BubbaJoe Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 I just finished a 62 impala , it looks pretty good but the plug wires do not. they should drape more but i can't seem to figure out how to accomplish this. what do you do to convincingly wire an engine ? here is a photo of the engine. i appreciate the help
Ramfins59 Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 Joe, first of all, look at how the spark plug wires lay in either your own car or someone else's, or look at wired engine pictures on the Internet. What I usually do is, after all my spark plug wires are glued in place, I'll use either a pointed pair of tweezers or a toothpick to gently "force" the wires to realistically drape down from the distributor, over and/or around the valve covers.
High octane Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 I do the same as Richard. I use 5 Minute Epoxy to glue my wires in place and the next day I use a toothpick to push down on the wires to cause a natural lookin' drape.
afx Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 Are you using wiring or tubing? If you are using tubing it will never drape properly because it won't hold a shape. Looks also like the gauge (diameter) of what you are using is a bit too large.
BubbaJoe Posted February 16, 2015 Author Posted February 16, 2015 Richard i am so impressed with your builds thanks for the help. i'd love it if my engines looked half as good as yours. i'm so afraid of breaking the wires off i don't use much force to work them into place. i was hoping there was some trick i was missing. i'll try it on the impala and post pics if i have any success. thanks for the input nick. JC i 'm using wire but i did try to remove the copper to see if i could get a more natural drape, all it did was kink .pull it out and rewired it but it looks like an octopus or a spider sitting on top. thanks for the help gentelmen BTW what gauge wire do you use? i'm using telephone wire?
southpier Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 a bit of a caution: there's some wisdom in the 'save you old electronics to rob for parts' dogma ... but ... some of the wrappings on those wires have a memory. i've gone to lengths getting wires nestled into place, even so far as touching them with a dab of ACC, only to find a week later they're back into their own form and looking a bit like Alfalfa's cow-lick.
southpier Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 some times it's best to bite the bullet and buy the right product first time.
StevenGuthmiller Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 Richard i am so impressed with your builds thanks for the help. i'd love it if my engines looked half as good as yours. i'm so afraid of breaking the wires off i don't use much force to work them into place. i was hoping there was some trick i was missing. i'll try it on the impala and post pics if i have any success. thanks for the input nick. JC i 'm using wire but i did try to remove the copper to see if i could get a more natural drape, all it did was kink .pull it out and rewired it but it looks like an octopus or a spider sitting on top. thanks for the help gentelmen BTW what gauge wire do you use? i'm using telephone wire? If you use a pre-wired distributor, you can kill several birds with one stone. You'll have the correct gauge of wire, & you can drill out your block & glue the shaft deep into the block for stability. I drill out the holes for the plugs & glue my wires deep into the heads as well. If you do those things, you'll not have to worry about wires coming out. I have a bigger problem getting them back out if I need to for some reason. Steve
Monty Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 Joe, I generally start off each engine wiring project by Googling pictures of the cylinder heads that will be used on the model's engine. Looks like you've got a 409, so we'll use this as a reference. Use the Google pic as a guide for drilling the spark plug holes. If memory serves, a =# 74 bit should work here. If you drill the holes deep into the head, it'll allow you to take up a little slack, if necessary. I secure my plug wires in the distributor, then route them to the plug holes. Don't make them too tight; leave enough length for the "sag" others have mentioned. Once you're happy with the length, you can glue them in. When you're ready to step up another level, you can route the wires according to the car's firing order. Also, some of the better model plug wire kits come with 1 size larger hollow tubing that can be used at both ends of the plug wire, kinda like these.
Mike_G Posted February 16, 2015 Posted February 16, 2015 a bit of a caution: there's some wisdom in the 'save you old electronics to rob for parts' dogma ... but ... some of the wrappings on those wires have a memory. i've gone to lengths getting wires nestled into place, even so far as touching them with a dab of ACC, only to find a week later they're back into their own form and looking a bit like Alfalfa's cow-lick. Sounds like stranded wire as opposed to solid-core.
BubbaJoe Posted February 17, 2015 Author Posted February 17, 2015 thank you very much for the info...i'm using the wrong gauge wire for sure. i tried to force it into place and it just sprang back. i am a scavenger and am always on the lookout for anything i can use in my builds. i do think i need to bite the bullet and pick up the correct size wire if i want to do this the right way. i googled 31 and 32 gauge wire and have found a couple of sources on amazon.....where do you get your wire? and where can i pick up pre wired distributor caps? i appreciate all the help... as frustrating as this hobby is sometimes , there is nothing better than sitting back and saying i built that!!! with each new build i'm trying to hone my meager skills a bit more and make each model a little nicer, sharper, more realistic than the last.
StevenGuthmiller Posted February 17, 2015 Posted February 17, 2015 There are several good sources for pre-wired distributors. I usually pick mine up from "www.modelroundup.com". They're made by "Preston's Car Parts" & are probably not the nicest ones on the market, but I just get them there out of ease as I buy a lot of my other supplies there as well. They've always been very good to me. Steve
Ramfins59 Posted February 17, 2015 Posted February 17, 2015 IMHO the best pre-wired distributors are from M.A.D. (Morgan Automotive Detail) and they are VERY reasonably priced. http://www.madmodeling.com/store/
Kris Morgan Posted February 17, 2015 Posted February 17, 2015 If you wanna go with a nice prewired distributor, try here www.madmodeling.com You get a detailed prewired and precolored cap, separate base and material to make the boots. The wire used is solid core so that it will be easy to position. There is also a selection of styles.
DrGlueblob Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Quite fiddly to work with, but try some photoetched wire looms from Detail Master.
Kit Basher Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 I have found that round jaw pliers (available in the jewelry section of a craft store) help a lot in shaping plug wires.
blunc Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) try looking in electronics supply stores (or web sites like Digikey.com or Mouser.com) for "wire wrap" wire, it comes in several colors and would be my guess as to what is used to make the pre-wired distributors that have been suggested. I would also guess that is the same wire as when you purchase plug wire from Detail Master since it can be had in 100ft rolls. this engine was done with wire-wrap wire, the wire looms are made from evergreen sheet plastic. Here is two different scales using the same size wire, I am replicating an upgraded HEI distributor on the 1/32 scale engine. Edited February 18, 2015 by blunc
blunc Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 It may also help to consider the item your are trying to replicate. Most standard (from the factory) plug wires since the mid to late 70's were considered to be "resistor wire" which really had no actual wire inside the temp resistant sheath. Inside was a flexible carbon compound that acted as the conductor (and resistor) that a metal end got crimped onto and then connected to the spark plug and distributor. I've made hundreds of them during my time in a tune-up shop. Resistor wire itself doesn't maintain sharp bends (until it gets heat damaged or burnt) so car makers had to add plug wire looms to help guide the wires around the engine and keep them from fouling linkages or getting burned on exhaust manifolds.
BubbaJoe Posted February 18, 2015 Author Posted February 18, 2015 Thank you gentlemen . i appreciate all the help and the links...to be honest i can't afford to buy pre wired distributors. i looked them up on madmodleing and they are just out of my price range. as much as i would love to use them i can't justify the price,... i googled 31 gauge wire and found radio shack carried it. i stopped in a local store this morning and asked . the clerk said they did not carry that size. i walked to the section where they keep the wire and soldering equipment and sure enough there it was. 50 ' in blue and red $5.49.. i took both ..when i went to the register and pointed out that he indeed did have it and it was in stock ..he didn't say word one just rang me up... no wonder they are going out of business. anyways didn't mean to highjack my own thread and go off on a tangent. my next build is reveal ford model T street rod. i picked up at hobby lobby with a 40% coupon..can't wait to try out the right gauge wire this time....once again thank you for all the help, it is very much appreciated
StevenGuthmiller Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 Thank you gentlemen . i appreciate all the help and the links...to be honest i can't afford to buy pre wired distributors. i looked them up on madmodleing and they are just out of my price range. as much as i would love to use them i can't justify the price,... i googled 31 gauge wire and found radio shack carried it. i stopped in a local store this morning and asked . the clerk said they did not carry that size. i walked to the section where they keep the wire and soldering equipment and sure enough there it was. 50 ' in blue and red $5.49.. i took both ..when i went to the register and pointed out that he indeed did have it and it was in stock ..he didn't say word one just rang me up... no wonder they are going out of business. anyways didn't mean to highjack my own thread and go off on a tangent. my next build is reveal ford model T street rod. i picked up at hobby lobby with a 40% coupon..can't wait to try out the right gauge wire this time....once again thank you for all the help, it is very much appreciated I've stayed away from Radio Shack for years. Everything I ever bought there lasted less than a year before it fell apart. The Preston's distributors at Model Roundup run about $3.99 if that helps at all. Steve
southpier Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) http://s376.photobucket.com/user/night_owl_garage/media/inline6_zpseddd62b7.png.html?o=5 (not much to do with this thread; just testing the photobucket account) well, it could use wires ... Edited February 18, 2015 by southpier
southpier Posted February 18, 2015 Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) sorry if anyone was expecting an engine wiring extravaganza; i promise to make it up in the long haul.... Edited February 19, 2015 by southpier
jacoballardtattoo Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) I am new to making my writes but found (after already using wire that was a little to big) that your acreage cheep led light from any auto parts store is a great size and extremely flexible and work great! Edited February 19, 2015 by jacoballardtattoo
gtx6970 Posted February 19, 2015 Posted February 19, 2015 I use the MAD Prewired dists exclusively. For $5......Avail in choices of wire and cap color. They simply can't be beat .
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