Crab distributor plug wire routing?

[RalphM]

What’s the best way to run the wires off the crab cap without having them chewed up by the belts/pulleys, or looking like Medusa’s hair.

The wires I have came with straight caps,
But I’m thinking 90 degree would be better.
Any source for these?

 

[petehoovie]

What’s the best way to run the wires off the crab cap without having them chewed up by the belts/pulleys, or looking like Medusa’s hair.

The wires I have came with straight caps,
But I’m thinking 90 degree would be better.
Any source for these?

 

[deuce lover]

Here is the engine in my '33 just installed.I used 90 degree SP boots at the dist caps.

 

[hueyhoolihan]

i've got these on my '41. plain black nothing fancy. used the standard '41 routing looms (if that's what they're called). took me a while to figure out which wires to use for which plugs to get the best lengths. i needed to gather them together tightly at the entrance to the looms, so used a couple of zip ties to separate them from the pulley's etc.

https://vintageautogarage.com/ford-...-to-run-low-rf-spark-plug-wires-ff78190-428b/

they are straight at the cap and 90 deg at the plugs. it was about half a days work, at least, to install them but am satisfied.

the fancy multicolored braided ones that i've seen on many cars, that i had previously, pretty much fried and cracked themselves after a few months. it may have been excessive engine bay heat that caused it, but i wouldn't buy them again.

 

[RalphM]

Duece Lover, I like the idea of putting the 90 at the cap, keeps them tucked in tight to the block.
Most of the plug sets I see are like Hueyhoolihan posted, where the 90 goes on the plug.

 

[petehoovie]

Here is the engine in my '33 just installed.I used 90 degree SP boots at the dist caps.

 

[35fordtn]

Deuce lover, nice looking engine. You appear to be running 1947-48 conduits? They are the more suitable for the crab distributor.

Change of subject deuce lover are you running the full 26 degree factory pre set advance on that Mallory?

 

[34fordy]

Here is the engine in my '33 just installed.I used 90 degree SP boots at the dist caps.

How sanitary that looks! Does the Mallory protrude farther forward or is it about the same as the helmet distributor?

 

[rotorwrench]

Some use the ones with the separate chrome tubes mounted on the manifold and then used the snap in 4-lead separators down front to separate and hold the high tension leads from the cap up to the loom tubes. Some folks worry about cross fire inside the big single tubes but the insulation has to deteriorate to cross fire. Extra insulation might fit but I don't know. The small tube ones may not have any extra room for insulation between metal and wire anyway. It's no hard to check for ignition lead break down on a flathead V8 if your careful.

 

[Mart]

I use 90 degree fittings at both the cap and the plugs. I don't use the conduits. I buy a kit and make them up to my own lengths.

 

[deuce lover]

Deuce lover, nice looking engine. You appear to be running 1947-48 conduits? They are the more suitable for the crab distributor.

Change of subject deuce lover are you running the full 26 degree factory pre set advance on that Mallory?

No the conduits are 1933, engine is a 36 LB,heads are orig '33 aluminum. The Mallory is from Speedway - their unit.I just bolted it on and ran it as it came out of the box.

 

[fortyfords]

two versions

 

[petehoovie]

two versions

 

[richard crow]

there are different wire loums for crab dist. i have a set if interested

 

[RalphM]

The tubes I have are much shorter. They stop around the deck height of the block.

 

[deuce lover]

The tubes I have are much shorter. They stop around the deck height of the block.

these might work for you. I can send you the Ebay reference if you want.

 

[petehoovie]

these might work for you. I can send you the Ebay reference if you want.

 

[RalphM]

I think the ones I have will work. I do have the factory style rubber boots that go on them. They would make it reach down to the distributor I think.

 

[hueyhoolihan]

I think the ones I have will work. I do have the factory style rubber boots that go on them. They would make it reach down to the distributor I think.

the trouble with mine is that the car had a diver's helmet distributor on it and the wires come out of the caps in a tight bundle so the looms have no need to reach down as far as they need to with the distributors using the crab style cap.

i like the 90 degree wires coming out of the crab cap, they look like they offer an opportunity for more clearance. unfortunately, i don't have those kind of wires although i now have a distributor using a crab style cap, and so i had to bundle them up pretty tightly with a couple of zip ties. it ain't pretty...

 

[RalphM]

Well, I found some 90° boots and use the original style wiring for a 47. And then I made it neater using some wax thread. I think better than zip ties, almost looks. Correct.