There must be a better way
 

I am in the process of installing new distributor wiring and things are not going well! There must be a simpler way. When i attempt to connect the spark plug wires to the terminal plate and then rotate the plate notch to align with the distributor notch, the wires either pull out or resist any turning movement. I have tried different wire arrangements to no avail. I am using standard 7mm wires.

Thanks

Re: There must be a better way
 

Tom, We've all been there and couldn't agree more. Keep at it, that insulation is tough, but will bend for you if you insist!

Re: There must be a better way
 

First using crimp on connectors is the hard way of doing it...they will not fit very good in the caps.
Solder connectors will make life easier for you since the cable will rotate and stick out less.
Just my 2c.

Re: There must be a better way
 

It's not an easy task, I found that starting with the two wires to the bottom of the cap first, then the two at the top works best as it relates to the notch in the cap!!! You can bend and fit each wire to the cap and see just how to route it around the center post of the cover and where it best exits the cover hole. Then I found that IF you orient the wires, the two shortest to the front (IF you are looking at the engine from the side of the car) and the two longest behind those, then feed them into the spark plug tube!!! A bend Awl helps a lot once you start feeding the wires into the tube. ALSO make sure and lay out ALL the rubber o-ring, gaskets and rubber boot as not to "FORGET" any of the parts and have to pull it back apart to fix what you left off!!!! Ask how I know about that!!! I hope it's at least clear as mud???

Re: There must be a better way
 

Tom-MI


How did you fair? Get any good info and find it any easier???

Re: There must be a better way
 

Rocklfa-

I worked on it off and on yesterday. Very frustrating. I tried to follow your instructions but I need to read it more carefully. One suggestion of soldering the wires sounds interesting but I can't see how the wire would be held better than a conventional clip.

I can't imagine how these wiring looms could be assembled fast enough to support a moving production line.

Tom

Re: There must be a better way
 

I would use a different brand of wire.

Re: There must be a better way
 

These terminals are what I would recommend for ease of use in this situation.

https://brillman.com/product/old-sty...coil-terminal/

Re: There must be a better way
 

Tom you are doing a helmet dist. The only thing worse is the Rabbit ear cap that was used on the 2 bolt dist. I don’t see how you can possibly get the wires to stay in using the crimped ends .

Re: There must be a better way
 

Tom.....I am speaking from my "Recent" experience with my 39 Merc so not sure IF my experience is different than what year you are working on.....Obviously you have to start One wire at a time, and by that I took the longest wire and fit it into the cap straight on......then I slid the cover on to the cap and bent that ONE wire how I needed it AND by that I looked at where that longest wire needed to exit the cover and go into the wire loom. Then looked at the best route inside the cover for that one wire to exit the cap where I needed it!!! It takes some constant bending and re-bending and I also installed the cover as it would be when finished IE with the rubber o-ring to make sure the cover fit tightly!!! Then the same for the next longest wire. Pull the cover back off the one wire, then straight on with the next longest wire, then slide the cover back on, then orient the 2nd wire around (or above) the center post of the cap and bend and orient it the same as the first re-bending and manipulating it as needed. Again install the cover as it would be once installed and make sure the two wires fit in the cover and the cover fits the cap!!! Then move on to the third wire etc etc!!! I tried to do a "quick" drawing to "maybe" help explain the way I oriented my wires......again I pulled the tube off the car, once I got the wires in the cap and bent how best they fit the cover and how the routed around or above the center post, I slide on my cover gasket, then re=installed the cover with how they were best fit, then pressed the cover on and install the O-ring, then slid on the rubber boot on the wires to the cover opening, then ran the wire into the tube and re-installed the tube and then snapped the cap/wires into the distributor.

Re: There must be a better way
 

I have wondered the same thing myself. They must have had enough people assembling the caps, wires, and loom units in a different part of the factory so that the assemblies were available at the right time on the assembly line.

Re: There must be a better way
 

A timely thread as I'll be on the same task soon.
My "new" 11+ year old, wire set from C&G has terminal similar ends to those pictured. According to the directions, they go on the plugs. The other end is a soldered terminal that is shorter and likely more manageable for my helmet caps. Perhaps the newer reproduction coil/distributor wire sets differ from my set.

Re: There must be a better way
 

The terminals on the ends of your high tension wires are not correct as they stick out way too far. The original terminals push right into the cap and dont show above the cap. Once you have corrected this problem then the wires will have more room to bend inside the outer cap. Regards, Kevin.

Re: There must be a better way
 

The Brillman solder on terminals are much shorter & let the cable bend right in by the terminal plate.
Phil