I am replacing the plug wires on my '63 conv. Can someone tell me the correct routing for the two foremost cyl. on each side (cyls 1,2,3,4). Looks like the wires get routed between the engine block and motor mount. If so, need to know if there is a trick to getting the wire through that route. Do you loosen the motor mount?

Thx.

 

It's not easy! The "trick" is to work with the distributor end of the wire, not the spark plug end.

The original wires (as I recall) used loose rubber bell-shaped insulators on the distributor end which can be slid off, or just moved out so they extend slightly beyond the end of the wire. In the latter case, you can use electrical or masking tape to flatten the end of the rubber insulator, and to hold it's other end from slipping off the wire, leaving a long flat (doubled on itself) portion of tape extending out from the end of the wire... thread that tape thru between the mount and the engine (aligning your flattened insulator with the slot) and pull the wire thru using the end of the tape, trying very hard not to use enough force to damage the connector on the wire end.

If all else fails, or if you are working with wires that have molded-on insulators at both ends, you may indeed have to loosen the mount bolts and jack the engine off the mount a bit. if you have the newer safety mounts rather than the older type mount, all bets are off... I'm not sure that will work.


[Modified by waynec, 9:43 PM 2/4/2003]