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Permalink Reply by Louis W. Ott on November 29, 2012 at 2:37pm

You might talk to Accel to see what connector you have at the cap and how to fix or replace it. I'm sure you could cut off the wire and fix a new connector without shortening the wires too much.

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Permalink Reply by stu phillips on November 30, 2012 at 9:34am

,thanks for the reply.  this is kind of a goofy setup, a mix of aviation and auto parts.  The Accel wire is 8mm with a carbon graphite conducter and aviation wire is 5mm with a spiral stainless conducter. No problem as both are excellent conducters for the high voltage  and both  are shielded cables for  RF suppression..  The problem is how the 8mm wire is retained in the cap.  Aviation wire is held into the cap with a metal swedge retainer.  This holds the 5mm wire firmly in the cap.  The brass connecter is screwed into the wire core, then the cigarette is placed over the wire and the spring is screwed onto the brass connecter.  This gives a secure connection with excellent continuity.  The 8mm Accel wire ,however,  is held into the cap by friction and a little glue , no retainer.    The brass connector then is crimped to the carbon conducter.  okay I guess if it is never touched or moved.   When I talked to the tech guy at Slick-Champion he said this was, in his opinion, not a good setup.  I asked about using the aviation wire that is already installed in a new harness and adding the auto type right angle ends to the aviation wire,  he said that might work okay,  but it would not be a shielded connection.  might cause RF noise . And so far I haven't found auto type connections in 5mm wire size.   One of the main problems with the carbon graphite conducter is if the conducter is cut or nicked during installation or handling,  it may fail at some time.  I have seen that happen.    It is used, however, in auto applications with excellent results.   

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Permalink Reply by Louis W. Ott on November 30, 2012 at 12:24pm

Hi Stu,
Thanks for the extra information. I have a better understanding of your situation. I have used Magnecor wires for a long time in various auto applications and I used them on my Corvair powered 601XL. They use a spiral wound stainless steel core that works extremely well to suppress RFI. I don't have any interference on cars with fairly intense ignition systems and none at all on the Corvair. I use the 8.5mm size with Magnecor connectors. Magnecor does have wires in 7mm diameter too. Whether those could be squeezed down to fit in the 5mm Slick connector might be a problem, or the outer jacket might be shaved down to fit too. Magnecor has an informative document that explains different ignition wire types with pros/cons of each. It is accessible from the list on the left side of their web page. You could call Magnecor to see if they have a solution. They make all sorts of "oddball" setups for custom situations. They are very helpful.
Their web site is here: http://www.magnecor.com/magnecor1/main.htm

Here is another web site where you can get just about any ignition connector or wire you may need.
http://www.kingsborne.com/beruconn.htm

Guess I'd try to work with the spark plugs that fit in the cowling rather than use the aircraft type that requires cowling modification. Nothing wrong with the auto plugs for doing the job required.

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Permalink Reply by Theodore Richard Haller on November 30, 2012 at 4:37pm

I have a 2006 vintage 601 and have had no problem other than a burned wire which was installed in contact with the exhaust manifold.I remember seeing the conversion done at AMD. They just used automotive harnesses fitted to the Slicks. I would just pick up auto resistor wire (for noise supression) , new caps and do a replacement. It's awfully nice to buy new plugs for $2 and never worry about cleaning.

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