I’ve got a set. They seem to be all the same size and the contact ends came seperately.
With the radiator out on vacation and the hood off, I thought now is the time to see this project
through.
Only there aren’t any directions.
I’m guessing, I’ll remove the old cables one by one and cut the new cables to the same length and press/ crimp the contacts into the ends of the new cables. If that’s how it works, what should I use to cut the new cables to the proper length without crushing the ends? What’s a good way to apply the crimps if needed?
These are stiff, fabric insulated repo cables, if that matters.
Thanks. Will any more commonly found tools worrk?
You can - carefully - use a safety razor blade too.
In the garage I found a crimper for attaching ferrules to stainless aircraft cable that looks like it will do the job.
What I have done is first strip the insulation back maybe as much as ½” and solder the center wire to the end connector. Then I would do the actual crimping. My crimper has always been an ordinary pair of pliers the size of which is about the same as pliers supplied in the T Model tool kit.
Common practice today is to strip the insulation leaving the bare center wire, bend the center wire back over the insulation, and crimp the assembly. This practice probably suffices in most instances but soldering the center wire to the end connector pretty much ensures total continuity and there’s little likelihood of the wire and connector separating. A few years ago I had an elusive intermittent misfire and I tracked it down to a poorly crimped connection. Soldering all the connectors took care of that once and for all.
Hoping my 2¢ has some merit,
Tom in Taylor Mill, KY 41015
Thanks! I’ll give it a try.
My wires already came with the spark plug connectors crimped on. What I need to do is attach is the connectors at the distributor ends. I brought the coil wire, which will need the connectors crimped on at both ends, in from the cold garage and will study it this afternoon.
I read somewhere that dielectric grease should be applied to the inside of the plug boots.
Is this legit?
I guess it is! It sure helped the boots slide onto the cables easier than without.
One wire down, four to go!
Well, not quite yet. The cables came with the spark plug fitting soldered on except for one cable which I took to be the cable that goes to the coil, requiring contacts to be crimped onto both ends, which is what I did after cutting it to length.
But something didn’t look right when I pulled the old #1 wire off the engine and compared it to the longest of the new cables.
Now I have to unsolder the spark plug contact on that cable and swap ends with the wire I prepped for the coil.
Aye caramba!