magnecor wires installed them - heres how it went........

dickster · 01:07 AM

thought i'd share with you the installation of the wires. simple job, but not without headaches. plus i got a new camera i had to get to grips with.

the job should take approx 1 hour (from start to test drive) - it took me 2!

i had problems with:

locating the plugs with the new wires. the holes are smaller in the new wires and it took real patience to get the two together (cost me the extra hour as i'm not real familar with the angle to go at)

the wire provided for the coil was a little short - it fitted but only just. you will need to remove the plastic cover to get to the wire on the left hand side of the bay. (i took picture but it never came out)

here's the old original junk:

first remove the old standard brackets after removal of blower pipe and anything else in the way (i used a stout flat screw driver blade to part the brackets from the wires - they never broke):

laid them out in order (pipe removed in background):

new wires ready for fitting!!:

remove distributer cap from distributer (makes wire removal easier) and remove and replace wires one by one (they're numbered so should be easy!):

once wires are routed drill out brackets (mine were drilled to 8.5mm for kv85 wires) - i got to this stage after about an hour:

replace brackets in original positions (a little fiddly but they should go together quite easily):

with the brackets, pipes, covers, and any other items replaced the finished item:

the drive does seem better. throttle response seems crisper and more urgent (but its always hard to tell isn't it?). i think i've had a problem with an intact leak for some time, so that doesn't help. but at least they have brightened up the bay (a rather dull bay)no end!!

hope that is of interest/use to somebody

richard

old_skul · 01-13-2002, 02:00 AM

VERY nice Richard. That's an upgrade I'm seriously considering myself.

So is there a difference in power? I think that's what's on everyone's mind. We can all see that the looks are improved

JDaniel · JDaniel's Garage

Magnecor states that their wires will give no increase in power over properly opererating OE wires. The "increase" that people feel is from the simple replacement of a defective part. Finally someone tells the truth about their product!

dickster · 01-13-2002, 11:32 AM

my wires were completly shot - had red tape holding part of them together - so i have noticed a small increase in power. i cannot compare to good standard wires.

however they are quality items that should last the life of the car, are cheaper and better looking than the originals.

as a matter of interest the construction is diff. between the 8mm and the 8.5mm. the 8's are of layered construction whilst the 8.5 is solid silicon - it surprised me but i don't know what that means.

richard

sammyg2 · 01-13-2002, 01:09 PM

I installed the Magnecor 8.5 wires on my SC two weeks ago and it made a HUGE improvement. I guess that proves how bad the original wires were. I could actually hear them arcing at idle.
I would definitely recommend them.

ChrisBennet · ChrisBennet's Garage

I know I'm in the minority here but I didn't care for the Magnecores. I found them to be a hassle to install. The leads were barely long enough and I spent an extra hour frigging with/transferring wire holders that should have come with the plug wires in the first place. I gave them away after the connector to the coil failed (and took a coil with it).
-Chris

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 01-13-2002, 04:16 PM

One of the basic concerns when installling Magnecors--and they'll be the first to tell you this--is making absolutely sure that there is firrm and permanant contact between the wires and their distributor and coil sockets. I found that by simply "plugging 'em in,' as you might with an ordinary set of wires, the Magnecor boots were so tight that not only was it difficult to be sure you were getting complete contact, they also tended to inch--okay, millimeter--out with time. Particularly with the coil wires, I ended up securing them, tightening the boots against the fairly conical sockets, with very small Ty-Raps.

Stephan

Doug Zielke · 01-13-2002, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JDaniel
Magnecor states that their wires will give no increase in power over properly opererating OE wires. The "increase" that people feel is from the simple replacement of a defective part.....

Well spoken JD.
And isn't that the case with a lot of 'performance' parts?

WydRyd · 04-28-2002, 08:22 PM

Excellent info here guys

I'm picking up my KV85 Magnecor leads this afternoon from a local source.

Still awaiting my new dizzy cap, rotor and dust cover from Pelican Parts, which I hope will arrive sometime this week. Then I can do the upgrade this weekend and see how I go

Nothing really prompted this. I just want to have maximum, reliable spark at any load point as well as the benefit of better heat resilience, as the factory leads are close to turbocharger's compressor housing.

CamB · CamB's Garage

Merv

Top Gun (Aussie brand) makes an 8.5mm spiral wound set which fit perfectly on my '69.

Cost was NZ$169, or < A$140.

That has GOT to be cheaper than the Magnecors. I guess the Magnecors are better quality... but only on the basis that they are "the most expensive and, therefore, the best".

Cam

WydRyd · 04-28-2002, 10:01 PM

Thanks for the heads up Cam, however, I've already requested the KV85's be made up for my car. $300 AUD for the set!!!!

CamB · CamB's Garage

Bugger...

Oh well, you might as well assume they are better (I have no idea if they suppressed RFI well - the 69 had all the electrical equipment you would expect in a late 60's base model sports car - nothing!)

Cam

WydRyd · 04-28-2002, 11:24 PM

They BETTER be better, considering the price difference

With my existing factory setup, I typically get a lot of hesitation/stuttering when the dizzy cap gets wet (i.e: after washing the tail), so there is definately an ignition/sealing issue there.

The problem goes away when the engine is warm and the area around dizzy dries up.

I decided to put all new components in to make sure everything's nice'n'new. Anyway, the rotors typically have a resistor beneath them and tend to break down over time.

I'll post my findings anyway.

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

I personally prefer the OEM wires with the stainless steel sheeth on the outside. Having spent many hours at Hughes Space and Comm designing and testing systems like these, there is no real substitute for proper grounded shielding...

We just started selling the Magnecor wires in our *NEW* 911 Recommended Upgrades section:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/911M/por_911M_911rec_main.htm

-Wayne

WydRyd · 04-28-2002, 11:57 PM

Wayne, how do the Magnecors compare to the OEM units?

I was going to go with new OEM's, but decided to give the Magnecors a try since there's a lot of hype out there about them.

Additionally, they'll look grouse in the engine bay and would compliment my Red TiAL Blow Off Valve nicely

laddsc · 11-07-2002, 07:02 AM

I just installed the magnecor's last night which I ordered from Pelican and they installed very easily. Was frustrated with the lack of wire guides but oh well, I will adapt something. I definitely saw a power increase but it was probably due to the old worn out plugs I had in there. Good tip on keeping the wires seated in the distributor cap. They were hard to push in and I wondered how well they were seating.

KTL · 11-07-2002, 08:27 AM

Yes, the dist. cap ends are a tight fit. A good way to get them well seated on the terminal is to pull up/out on an edge of the boot as you're pushing it onto the cap. This allows the air to escape (you can sometimes hear it hissing) and prevents the boot from popping off due to the air pressure underneath the boot. Sounds silly, but it's true!