VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Electrical - 6 volt Spark plug wires

I'm looking for a set of spark plug wires with the proper terminal for the type of coil with a plated metal cap on the top and a white porcelain end on the bottom. All the coil wires I can find have a distributor type terminal for the coil. I need one with a connector more like a spark plug terminal. Where do you guys get yours?

don't know much about your year modle but i got a real nice set of new cloth covered wires from Marx Parts LLC (1920's -1960's) 7323 County Road N, Arpin, WI 64410 Phone: (715) 652-2357

I can't remember off hand but won't a stright spark plug connector fit on the coil terminal? If it does just cut off the present connector and install the plug terminal.

I may be mistaken but I cannot think of any vehicle that used a spark plug type top on the coil before 1980. The earlier type used the distributor type on both ends or the british type with a tube nut and washer.
Tony

Here is the coil.
Here is the provided connecter.
The connector fits on but is designed to expand into a distributor cap and not contract onto a spark plug like terminal so it slips right off. The rubber cup also does not fit.

I tried putting a spark plug connector on the coil and it fits pretty well. Great idea just cutting off the terminal and putting a spark plug one on.

Cloth sure would look nice. Was it still used in 1941?

Thanks!

While we're in the mood to discuss sparkplug wires, maybe someone can give us a bref rundown on the history of Chevrolet sparkplug wires?
The wire set that I got from one of the vintage vendors are stiff shiny black plastic and just don't look correct on my '50, 216. A friend bought a set that are flat black soft rubber without plug boots and they look a lot better than the ones on mine. And did the inliners ever come from the factory with spark plug boots? I see them used as replacements on some engines every once in a while.

And when did they use a cloth covered high tension wire? I would have thought that the fact that cloth absorbs and holds moisture would have been apparent early on and eliminated that option.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny, commonly if you see cloth wrapped wire, it be laquer dipped. Remember, that generally, there was a rubber insulator between the wire and the cloth. The Cloth was more of a sheeth. Also if you have a 60 year old blanket, and a 60 year old tire, which one is still supple? My Grandfather Raymond E. Hill, was a Lead Engineer at Motorola in Rockford, and was Nasa's asst. Engineer for the flight control for the very first Space shuttle. He Swore by cloth insulation. His reasoning was it was more consistantly flexible. And the less suseptability to RF Frequency. Unfortunalty, he was also a grumpy drinker. If you had the audacity of asking him a question, you'd better already know the answer. So I didn't get a ton out of him.

I've just seen to many plug wires with St. Elmo’s fire dancing on it in the damp weather. I had one of those German Opals when I first got married and if you pee'd next to it it wouldn't start. In the real humid weather I'd take the wires in and put them in the oven for a few minutes and she would pop right off. So high voltage can and does jump across the insulation, next time your six popper is running just grab hold of the plug wire, once is all it will take. I get a jolt about every time I gotta check the timing.
My other hobby is restoration of vintage tube radios. The cloth-covered wire from the thirties and early forties is a nightmare and almost always has to be replaced. The biggest problem back in those days was the natural rubber insulation that was used, it dries up, but it got better after WWII because of the synthetic rubber compounds developed during the war.
Denny G

I don't know the exact history of spark plug wires. The solid wire, rubber insulation and fabric cover type were used from the teens to 50s. Yes the fabric was coated with lacquer which eventually deteriorated to expose the fabric to moisture, etc. Beginning in the 50s carbon core wires were developed to help eliminate the ignition noise from radios. Most were still the same design as the wire core type. When the higher voltage coils, wider gap spark plugs were used the industry quickly went to silicone rubber coating as the old type would not handle the voltage. And they finally got the carbon core to stay together for a reasonable time.

Today we hardly think about the plug wires or plugs for that matter. With expected life of 100k miles. It used to be reline the brakes, change the spark plug wires every 20k miles. Now we get upset if the tires don't last 60k.

Maybe Gene can enlighten us on the exact timing for the developments in spark plug wires.

Thats cool Denny. My side business is servicing Vintage TV And Radio. My pride and Joy's are My Philco Tombstone, Motorola TZ-47 (TV) and the AtwaterKent SuperHeteroDyne. I have a Radio and TV museum attached to my restaurant. I will get some pictures together.

In reference to Chippers Tuneup Program, I get a kick out of the Shop Manual, "Once you have cleaned the spark plugs to the best, start over and do it again...Nobody likes the expense of costly spark plug replacement" HAhahahahahaa

AK 10A breadboard, AC Dayton XL10, and Philco BOL's head up my favorites. The other 300 just take up room where I could be working on the truck.
DG

Boy Chipper, that's a new one on me. Growing up working on Chevys all through the 50's and starting in as a Chevrolet parts man in '59 I don't ever remember seeing fabric covered plug wire sets. But of course I do remember when the carbon wires were first introduced, we used to see lots of problems with them and of course all the racers wanted the solid copper wires. But all I remember were the rubber insulated plug wires.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Often the coated fabric on the outside of the wires looks like it is solid rubber. It is not apparent until you cut into the insulation that there is reinforcing fabric. As you have observed rubber covered (without fabric) wires became standard equipment as the quality of elastomers (synthetic rubber) improved.

Is there an acceptable set on the market for the above average restorer? Joe

The 1953 passenger car was the first to have "rubber" wires. It was the "wireless" carbonized linen type. The 1929-52 had cloth covered black wires and were coated with lacquer. At a glance they looked like rubber coated but the thread pattern could be seen upon close examination. They had more surface gloss than the rubber. My '50 has the original cloth wires.
In 1959 the cloth wires were no longer available through parts. The Packard 440 was sold as a replacement. It was a copper wire with black rubber. It was also factory installed on trucks through the '50's.
The old cloth cover wires were available in 1953 as an example and the book describes them as Packard cable. I have some boxes of those + some bulk wire on a roll.

Okey dokey, then lemme see if I got this straight. This is my 1950, 3600, 216 and if I understand what you’re saying, these are actually more correct than the soft rubber set that JC is selling. http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/116313909
Now, I know the coil is the wrong color, and the logo isn’t quite right, and the green tach wire doesn’t belong there, and the acorn nuts should be painted and the plugs bases, but we’re working on all that. This is just about plug wires.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

From whay I can see in the picture the wires look correct.

THRIFT MASTER!! Looks nice, Denny

It's hand painted on but it's not correct Chef. I've been looking for original Thrift Master logos for a few years now and have never seen one that was complete or in good shape. A friend has one that's in pretty good shape, about the best I've seen and it looks like they might have used a metal stencil because the edges look pretty fuzzy.
I have a friend that is working on a one-time vinyl negative stencil that you can stick on the cover, and peel off after you’ve sprayed it. The vinyl stickers or misnamed decals that the vendors sell now just don’t look right when you’re up close. The clear carrier just sticks out like a sore thumb to me.
If the stencils work out and he can make them cheap enough, I might have him make me up a batch and try to sell them for a few bucks at the swap meets or shows if there is any interest in them.
Thanks Gene, guess I’ll just stick with the stiff black plastic wires then, instead of the nice soft rubber ones.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I have more respect for making it yourself, than outright buying something. That applies to everything in life. Except going out for Dinner...