #30 wrapping wire from Radio Shack, although it's limited to red, white and blue, if memory serves. There are several other aftermarket businesses that offer various colors of correctly-gauged plug wires as well. Raid an old landline phone for the right gauge wire to use for plug and distributor boots or use Detail Master P/N DM1420.

A quick Google search will give you the layout for Olds cylinder numbering and firing order. The kit you're working on has the spark plugs molded to the cylinder heads, so you won't need to drill any holes in the heads to attach the plug wires. On other kits where that's not the case, use Google images of the heads to see where the plug holes should be drilled.

Edited March 31, 2012 by Monty