The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 57 3100 V8 plug wire heat shields?

I am in the proccess of rewiring my truck and am now at the point of running new spark plug wires and am trying to figure out how to handle the rams horn style (center dump) exhaust manafold. I want to run the plug wires along side the engine but the pictures in the manual seem to have rear dumps and can use some little standoffs. I have some of those too but they do not provide a way to clear the downpipe. With center dump manifold I was going to use some heat shields around the plugs but still need something to hold the wires away from the manifold and downpipe.


I have 2 sets of shields Banana style but they do not seem to fit.
And Plug style but they just protect the plug area and not the wires that need to go to the 2 front most plugs with wires behind the exhaust downpipe.


The banana ones line up with hole by the started but the front hole on the passenger side has clearance issues with the mold that sticks out on the block around a freeze plug. I could maybe make it work if I use a long bolt and stand it off from the block more with a couple nuts or something. I have not tried the driver side yet to see if it clears that same area or not. The two banana shields are identicle. seems like one should be made the opposite of the other.

How do you guys make this work and still tuck the wires behind the downpipe?

Or do you run something off the oil pan bolts to hold the wores back fro the exhaust?

My engine is not an original 265 or 283 but a latter one from about 63 or so. It is an orignal V8 truck.

the ones from classic are original style for right at the plugs ... the original setup for your truck had a series of 'finger clamps', a 4 slot at the back of the intake, another at the corner of the pan below that, and 2 doubles for more forward pan bolts - these are them .... I'm not aware of anyone reproducing them, but some aftermarket chromies probably could be adapted

Bill

Squeeze None of your pictures are showing for me. They are coming up with X pictires missing.

Wierd my computer can not see them but my HTC Incredible phone does so I know what you are talking about.

in the 55-59 assembly manual page in the back of the manual after section 14 is the RPO sections.
RPO 408 Sheet 7.00 showsplug wires running but it is for forward dumping manuifolds not center dumps. It uses little supports that run parallel with the Plugs but those would interfere with the manifold and down pipe for me. I also have purchased a set of those but they do not clear if I mount them like that.


In the Shop Manual figure 6.4 shows a center dump with the plug shields but not the area behind the dump.it is showing the heat control valve.

yeah, I've seen the pics not working occassionally, I'll hafta find out about that - try this way

the RPO in the manual would have been their first stab at it, when it was the 265, lots changed after - I'm not sure when the style clips I have started, but that's what's been on all the 283's I've collected, although at least some are missing on most engines cuz folks always switched to hanging the wires over the top .... with the double clips off the pan there's no problem with the rams horn manifolds, the wires are well below the flange and behind the head pipe

Bill

So on the ones that mount off the oil pan how to the angle?
Seems if you used them at a 90 degree that the wires would loop under the pan. Do they mount at a 45 or something?

I did see a set of those style somewhere a few months ago on some website. They were dipped like that and very similar. But I do not remember where that is now.

Here are some from Ecklers www.lategreatchevy.com :

2 wire 90 degree standoff If I got some of those exactly how do they mount?

C0rrect style dipped wire holders (but says 58-67 not 57

Also Chevy Spark Plug Wire Support & Grommet Set, Small Block, 1958-1961


Also this style wire holder for oil pan.

4 wire

upper wire holder


For some realson that last picture of yours said FORBIDEN. Again that one works on my phone but not my computer. realy odd. Maybe a virus checker thing.

So these look like what you were talking about.

2 wire 90 degree standoffs If I got some of those exactly how do they mount?



How do they mount on what bolts ont he oil pan and at what type of angle with respect to the pan edge and the spark plugs?

yes, I have seen the single type, would work for the front plugs .... they just get used like a washer under a pan bolt, the wires get held tightly enough there's no real sag .... the complete set looks about right, except for the price!! don't worry about the year specs, most places will tell you there was no 283 available for 57 as it was only offered for light trucks late in the year

I might try to get a pic of mine tomorrow for ya - if it stops pouring rain and I'll see if I have any xtras

Bill

ok thanks, raining here in california too. I am just having a hard time visualizing the wires going to these 2 wire holders and then to the plugs. It seems if you are sanding off the oil pan that the wire would enter from the oil pan side and then coming out to the plugs. Seems like the wire would be almost doing a 180 coming from the rear 4 wayt holder to this 2 way holder and going through it and then back to the plugs?

yes the wires are routed fairly squarely, down, over, up .... hard to find a wire set that fits, I've usually wound up making my own, although I think the set on my 58 now came correct from NAPA

Bill

LOT's of opinions here so I will add mine. Thisis the absolute best stuff I've seen and most of the hotridders are now using it.
www.made4uproducts.com

OK, try this - the pic here shows the loom at the top, and the one here sorta shows the 4 way at the bottom rear - I looked at the engine pile and found this original [~1960 car engine], the rearmost wire goes direct to the plug, the single clamp on the pan is for the next plug - I remember now the double front loom goes at the threaded hole between the side mount bosses along with the plug shield - originally intended to keep the wires from chaffing on the mount because they need to go behind it [post '59], and I used that layout on my 58 which uses the front mounts as original, the wires loop along the side of the block well ..... I can't see there could be any problem with the rams horns [which I have] even if you have the crossover Y pipe, tons of clearance in there

I also poked around the stash, and did find I had some of the single wire ones, but only have the one complete set, although I could check all the engines on hand and maybe find a few pieces - most of what I have here has to get cleared out as retirement looms

Bill

ok I am trying to get the right orientation when I am looking at that picture labeled (this Original).

It appears to be the drivers side (left). And the "side mount bosses" as you call them are the locations for the side motor mounts which the 57 does not use as it has front motor mounts like your 58. And those side mount ones are what made the banana style heat shields not fit.

so the double wire front loom is that one labeled double and mounts on the same hole as the heat shield on the block, Not on the oil pan?

The single looks to be on the oil pan area under the second spart plug from the back. Did it hold both wires going to the front? It looks wide enough to hold two. And then the left/rear two plug wires just dangled from the 4 wire holder at the rear (not shown) and went to the rear/rightmost plugs?

Did the rear plugs also use a 2 wire loom at the heat shield hole? I am trying to figure out why they seem to put 4 of them in the kits. Or is one for the location where the single is shown on the picture?

The (one here) picture shows the 4 wire loom to be even with the exhaust manifold so in the normal place not on the oil pan.

Here is a link LikeThis1 to a picture I drew over to try to show what I think you are saying with the shields and looms/clips. Is this the right idea or am I still missing something? I tried to show the single loom at the bottom on oil pan and the double to the left on the heat shield and wires behind the down tube. And the oil pan would be below the horizonal red wires at the bottom. The single clip on the oil pan bolt.

Does that sound about right?

you got it, the pic is the driver side - your sketch will work fine with the right length wires, the 4 place loom at the back keeps the rear 2 wires away from the back of the manifold, the clip on the pan [1 slot holding 2] will keep the front ones away from the center dump head pipe and the double does mount with the plug shield - working for me with the 283 in my 58 for over 15 years ... for neatness you might use another double with the rear shield, but it isn't really needed

Bill

OK thanks. Was the scenario I laid out in the drawing somewhat cose to how they use to ship in 57? I am just trying to keep it kind of original in it's wiring and layout.

Any changes needed on it to be more correct?

can't say for sure I've seen an unmolested 57, but I believe the 283's from the beginning had the side mount provision [used in cars] so I would expect the wire loom change from that assembly manual setup would have happened then as well .... I really doubt a show judge would question it!

Bill