'72 big block braided wire questions..

[Tom L.]

The wires on my car are in need of replacement. I read the JG and they say they should be dated and that the plug boots should be grey. I do have the dates but the boots are not what I call grey. My LL wires have boots that are very dark, wouldn't call them grey. So here's my questions, During judging can the dates and printing be seen clearly? Are they judged at all? And how will the LL plug boots I describe do? Thanks!!

[Terry M.]

Re: '72 big block braided wire questions..

The wires on my car are in need of replacement. I read the JG and they say they should be dated and that the plug boots should be grey. I do have the dates but the boots are not what I call grey. My LL wires have boots that are very dark, wouldn't call them grey. So here's my questions, During judging can the dates and printing be seen clearly? Are they judged at all? And how will the LL plug boots I describe do? Thanks!!

One or more dates can usually be read inside the distributor shielding (you will be asked to remove the distributor shield). We use "the rule of multiples" when assessing many of the same or similar items. We judge the part we can see and assUme all the other similar parts are the same.

One of the "problems" with the reproduction wires (regardless of engine size) is all the dates are the same, and they are all odd quarters. It would have been most unusual for an original set of ignition wires to all be produced in the same quarter -- some would even say it would not be TFP. There is also a difference in the tightness of the shielding weave between original Large Motor spark plug wires and the reproductions. In the past I posted a picture of the same, but since my picture posting privileges have been revoked you will have to search for it. The shade of the boots is not much of a consequence when considering all the rest of the details.

[Ken A.]

Re: '72 big block braided wire questions..

Terry, The Packard wire was produced in 5000 foot rolls. The wires were cut in "sets" and then assembled. A set of wires should all have the same date & qtr info.

[William C.]

Re: '72 big block braided wire questions..

Not necessarily, I worked at PED for many years. and each individual wire carried it's own part number and was run in quantity prior to braiding. The cutters were about 100 feet from the braiders so inventory was easily managed. Changing over the cutters was limited as much as possible, and inventory management "in the day" was nonexistant, whatever the stockman found that had the correct part number on the cable was "next" not at all unusual to have a "set" with different quarters on the cables, normally a wire or two a quarter apart. WE did not ship sets to the engine plants, individual wires were supplied to the assembly plants and assembled on the engine dress line. Each individual wire had it's own part number, and they did not become "sets" unless being used for service only, not regular production. Individual wire part numbers were shipped to the car assembly plants, you can see this from the callout of the individual wire part numbers in the AIM(upc 6). Normally service sets made up right right after the annual physical inventory of the plant materials would have older dates as the annual inventory might cause them to be flagged for use, or they could have been directed to be cut for the next shipment to an assembly plant..

[Alan S.]

Re: '72 big block braided wire questions..

Hi,
Here's an example of 3 dates in one set of sb wires.
71- #6589
Also note, just 1 dash on these, and the difference in character spacing between 2&4 and 3.
Regards,
Alan

[Ken A.]

Re: '72 big block braided wire questions..

Bill,I stand corrected. The person I know referred to the service parts sold thru GM.

[William C.]

Re: '72 big block braided wire questions..

Service parts were a very small segment of the business. During the startup of service parts they had it easy because they could just get the wires they needed from across the aisle in the plant to make up the original orders as long as the part number was current. Once it went out of oem current usage, they did whatever was necessary as long as the finished product met the blueprint. (including minor changes to the print occasionally, but those had to have Engineering approval.