LT1 Ignition Wire Replacement

[jstkrsn]

I'm replacing the wires and plugs. Did the easy side. Now I'm on the hard side. Removed the inside wheel well shrouds. The plugs look accessable. But what do I have to remove to get at the OptiSpark to replace the wires at that end. I can't even see where they connect. The diagram in the shop manual of course doesn't show any of the crap that covers it up. Help!

[FordNoMore!]

Well to start off it is a pain in the arse!i jacked up the front end, and managed to weasel my left hand up to where the opticrap is,U have to wiggle the wire boots to shake them loose, the two upper ones are the pain,u must have patience grasshopper,lol,and preferably keep the garage door closed so the neighbors wont here ya Cussing your head off,lol,good luck, it can be done,the 500 - 800 dollar price the dealers want makes ya try that much harder...........

[vms4evr]

jstkrsn,
So did you ever get the drivers side wires done? come on, tell us how you got them out and how many scars you have to prove it
If you haven't gotten them yet i have been told a couple of different ideas. getting the ASR out of the way to get at the plug end of the wires seems to be popular. but i have been told you don't necessarily have to pull the inner fender too.
For the Optispark part I was told a few different approaches. One was simply take the serpentine belt off, loosen and move the tensioner out of the way, and you have access to the wires. Another is to jack the car up and get at them from under it. You can't see them but you can feel them and move them, supposedly. The one that seems most sensible is to remove the belt, alternator, loosen AC compressor and move out of the way. At this point you should be staring at the beast. And you can get the plug wires off and get the routing of the new ones easier.
Let us know what worked.
Graham

[jstkrsn]

Well I removed the inner wheel well shroud and replaced the plugs no problem. But the wires looked like more than I wanted to tackle until I heard from a few people who had done it before. I jack it up next weekend and see if I can get at it by sticking my hand up there. If not I'll remove the belt and tensioner, or just start removing stuff until it's done. Luckily I have two cars.

[FordNoMore!]

If ya just remove the serpetine belt to relieve the tensioner, it DOES NOT give u any more room<been there did it,if u lay under the car,feet straight out towards the nose of vehicle,and get a flashlight or shop light, u can see the wire Boots that go on the opticrap,not much room but it is enough to get the job done,hopefully,I guess it depends if ya have Huge hands or not,just remember when putting the new wires on, to make sure they seat in the opti plug by feeling a snap,and use Dielectric grease on both ends of the plug wires..good luck!

[jstkrsn]

Well for those of you who are interested, I replaced the wires on the drivers side yesterday. A friend had said to remove the tensioner pulley. There is one 14mm bolt. After taking it off, it was easy to get at the wires to remove and replace them. that's the only way to go.

[jstkrsn]

Well I found an easier way to replace the wires. Do it while replacing the water pump. Of course I did that two days after I did the wires. Would have been nice to do it all at once. There's all the room in the world when the water pump is out of the way.

[resto75]

I looked at a Impala SS with a LT1 engine and there is room to see "whats up front" on them. It just gives you a idea of what the setup looks like so its not so much fumbling in the dark. I can't even see my opti cap but it's sticking right out there on the Impala SS I looked at. At least I NOW KNOW ITS BIG AND UglY.