Plug Wires Melting!

[unionjack1940]

I installed Hooker headers on my beeper about a year ago and I have no complaints except that they burn my wires within a few drive cycles. I have no clue what to do. I have heat shields on the boots and wires and it still melts through. Just replaced my wires again and the car is running great, but I know it won't last. Any suggestions on how to cope with this issue? Some old timers told me that it was a usual occurrence back then and it always will be.

[Eric]

I had super comp headers on my first road runner and never did figure out how to keep them from melting everything in sight,...plug wires, speedometer cables, aftermarket shifter cables, etc.

[mopar71]

I also put headers on my first roadrunner back in the 70's, big mistake! My wires and my starter also got cooked from the heat. i installed 8 millimeter solid core wires and routed them as far as I could from the headers. Good luck, on my roadrunner I will not be installing headers. TTI exhaust with stock manifolds. I think that accel also has shortie plugs that help to.

[moparite]

Get good wires that are 100% silicon including the boots. A lot of headers have a problem with clearance around the plugs. So it pays to do some research before you buy. Also use wire looms to keep the wires neat and away from the headers.

[unionjack1940]

thanks for the advice guys, I love these headers, but they have been nothin but a pain.

[Eric]

It's always fun replacing a starter with those big super comps too.

[gcoupe72]

It's always fun replacing a starter with those big super comps too.

Yep, headers plus power steering plus big block plus bad starter equal hours of work

But seriously, I used something called rajah clips? They were sold by Mr. Gasket and were a bootless spark plug end. I think I only had to use 2 or 3. They seemed to work fine on a mild 440. They're small enough that they wouldn't touch the tubes (well, mostly). Good luck!

[JimT1971RR]

I was only having the issue on #s 5 & 6. I fashions a couple of heat sheilds out of aluminum. They are acutally the damper flap from an over the range microwave. I cut them and bent them then made a hole and bolted them directly to the header using the header bolt. I just made sure that there was a little space between the header, the sheild, and the boot. I really haven't got my car to a status where I can drive it a lot, but the little I have taken it out, it seems to be working ok. I'll see if I can post a picture.

Jim

[Hugh]

I installed Hooker headers on my beeper about a year ago and I have no complaints except that they burn my wires within a few drive cycles. I have no clue what to do. I have heat shields on the boots and wires and it still melts through. Just replaced my wires again and the car is running great, but I know it won't last. Any suggestions on how to cope with this issue? Some old timers told me that it was a usual occurrence back then and it always will be.

I've always had the same problem even with my Dodge pickups. I now have Probably the same hooker headers on my 73 as you have on your car, but I had mine coated by JETHOT and no more problems with wires or starter! I've had them on the car for 6 years with absolutely no problems, and the coating puts the heat under the car and out of the engine bay. I hate the way the Hooker Headers fit though, and will pull them eventually and go with coated tti's. The Hookers capture the starter and drop under the k member on the drivers side. The tti's are a much better fit IMHO. I hope this helps you, I've been there before!