[jkaufman]

I am going to order some Taylor spark plug wires because i want some good, long-term wires. I currently just have some Street Fire wires and now that I have headers (Doug's D308), my #6 plug boot keeps burning because it is in constant contact with the header. All other plugs have enough clearance to have 1/8" or more gap once the boot is on - but not #6. As it is, I can barely get the boot on. I may have to switch to a shortie plug.

Two Questions:
1. If I switch to a shortie plug, I assume I should switch all plugs to that style so they're identical, right? Any recommendations or should I just get the standard Accel "header" plugs?

2. I've never made my own ends for spark plug wires - do I need any special tools? Should I get Taylor Part #74002 which is custom-fit for a SBC or Part #73051 which is a universal set. There's a negligible $5 difference between the two - 73051 is higher.

I haven't really skimped anywhere on this build, so I don't mind spending a few bucks if I can justify it to myself.

Thanks!

[dahaze]

I use the Accel plugs and have had no problems. I would replace all 8. I have never had much luck with universal wires from any manufacturer. I have used Taylor custom sets and they work fine. I have switched to Street Fires and with the shorty plugs I have had no clearance problems, but I do have Hooker headers.

[jkaufman]

Here are a couple shots:

If the spark plug was arcing to the header, would it cause it to "tarnish" like this?




Note: #8 is the one further back and the new wire I put on was fine. Initially, its boot was burned too from the old manifold and it appears the header tube back there tarnished some, too. #6 is the one that is giving me clearance troubles. Also, it's worth noting that the night I put the new plug wires on #6 and #8, after a few minutes at the fast idle, #6 started to glow. No other tubes were glowing. However, I noticed it was glowing in the exact spot of the "tarnished" area. What does that mean?

[Z282NV]

Jeff,

What is going on with that wire over the starter? (just to the right of the #85 on that left plug in the second picture)

[jkaufman]

Haha... Someone did a crappy job of shrink-wrapping the wire. I was going to fix it to make it look better, but the wire barely reaches as is. I didn't feel like running a new wire at the time. It is sealed up though and doesn't have any bare wire showing.

[camaro434]

If that spark plug boot is touching the header then it may be grounding out. You need to do something to get some space between them, shorter plugs, different wires. Then see if the problem goes away.

[DenRS]

I would suggest universal wire sets. I find the prefinished cutsom wires are too short. With the universal kits, you route the wires where you want them and cut it to the exact length. I made my own this past spring. I bought summit racings brand ratcheting wire crimper. I've seen similiar ones available from Advanced auto or jegs. The tool came with the die for spark plug wires. It was pretty easy to do and I have the exact length wires I need.

[jkaufman]

Cool. Then I will just buy the Universal set. I work with cabling quite a bit for a living, so making ends shouldn't be a problem. So, I have heard bad reviews about the Accel shorty plugs. Should I just go with the Autolite Racing series? I'm currently using a standard heat range plug with no issues - though I do need to increase the gap. I never changed them from when they were .035-.038" with the old points distributor.

[1969ProStreetCamaro]

Originally Posted by jkaufman

Here are a couple shots:

If the spark plug was arcing to the header, would it cause it to "tarnish" like this?




.........after a few minutes at the fast idle, #6 started to glow. No other tubes were glowing. However, I noticed it was glowing in the exact spot of the "tarnished" area. What does that mean?

The "tarnished area is a result of excessive heat which is probably being caused by loose intake manifold bolts or leaking intake gasket at # 6 cylinder.

David F.

[yellow heap]

The best wires/boots I've used(for heat) are the ACCEL's EXT. 9000 with the MOON BOOT finish on the boots-they are very compact also-Without a doubt get a universal set-they are not cheap but they DO work
Also I don't like floppy wires-show them who's BOSS and make em stay where you want them to-unsupervised wires tend to go were they should not be

[jkaufman]

Originally Posted by 1969ProStreetCamaro

The "tarnished area is a result of excessive heat which is probably being caused by loose intake manifold bolts or leaking intake gasket at # 6 cylinder.

David F.

I'll make sure the intake bolts are tight. If they are tight, then I guess I'll take it back to the engine builder and they can replace the intake gasket. Afterall, I did pay for them to complete the long block...

For some reason I didn't put 2 and 2 together. When the stock manifolds were still on there, I figured #6 and #8 were getting so hot (melting boots) because the heat riser was causing the back portion of the manifold to get overly hot before the riser opened up. But now there's no heat riser, and since it is glowing on #6 during the fast idle, it makes sense the gasket could be bad. None of the others glow, so I figure it's not (too) lean from the carb.

So, can anyone recommend good shorty plugs?

Also, should I start with a .045 gap since I have HEI with a 50k volt coil? It's just a Procomp, so I don't know how good or accurate the coils really are... Although, I do have a multimeter, so I could check voltage if someone told me the easiest way.

Thanks!

[dawg]

If you want long term wires dont get taylors!!!!
(do a google search about the wires )
they are just as bad if not worse than the MSD wires your replacing

[fraso]

If you're buying spark plug wires, keep Aurora Electronics in mind. Their wires are built extremely well and are specified for demanding alternative fuel service.

[jkaufman]

After doing some searching on here yesterday, JimM highly recommended the Taylors... If you don't like Taylors, what do you like?

I read the Aurora information - sounds really good. I'll definitely keep them in mind if the Taylors don't work out for some reason (I already ordered the universal set from Summit along with a crimper). Thanks for the suggestion.

Of course, I would still like to keep the boot off the pipe, so I need shorty plugs. So, no plug recommendations from anyone??

[fraso]

Have you asked NGK for advice yet?