I read a couple posts on here talking about 90 degree end wires after header installs. Is this mandatory? Might be a dumb question, but I have nearly new Accel 8.8 wires on it...I hate to get rid of them if I don't have to.

Any help is appreciated...Edelbrock TESs are going on it.

 

Typically the problem you run into with 180* wires and Headers is that they get really close to the hot pipes and its diffucult to protect the wire from the unsheilded heat. Now if you want to run the 180* wires I would suggest buying a set of heat socks, actually I would recomend these to anybody who cares about protecting there investment in plug wires.Get the 8 in. long ones.

 

I can tell you that it will be manditory to have 90* boots on the wires. I just changed from edelbrock TES to Hedman longtubes.

 

Well on stock wires aren't most of them 90, and then like 3 of them straight?

 

Correct

Mixing and matching you can get the stock configuration to work, but the 180* boots will be very close or touching the primaries

A few plugs absolutely will not clear without 90* boots

This is all with the factory style strait plugs, angle plug heads may be different

 

Check out this post for a clean install.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/exha...lug-wires.html

 

Yep they are a must if you ask me. Not only did I use 90 degree boots on all eight, but I also had to use shorty plugs made by Accel so it would clear all the tubes.

 

Heat seeker, I used the shorty plugs also. I was a little dissapointed that they werent much shorter than stock, but they will give you about a 1/4" of extra clearance.

Back on the topic of plugs, with my Hooker 2055's, the straight plugs were pushed up against the primaries. Get 90's.

 

I ended up going with universal MSD 8.5 wires...the ones I should have done in the first place. I got some cheap wire holders as well to help the tech route them away from the headers.

22 hours of straight time later, the car has 2 new head gaskets, new valve seals, an Edelbrock water pump, 160 thermo and new hoses, Powermaster 200 amp alternator, MSD wires and a Blue Streak cap, along with a couple custom-made brackets due to the headers, a custom pipe made to mate the 3" headers to my 3" cat (before it had a reducer to mate it to the 2.25" OEM y pipe) and oh yeah...the VATS crapped out while it was on the lift, so they had to find the loose wire!!

End result? It runs almost stupid cool (my gague isn't very accurate, but it used to go near the red before the fans clicked on at 225...now they click on around the 170 mark on the gague (supposed to be 200), and when its high 40s like now, the gague is barely off 100...like I said, inaccurate), and for the first time EVER, it actually snapped my head at WOT in first

Not to mention it sounds muscle car perfect. At certain RPMs, it sounds nearly the same as my LT1...amazing...

 

I still say that heat socks are worth the money! Even if the wires are all 90* plug ends.