Spark plug wires are one of those consumable maintenance items that occasionally need replacing. Over time, the resistance of the wire builds up and the wire becomes less efficient at transferring the spark from the distributor to the spark plugs and engine performance suffers. The next time you need a new set of wires, shine the cheapo no-name wires and go with a set of high-performance wires. Aside from the lower resistance aftermarket wires offer, most are available in a do-it-yourself kit that allows you to build your own wires for a perfect fit every time. Check out these 8.5mm Super Conductor wires from MSD and trick tools we used to build our wires.
1. MSD Ignition's 8.5mm Super...
1. MSD Ignition's 8.5mm Super Conductor spark plug wires are available with either straight or 90-degree angle boots already installed on one side of the wires. That means you merely have to measure how long the wires need to be and install the other end for a custom fit. Start by establishing the firing order of your engine and marking the terminals on your distributor cap. This will help avoid confusion when routing the wires.
2. It's also a good idea to...
2. It's also a good idea to use the supplied wire markers to identify which wire goes to which cylinder. Again, this will avoid cross-wiring later on.
3. The distributor cap side...
3. The distributor cap side of the plug wire is the side you'll have to cut to length and assemble.
4a. There are a couple of...
4a. There are a couple of ways to terminate the wires and both are super easy. MSD provides a slick plastic tool that not only gives a guide for slicing the shielding from the wire core, but also features a crimping feature.
4b. After cutting the shielding...
4b. After cutting the shielding with a sharp razor blade, you simply place the terminal onto the wire, put the assembly between the two halves of the tool, put the tool in a bench vice, and squeeze the tool together for a perfect crimp. Or you can simplify the operation by using the optional MSD crimping/cutting pliers.
5. After cutting the wires...
5. After cutting the wires to length and crimping the appropriate terminal on, this is what the assembly should look like.
6. Next, install the boots...
6. Next, install the boots onto the wires using some dielectric grease or MSD's Spark Guard, and then put the wires onto the spark plugs and distributor cap according to the firing order of the engine. In this case, The Big Block From Hell features the LS1 firing order, which is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3.
7. And after the wires are...
7. And after the wires are all in place, you can either secure them using MSD's plastic wire separators or fab your budget wire separators out of zip ties.