Yet another where does this go?

[johng]

Went to re-fit my spark plug wires today, strangely the AIM shows the routing for the passenger side, but not the drivers side. Item 2 on the passenger side is a clip and I have a clip, but it looks like the clip I have should attach to something. Trouble is I can't see what it is. Anyone know where it goes?

 

[Oneball]

Have you got a metal bracket next to the dissy roughly where the throttle cable goes or one screwed to the top of the block where the engine casting number is by the bell housing?

 

[johng]

One of these?

 

[johng]

Or one of these?

 

[Oneball]

Both. I think the clip you’ve got fits here.



And there should be another one that goes on the bracket in your other photo.

 

[johng]

Yes, there's a 4 hole grommet that goes in the bracket in the other photo, so presumably it's meant to push onto the bracket you've circled. Shame I couldn't find the driver's side layout in my AIM.
Thanks for the help.

 

[kentvette]

John

I had a look at mine and, as I sort of remembered, the plastic clip you show is not present on ours. I seem to recall it was attached to the wires, but nothing else, and it's now in a jar in the "store cupbord" in the garage! The rubber grommets are there however. They should slide into the two pressed metal brackets, shown in your unrestored-engine photo, bolted to the top of the bell-housing/crankcase, and marked as item 5 in the AIM on the page you're on I think. A bit tricky to photograph with the ignition shielding in place, but this is it on the driver's side.....


Also, contrary to the AIM, the wires run low down on the side of the crankcase, in metal channels/shields, the front wires going through the engine mount to come up to the plugs.

 

[johng]

Thanks Stephen, I've got pictures of the routing along the side of the block, but didn't take one of the area where the clip was (or at least not before I'd removed the leads!). I'll have another look at the leads on Thursday and see if the clip fits on the bracket Oneball suggests.

 

[Oneball]

Here you go

 

[johng]

That's perfect view E is just what I need, although as Stephen says the routing after support 3 is different for a 78. Don't understand why I don't have this in my AIM, or maybe I'm just going blind and can't see it!

 

[kentvette]

Interesting! I don't think I have that page either - I'll have to check later today! But, I'm inclined to think that it refers to the pre-78's, which had the metal ignition shielding. On '78's the shielding becam plastic, a one-piece item that clips over teh "dizzy" and runs down each side, done as far as the bell-housing. It therefore requires the leads to run almost stright down from the distributor, where they then go into the metal shielding low down. I've notied a few pages in my AIM that must have veen revised later, as they show pre-78 info....

 

[johng]

I've got the plastic ignition shield, so it will be interesting to see if I can fit that and the clip at the same time.

 

[kentvette]

I'll be interested to see how you get on John. My feeling is that ther eisn't enough room under teh cover, but I may well be wrong!

You'll need this plastic "ring" on the distributor to fit the screen.

 

[johng]

Hmm, don't remember seeing one of those, I'll have to look tomorrow.

 

[kentvette]

The ring clips on to the top of the coil (which is marked "latch" where it clips on) and the shield clips to it.



This is the original on mine. The replacement I fitted a little while ago when a fixing tab broke also has the plug/cylinder numbers marked on it.

 

[johng]

So the bad news is that I don't have that fixing ring.
On the other hand, the good news is that Rockauto have them for $3 and also I've now got all my leads installed and the clip does fit where Oneball said with the plastic shield fitted.
As you can see, there is actually a cut out in the shield for the clip.



Still got loads more bits to fit, so probably plenty more questions to come
John

 

[kentvette]

And one more plug lead to clip in place I see!

Your photos are interesting and I see now why I couldn't route the leads as you do - I have Cruise Control and the actuator "thingy" for that fits on that bracket. The rather OTT mounting plate for the actuator blocks that part and, goes right down to the cylinder head.

Nothing like as tidy as yours, but you can get the idea!


The cut out in the plastic screen is used to route the vacuum hoses that you have yet to connect (to the outlet plugged with the red cap?).


I'm about to re-adjust the parking brake now, for the car's up-coming Controle Technique - the French MOT, due every 5 years on "collection vehicles" - such fun!

 

[johng]

Actually there were 4 more spark plug leads left to attach when I took that photo! As it happens my car came with cruise control as well, but since the transducer is broken I decided not to refit it it, at least for now. I might put it back on along with the A/C at some later stage once I've got the car on the road and start to get bored. Good luck with the MOT, the handbrake is one of the few systems that I know works on my car.

 

[kentvette]

The cruise on ours didn't work for years (all the time we were in the UK) for the same reason, broken transducer. But living here it had the potential to be much more useful, so I picked up a transducer when over in CA. It actually came via our "Corvette guru" friend there with a few other bits, but I think it came from Corvette Pacifica. Only about $90, a real pain to fit when everything else is in place! Pretty basic cruise, but it's better than nothing!

Parking brake is, I think, as good as it gets now - so we'll see if they notice!