This new "Driveway Tech" series will be focused on relatively small improvements that you can make to your street machine in your driveway or home garage. It grew from our want for quick and easy tech stories that our readers could do themselves, and an ever-growing list of little things I need to do to my own cars anyway. Since I'll be doing much of this stuff at home in my spare time, it only made sense to document the procedures and share them on the pages of PHR. This series will not be a regular monthly feature, but rather an irregular series of quick improvements that will happen as I get around to doing them. Hopefully, you'll see some tips and tricks that will help you make small improvements to your own ride without having to consult a pro. I've only got simple hand tools at home, so they are all that will be needed to accomplish these tasks. Enjoy!
In looking over my daily driver (a '96 Chevy S-10 pickup), I noticed my factory plug wires were looking less-than perfect. The truck has more than 75,000 miles under it, and its 2.2L four-cylinder engine still runs great. Wanting to keep it that way, I've decided to upgrade the plug wires to MSD products. I chose to use their custom-made versions in order to share the techniques required in building your own.
By building your own plug wires, you have the chance to ensure every wire is routed correctly, fits right, and looks as good as it can. Keeping the wires isolated and insulated guarantees against crossfire from wire to wire, and keeps heat away from the wires as well. I always choose to build my own wires, as the replacement sets I've dealt with never look as good or fit as nicely as I'd like. If you're considering replacing your existing wires or if you're building a fresh bullet for your car, I'd recommend you consider building your own, too. Here's how!
MSD offers a broad range of wire-related products, and while we won't be using them all, we'll take a look. Just in their wire separation and insulation products, we see they offer enthusiasts several different options to best suit their needs. Here we see their wire separators in both four-wire (PN 8843) and two-wire (PN8841) configurations. Also, their insulation sleeve (PN 3412) and self-vulcanizing tape (PN 3410) are shown. These latter products are both heat shields and electrical insulators, and should be considered for use in harsh environments or when the plug wires are routed close to high heat sources, like headers.
Here's two more MSD products I like to use: the numbered heat shrink sleeves (PN 3415), numbered clips (PN 3414), and Spark Guard dielectric grease. The numbered sleeves (both the shrink type and clip type) keep wires straight to avoid getting them crossed up, which is more of an issue on V-8s than little 4-poppers like mine. If the wires are clearly labeled, the odds of crossing a wire are greatly lessened! The grease will be explained later. | 
Access is key on most new cars, and even my little truck wasn't a walk in the park. The wires are routed from the coil packs mounted deep on the passenger side of the block, up through the intake manifold, and over to the plugs on the driver's side of the engine. I'll have to remove the intake air tract for access. Luckily, I've upgraded to a K&N part over the factory stuff, so removal is a breeze. |
With the intake air ducting removed, we can see the "plug" end of the wire, and a single factory loom holds them in place. Removal of the factory loom clamp was simple- it just unsnaps. | 
To access the "coil" end of the wire, I had to pull the left front wheel. Remember to always use jackstands when supporting your vehicle in the driveway, and the vehicle needs to be on a level surface. Engage the emergency brake when removing the front wheel(s), and chock the rears to make sure the vehicle cannot move once it's in the air. |
With the wheel and tire out of the way, I can see the coils and the wires through the wheelwell. While this may seem unusual, many cars and trucks with limited access to the plugs can be easily serviced through the wheelwell. We've used this trick on F-bodies, among others, and it's almost the best way on many cars with V-8 swaps. Next time you're removing the front wheels, see how many engine components you can easily access from in there. | 
Seriously- read the instructions first! I've done this many times before, but I still checked the directions to refresh myself on the procedure. |
Once you've determined the proper and perfect length for your wires, cut them close to size, and break out the grease! The dielectric grease mentioned earlier serves several purposes. When applied to the plug connector, it takes up space normally occupied by air and moisture, which lead to corrosion. It also supports electrical conductivity, so it makes a better connection between the clip and the plug. Here, we're using it to lubricate the outside of the wire to ease the 90-degree boot sliding over it. The boot must go on first, before the clip. If you're using the heat shrink numbering sleeves, they need to go on before the boots. The wires I chose are MSD's 8.5mm Super Conductor parts, and the universal V-8 kit carries PN 31233. They're what MSD recommends for street machines, and I've never had a problem with them in many applications. | 
There are two correct ways to crimp the connector to the wire; both involve MSD tools. The smaller tool on the left is designed to be placed in a bench vise and deliver steady pressure to the connector as it crimps over the wire. The pliers on the right do the same job, but require no vise and can be used underhood. Since I prefer to size my wires cylinder-by-cylinder, one wire at a time, I really like these crimping pliers. They make the job easier and allow the distributor end of the wire to stay connected while you're building the plug end. The pliers can be used for both correctly stripping the wire ends and crimping the connectors in place. They carry MSD PN 3505, and I recommend them highly just for the added convenience. |
Once the connector is properly located on the wire, the pliers are loaded up with the parts and you can squeeze away! The pliers are designed to crimp the connector to the proper load, and you can bend the end of the connector to the 90-degree dimension to fit the boot once it's securely attached to the wire. | 
Add a bit more grease to the boot and the wire, and it should slide back over the connector without protest. Continue building the wires one at a time until you're done, and then add the best looms and wire insulation to suit your needs. I really liked using the two-wire looms, since they install and remove without effort and can be placed anywhere two wires come close together. |
The final product fits tight and is secure, and my concerns about plug wires are gone. Re-installation of the parts I removed was the simple reversal of disassembly, and the entire procedure only took about three hours. It could be done even quicker if I wasn't snapping photos and drinking beers, but that's what happens in my driveway. See ya next time! | |