Stan's Customs

Those who run headers have always been plagued with melted plug wires and boots.. especially if not properly routed.

Even when carefully routed , some headers and heads such as angle plug heads still are hard pressed to keep plug wires from getting burned.

Without getting to ugly sleeves etc...what is the absolute best 8 or 9 mm. heat resistant plug wire available these days. I really dislike headers because of this...and have avoided using them for a lot of years. Till now...

Aluminum D-port angle plug heads and lack of manifold selections that you don't have to route the wires from the underside...have been the reason for me to choose headers for this project. (ceramic coated in and out fwiw)

Sooo... what's the best high heat wires that can be had ...I'll be using GMPP bowtie plug wire brackets, so fat wires are a not a consideration at this point. Custom made valve covers with no perimeter bolts are what have determined what plug wire looms I'll have to use. The looms have to mount to the head and require normal sized wires...so the bracket choices become very limited at that point (regarding wire size at least).

Custom fit wires with ceramic 90 degree boots are what looks best to me so far...but the wires themselves don't seem to be really that impervious to heat.

Can anyone make a wire recommendation...perhaps from actual heat related experiences where the wires have survived? Like a plug wire fell off and lay on the header for a while and didn't melt..lol.

All input appreciated.

Thanks...Stan

Frankie the Fink

Have this problem on my Chevelle - bought the sleeves but couldn't bring myself to put those ugly mothers on my car.

I'll be interested to see what others have done.

I'm betting the answer is one of those $150 spark plug wire sets

Canuck62

I agree.. it would be nice to see pictures of how the wires are routed also
right now some of my wires on the 327 are touching the manifolds and the others are to close for my liking

groovyjay

http://accel-ignition.com/ignition-e...re-set-90.html

texas_c2

I used a set of angle plug aluminum heads with stock manifolds which put the plug wire boots very close to the manifolds. I couldn't find any manufacturer's boots that would last until I tried Taylor.

http://www.taylorvertex.com/spark-pl...sal-wire-sets/

Stan's Customs

Here's a couple of Sanderson headers I considered.

The prerequisite was that the plug wires had be accessible from the top side. I may have to run headers but I wasn't going to put up with the knuckle barbecue that accompanies many of them if you need to pull a plug after the engine has been running.

http://www.streetrodderweb.com/tech/.../photo_04.html

http://www.streetrodderweb.com/tech/.../photo_05.html

I chose the second one...I wasn't real impressed with the pics of the manifold initially ...but they look considerably better in real life than in the pic. (...more normal maybe?). Also the D-ports on these headers are "great" not just a oversized round tube...actual D shaped ports, which easily fit over the head ports. The headers are ceramic coated inside and outside as well.. which helps. (I guess...I don't know how anyone would prove otherwise.)

By the way...I use the term "header" loosely in this thread. Any headers other than full length tuned "real" headers is nothing more than a tubular exhaust manifold as far as performance is concerned...and is little or no better than a cast iron stock manifold, inmho. In fact, some stock cast iron manifolds perform better.

To get back on back on topic... I bought the plug wire looms that are pictured in this link...(best pic I could find showing that the brackets are bolted to the aluminum head).

http://www.gmpartsonline.net/partloc...egoryID=164025

They bring the plug wires back to center between the exhaust ports, as far from the header tubes as possible...then up and around the side of the valve covers. The brackets shown in the picture sit kinda low...but can be bent upwards if needed for more clearance. This kind of bracket was needed for clearance ...and because I ordered custom Corvette Script valve covers, they wouldn't look right with plug wires draped over the top of them. (no perimeter bolts on these heads...center bolt valve covers only).


Thanks Tex and Groovy...I'm looking at the wires you suggested now...

Stan...

MarvBarrish

I'll second the recommendation for the accell ceramic ends plug wires.

Bluestripe67

Find the "lowest resistance per foot" of wire. Dennis

Stan's Customs

Those Accell wires are the plug wires I've been looking at with the ceramic ends...BUT they don't say much about the wires. They seem to focus on the ends only.

In the past ..Burned wires used to be as much of an issue as the ends...sometimes more.

Are these Accell wires you guys are currently using...or have in the in the past? I've had a zillion of the old yellow Accell wires back in the day. They were crap back then....hence my question regarding the wires themselves.

Taylor was closed..so I couldn't get a price or other info today. Around the internet on other forums..Taylor wires seem to have a very good reputation in high heat apps.

Thanks...Stan

TheSaint

I have hedders on my car and never had any problem with the heath melting anything

You could use heat resistant protectors on the wires like on the picture

62Jeff

Saint, your hands tend to type some form of Heather a lot lately. She must be your special lady.

GreaseMonkey

TheSaint

I see that i was a bit in a hurry to answer and not read the post proper first

62Jeff

Don't be embarrassed, I'm so lonely I can't type "capabilities" at my work without it coming out "capabilitities"

Stan's Customs

That would be a first for cars I've owned with headers...sooner or later they all burned wires or leaked at the flange or collector gaskets.

Would you have some pics of your set up?

...and what heat protectors...in which pic?

Thanks..Stan

Sky65

I am using MSD 8.5 wires with 90 deg boots at the plugs. I bought the universal set so I could route and cut the wires the way I wanted. I have these in red. Have had no problems with them at all.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/msd-31233

Tom

TheSaint

Any here that know of a set of black spark plug wires which have the correct length?

The wires on my car are blue and some wires are to long so i would not mind changing them out for a set in 8 mm with correct length black wires

sub006

My son the pro mechanic and racer simply runs the wires up high and zip-ties 'em together so they can't touch exhaust tubing no matter what. Apparently wire separators are no longer needed with modern wire construcion/insulation (and correct firing order).

Sky65

These come in black. They are 8.5 mm. The plug end is installed with the boot. No connector or boot on the distributor end. The kit comes with two style distributor ends, 90 deg cap end boots and a tool to put a proper crimp in the end after you cut the wire to your desired length. They work well.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/msd-31233

Tom

Stan's Customs

Tom..

I didn't see a kit that included the crimping tool? Is that what you said...or did you buy the crimping tool separately..

I did see a tool separately for $70 something...

Thanks..Stan