First I have a bone stock 1981. Decided to change the plugs and wires.
I'm a shade-tree mechanic. Here's my problem. I changed the two forward plugs on the driver's side. By forward I mean the two cylinders closest to the front of the car. I pulled the wires off and it seems like they are routed through some structural part of the frame, I think it's the engine mount The head of the wire can't fir through this tight gap, the wire itself barely fits through it, but the part of the wire that connects to the plug is too big! Here are some pictures. I have the car jacked up on jackstands along the frame.
The spark plug wire has the blue tape around it..The part with the hex head bolt is what is blocking the plug wire. These pics were taken from underneath the car..any help appreciated








The last photo shows the spark plug and the stuck wire in the upper area

 

the wires are run between the engine block and the engine(to frame) mount. that is how it was done on the later model c3 .


I have never had to do so I'm not sure it but is the other end of the wire a bit smaller ?


maybe read this,

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ark-plugs.html

 

Bazaar,
Thanks for the reply, I'm pretty sure it's the engine mount. I'll check out your thread suggestion

 

I was amazed where the wires were run on my 78. My car is also bone stock. They are run as they are to avoid heat sources. I'm doing my plugs...for the first time...this weekend. How bad were yours??

 

One suggestion said to spray some oil on the heads of the wire to squeeze then through! I honestly hope you don't have to lift the engine off the mount to change a spark plug wire..

 

Tomvr,
I jacked up the car and have relatively easy access to the plugs, the wires on the other hand are routed through heat shields so you have to take them off. Also I think I found the answer to my problem. I did some research and it seems like you have to pull the boot off the wire, then thread it through the narrow gap between the motor mount and block, then squeeze the boot back on. On some websites they talk about pulling the starter off for easier access, but so far access hasn't been the issue, it's the wires and the routing. I gave up in disgust a few hours ago, but now I'll tackle this tomorrow.
Good luck,

 

yes good luck , it must be possible to do it without jacking up the motor .

 

So can some experts chime in here and confirm that you need to remove the boot from the wire to pull the old one out, then do the reverse to put the new ones back?

 

If you're replacing the wires, then just cut them in half and pull the wire thru the engine mount. You don't have to worry about the boot, you're throwing them away. As far as the new wires are concerned, some are sold with the boots unattached so that you can cut the wire to the proper length first then attach the boot. Or maybe you can route the wire another way instead of going through the motor mount.

 

WD 40 on the new wire boots, then carefully pull them off. Thread wires, replace boots.

 

Did the same when I changed the wires on my 75. If I remember correctly, I also taped a small piece of solid copper wire to the end of the new plug wire and used that to thread through the tight opening.

Easier to get that wire started in the right direction, then pull the plug wire through.

It's still a crummy job. You will be dirty, sweating, and cussing!

Adds to the satisfaction when you're done, though.

 

RJ1AZ,
I'm already dirty, sweating, and cussing! thanks for confirming that I need to take the boot off the wire. I've done lots of jobs on cars, but never wires, had no idea the boot comes off...the real pain in the *** is routing them through the jungle of wires, hoses and vacuum tubes, plus the heat shields....well, time for a cup of coffee and then its back to work! Corvettes are fun!

 

youre in luck, we were just discussing this

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...on-shield.html

 

Rescue Rogers, thanks for the thread re-direct, I wish I saw it before I started.
I just spent about 9 hours changing the wires and plugs on my 1981. Here are some take-always, the only rational way to thread the wires through the motor mounts is to take the boot off the spark plug wire, then reattach it after you thread it through the motor mount. I'm a small guy, so I was able to reach into the "abyss" and hand start some of the screws for the shields, but, by far, the shields presented the most difficulty, frustration, aggavation and cussin. I found out that taking the starter off is a must, and I took the Left front tire off as well to access the two forward plugs on the passenger side. This is not an easy job! If I knew what a hassle this was I probably would have let a pro handle it. I did attach all shields, and ran the wires through those rubber and plastic looms...whoever owned my car previously skipped those steps, so now it's correct. Also here's a tip that worked great for me. The two rearward plugs on the passenger side are hard to get to. What I did was put the spark plug socket over the plug, but instead of using a ratchet, which is a tight fit, I just used a crescent wrench on the hex pattern at the end of my spark plug socket..worked great. The hardest part was attaching the heat shields on the passenger side

 

That has really said it all.