Spark plug wires

[dcdoug]

How often do you guys replace plug wires?

What are the best quality wires that maintain an authentic period correct look? (I have an old school OEM Ford distributor, petronix points replacement and a pertronix coil).

[FWB]

Originally Posted by dcdoug

How often do you guys replace plug wires?

What are the best quality wires that maintain an authentic period correct look? (I have an old school OEM Ford distributor, petronix points replacement and a pertronix coil).

if you want an OEM set these guys will be able to help. a set for a 64-66 t-bird will be the right look.



green sales

http://www.greensalescompany.com/

[dcdoug]

Originally Posted by FWB

if you want an OEM set these guys will be able to help. a set for a 64-66 t-bird will be the right look.



green sales

http://www.greensalescompany.com/

I used Green Sales for some of my distributor fasteners from the recent rebuild.

There are a number of places I can buy OEM reproduction wires, my question is - is the quality the same as the modern tech wires? What specs do I want to see? They don't have to be exact reproductions since after all mine isn't a "real" original cobra (), but it would be nice to have them look close to keep my period correct look.

[FWB]

i have been shopping for wires myself, i care nothing for original look, seems that most wire sets are 8mm, slightly large for OEM look. to be friendly to my MSD i can't use solid core, only spiral core. i didn't see much in the way of black, especially black with the orange boots.

my taylor spiral core lasted 4 years, and could probably go more but a couple of the spark plug boots are cracking at the thumb grip. they come in red and blue with black dist boots and respective red or blue plug boots. i find the blue a bit LA-LA for my taste..
you could try NAPA, their wires are good, i use them on my dailys, i think they are dark blue with black boots.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by FWB

i have been shopping for wires myself, i care nothing for original look, seems that most wire sets are 8mm, slightly large for OEM look. to be friendly to my MSD i can't use solid core, only spiral core.

No orange boots, but you might like the performance of my MSD-friendly Moroso wires.

[dcdoug]

Originally Posted by FWB

i have been shopping for wires myself, i care nothing for original look, seems that most wire sets are 8mm, slightly large for OEM look. to be friendly to my MSD i can't use solid core, only spiral core. i didn't see much in the way of black, especially black with the orange boots.

my taylor spiral core lasted 4 years, and could probably go more but a couple of the spark plug boots are cracking at the thumb grip. they come in red and blue with black dist boots and respective red or blue plug boots. i find the blue a bit LA-LA for my taste..
you could try NAPA, their wires are good, i use them on my dailys, i think they are dark blue with black boots.

Summitracing has a bunch in black (e.g. http://www.summitracing.com/search/P...lug-Wire-Sets/) and dearbornclassics has accurate repro versions (although pricey), just wasn't sure about how to compare insulation/ohm resistance, etc quality of one to the other.

[dcdoug]

For example, is there going to be a quality difference between these two sets of wires? (Cost is the same)

Ford repro Autolite wires:

http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/ite...tKey=EMUSTANG#

Pertronix black OEM-looking wires: (or fill in your favorite aftermarket black 7mm wire)

http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/ite...atKey=EMUSTANG

[FWB]

patrick,


i like the look of those.....do you remember the ohms per foot on the wires?
what kind of plug boots are on them? are they assembled or do you crimp on the plug ends?

doug,

i saw a difference in the actual resistance of the wire, the cheaper sets had a high resistance, the sets geared more for performance had a lower resistance but were more expensive.

patrick and doug, i was leaning toward the taylor 10.4 mm set # 79265, i currently have the taylor 8mm #73255. i may consider the moroso depending on the plug boot. i particularly like the grip friendly taylor boot.
my kellison has close inner panels that require me to be a contorsionist to pull a plug wire. what is the moroso part number for those?

fred

P.S. doug, our dist cap has male prongs sticking out of it (MSD) where yours takes the early ford style....

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by FWB

patrick,


i like the look of those.....do you remember the ohms per foot on the wires?
what kind of plug boots are on them? are they assembled or do you crimp on the plug ends?

They're pre-made for FE engines, Moroso Part #72605, Blue Max 8mm Spiral Core. Here is the technical info: http://www.moroso.com/articles/artic...&catcode=39027 Now if I read that chart right, it says it has 729 ohms per foot.

[FWB]

doug,

i can't really say which is better, the 39 dollar price tells me they are not exactly a performance wire, carbon with fiberglass? not what i would use.

here is a very informative site about wires. it seems there are a few flavors of conductors being made, most suck. good wires will be priced.....well....let's just say you will get what you pay for.



http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/truth.htm

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by dcdoug

For example, is there going to be a quality difference between these two sets of wires? (Cost is the same)

Both of your Mustangs Unlimited sets are $39.95. The Moroso wires are $52.95 at Summit. If we use the FWB rule of "you get what you pay for" then my Moroso wires are 33% better than your MU wires. In all seriousness, I do tend to agree with the FWB rule, at least when it comes to our cars.

[dcdoug]

So what are the best 7mm wires out there if I want the original look?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by dcdoug

So what are the best 7mm wires out there if I want the original look?

Moroso also makes their Ultra 40 Race Wire Custom Fit Sets in 7mm. You'll have to use their "Buyer's Guide" to match up the lengths to what you need for your FE. This is what they look like:

[dcdoug]

I'll check these out and also compare 7mm to 8mm wires and decide whether it actually matters to me. Very good chance that it doesn't at all a long as there black. By the way, what is the most important spec - ohms/foot? The pertronix ones I had above were 500 ohms/foot whereas the Morosos were 729 ohms/foot?

[Bernica]

Taylor Spiro Pro Race wire for me. 10.5mm. Available in a few colors, including black. I have a set of the pre-made Ford Racing wires, but was never happy with the lengths and layout. So, I made the Taylor set to fit right. They also have nice boots for the MSD cap that don't have the nipples on the top, which you have to order separately. If you go this route, have plenty of patience and don't buy anything other than Taylor's heavy duty racheting stipper/crimper. M2C....

[dcdoug]

Here's another option that looks interesting from the FE Forum:

http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/main.htm

EDIT: Interesting info on spark plug wires and potentially misleading marketing here: http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/truth.htm

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by dcdoug

Here's another option that looks interesting from the FE Forum:

http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/main.htm

EDIT: Interesting info on spark plug wires and potentially misleading marketing here: http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/truth.htm

Looks like their 8mm FE set is $100 (part #8014). That would make it almost twice as good as my Moroso wires (using the FWB rule, that is).

[dcdoug]

Yeah, they aren't cheap. The info was interesting though. Not so easy to compare apples to applies with plug wires as you might think.

[FWB]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Looks like their 8mm FE set is $100 (part #8014). That would make it almost twice as good as my Moroso wires (using the FWB rule, that is).

ok, patrick, that is not exactly what i meant. i see 35 dollar sets of wires and 60 dollar sets, i would go with the 60 dollar set from a company like taylor or moroso before i would buy a no name for 35 dollars. i'm just as in the dark as to what is BS or not. the magnecor sets go for 100 for 8mm and 169 for the 10 mm but are they twice as good? who knows......maybe they are....i can't say that my taylors stopped performing, but would i even know if they did?
if the quality of spark getting to the plugs was diminished could i tell?
doubtful....

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by FWB

ok, patrick, that is not exactly what i meant.....

Too late; the rule has now been written. And I don't even know why they talk about the resistance in a plug wire if you can believe the comparisons on the Moroso page. There is absolutely no correlation between spark energy and wire resistance (if you can believe the graph). http://www.moroso.com/articles/artic...&catcode=39027