Spark plug wires/distributor wires

[Frank Wyatt]

How do you know they are accel? I don’t see a brand name anywhere...?

Yellow wires with the orange spark plug boots is an Accel color combo for their plug wires. I'm running Accel plug wires but I have the black ones which don't stick out like a sore thumb, and I have not had a problem with them. Plus with being the black ones, they look closer to factory installed, which that was not a concern for me. I was just getting a good set of wires without breaking the bank. On the coil though, unless you are running a capacitive discharge ignition box, the higher voltage coil will fire with the same voltage as the stock coil. Another thing to consider is the coil needs to be matched to the ignition box because if not it can cause premature failure of the ignition box. In those regards I am running a stock coil with my Duraspark ignition module, however it will work just fine with any coil that meets the same specs as the factory stock coil.

[ArdWrknTrk]

How do you know they are accel? I don’t see a brand name anywhere...?

Yep, yellow silicone wires with red silicone boots (like 'red' high temp RTV) are a trademark.

Over the years for performance applications I've gone from Packard 440 cable, to Taylor Spirocore's, today -on my truck- I'm using NAPA's Belden Premium Plus cables.

The are supple and don't have much, if any, radio interference.

Seem to last forever if not physically damaged (I do ohm them out annually)

I won't run an MSD box, and my DSII module seems fine right up to 6k where the valves start to float.

 

[Rembrant]

Christopher, can you post a picture of your OEM wires?

I'm not sure exactly what they looked like.

The OEM Ford wires on my 1984 302 were grey with black boots. Since my truck was such low mile and had been sitting in a barn for god knows how long, it still had a lot of original parts on it when I dragged it home. I was told that a way to identify the original factory installed wires was that they were numbered, and mine were. Thew new Ford replacement wires I installed looked very similar to the originals, but were not numbered.

My truck also had a funky looking rotor button in the distributor, which I was told was also original. Odd looking tip on it that I had never seen before.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Christopher, can you post a picture of your OEM wires?

I'm not sure exactly what they looked like.

The OEM Ford wires on my 1984 302 were grey with black boots. Since my truck was such low mile and had been sitting in a barn for god knows how long, it still had a lot of original parts on it when I dragged it home. I was told that a way to identify the original factory installed wires was that they were numbered, and mine were. Thew new Ford replacement wires I installed looked very similar to the originals, but were not numbered.

My truck also had a funky looking rotor button in the distributor, which I was told was also original. Odd looking tip on it that I had never seen before.

That really is odd looking Cory.

Maybe they did that to reduce arcing, and therefore pitting of the terminals in the cap?

The whole "factory v/s OEM" wires thing started a mess here, while Gary was on his anniversary cruise.

I don't want to dredge that up but it is good to know.

[Rembrant]

That really is odd looking Cory.

Maybe they did that to reduce arcing, and therefore pitting of the terminals in the cap?

The whole "factory v/s OEM" wires thing started a mess here, while Gary was on his anniversary cruise.

I don't want to dredge that up but it is good to know.

I was told that Ford used that style rotor button very briefly in the 80's, but I have no idea. It is the only one I've ever seen like that.

As for the Factory vs "OEM" terminology, I do try to use the correct terminology whenever I can, but it is usually understood what one is talking about one way or another. I know people like Bill/NumberDummy scoff at using unofficial terminology, but I think the majority of the general public are usually OK with generic terms for things. Steve83 gave me crap one day for calling the start relay the starter solenoid....but everybody and their dog calls it the starter solenoid, even the companies that manufacture and sell them...lol, so I think it all just depends on one's own POV;).

The one acronym that I do not use is OBS, and that's only because it is not really clear to me what trucks OBS refers to...lol.

 

[Gary Lewis]

That really is odd looking Cory.

Maybe they did that to reduce arcing, and therefore pitting of the terminals in the cap?

The whole "factory v/s OEM" wires thing started a mess here, while Gary was on his anniversary cruise.

I don't want to dredge that up but it is good to know.

I was told that Ford used that style rotor button very briefly in the 80's, but I have no idea. It is the only one I've ever seen like that.

As for the Factory vs "OEM" terminology, I do try to use the correct terminology whenever I can, but it is usually understood what one is talking about one way or another. I know people like Bill/NumberDummy scoff at using unofficial terminology, but I think the majority of the general public are usually OK with generic terms for things. Steve83 gave me crap one day for calling the start relay the starter solenoid....but everybody and their dog calls it the starter solenoid, even the companies that manufacture and sell them...lol, so I think it all just depends on one's own POV;).

The one acronym that I do not use is OBS, and that's only because it is not really clear to me what trucks OBS refers to...lol.

There are purists and then there are PURISTS.

To me, calling a Flareside a Stepside says you don't know your Fords.

Calling the starter relay a starter solenoid says you use colloquial terminology. I grew up calling it a solenoid, and still frequently do, but try to be correct when posting and especially when creating a web page.

As for OBS, I don't use that term at all. I don't understand it and it makes no sense because it should include everything from some perspective back. But what perspective? Older than my 2015? What happens when a new body style comes out? Does the current body style get included?

[old55pete]

There are purists and then there are PURISTS.

To me, calling a Flareside a Stepside says you don't know your Fords.

Calling the starter relay a starter solenoid says you use colloquial terminology. I grew up calling it a solenoid, and still frequently do, but try to be correct when posting and especially when creating a web page.

As for OBS, I don't use that term at all. I don't understand it and it makes no sense because it should include everything from some perspective back. But what perspective? Older than my 2015? What happens when a new body style comes out? Does the current body style get included?

Gary, I know I am one of the ones that uses "step side" instead of "flair side" and have been corrected several times. In my mind, I will have to say that it is because of the steps that are between the front of the rear fender and the back of the cab. My 62 F100 " flair side" has these steps. the original ones had a rubber no slip pad on them. The rubber pads were worn out and the steps were rusted through and I replaced them with polished stainless after market steps. Old habits die hard.

At this point in the game, I don't know why any one would want to use year original OEM ignition parts. Just spark pug wires and spark plugs have come a long way in the 30 plus years that our trucks have been around. I could see it if it is an original OEM restortation. If it is your daily driver, wouldent you want to use what ever would increase fuel millage and performance?

[Gary Lewis]

Gary, I know I am one of the ones that uses "step side" instead of "flair side" and have been corrected several times. In my mind, I will have to say that it is because of the steps that are between the front of the rear fender and the back of the cab. My 62 F100 " flair side" has these steps. the original ones had a rubber no slip pad on them. The rubber pads were worn out and the steps were rusted through and I replaced them with polished stainless after market steps. Old habits die hard.

At this point in the game, I don't know why any one would want to use year original OEM ignition parts. Just spark pug wires and spark plugs have come a long way in the 30 plus years that our trucks have been around. I could see it if it is an original OEM restortation. If it is your daily driver, wouldent you want to use what ever would increase fuel millage and performance?

Steve - I understand. And I don't condemn anyone that uses a Chevrolet-branded term to describe a Ford.

Seriously though, I know people who get really up in arms about that term. That's not me.

[Angelo Voltura]

Christopher, can you post a picture of your OEM wires?

I'm not sure exactly what they looked like.

The OEM Ford wires on my 1984 302 were grey with black boots. Since my truck was such low mile and had been sitting in a barn for god knows how long, it still had a lot of original parts on it when I dragged it home. I was told that a way to identify the original factory installed wires was that they were numbered, and mine were. Thew new Ford replacement wires I installed looked very similar to the originals, but were not numbered.

My truck also had a funky looking rotor button in the distributor, which I was told was also original. Odd looking tip on it that I had never seen before.

That rotor to me looks like the end of it just simply broke off over time.

However I could be wrong, but to me it looks like unless it had a super hot spark enough to jump that sort of gap, it looks broken. I have seen the ends of those rotors disappear more than once.

Also, those wires may be old school Tiger hair? or Tiger wire...I forget which they were called. I had a few pieces of them kicking around my garage. They were also yellow and could be easily mistaken for Accel wires if you weren't paying attention.

[85lebaront2]

Christopher, can you post a picture of your OEM wires?

I'm not sure exactly what they looked like.

The OEM Ford wires on my 1984 302 were grey with black boots. Since my truck was such low mile and had been sitting in a barn for god knows how long, it still had a lot of original parts on it when I dragged it home. I was told that a way to identify the original factory installed wires was that they were numbered, and mine were. Thew new Ford replacement wires I installed looked very similar to the originals, but were not numbered.

My truck also had a funky looking rotor button in the distributor, which I was told was also original. Odd looking tip on it that I had never seen before.

That rotor looks like one for an EEC-III system possibly, they were extremely strange.

On plug wires, two things I learned owning my shop:

First, if the manufacturer isn't proud enough of his product to put his name on there, run from it!

Second, back in the early high output ignition days, and especially on some engines, and wires over 3 years old were suspect, the old 1000 ohms per foot applied for resistance checks (this meant a MOPAR big block #7 wire would be roughly 7000 ohms).

Gary, feel free to measure the one on your MOPAR. It went from the distributor, down under the AC compressor, across the front of the block, down the inside of the left valve cover, over the back of the head, through a plastic "spool", then out through another "spool" and to the plug under the exhaust manifold. Thankfully Ford came to their senses after the Y-block era.