Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

On a 1951 327 engine what should the plug end of the wire set be. Straight or 90 degrees? Also I see on ebay a seller with Packard 440 ignition wire for sale. Is this wire correct for the 51?


Thanks, Bob

Pictures of the 24th series engine in the shop manual show straight metal connectors and no rubber boots at the plug, but of course there are boots at the distributor cap and on both ends of the high tension coil wire.

I believe Rubber boots on the plug end were available since the late 40s. I'm not sure Packard used them though. Maybe someone else on here knows for sure.

I dont have the PI Engine Judging guide in front on me, but I believe the rubber plug side boots where not used by the factory until 1953 (26th Series). So it should just be a straight terminal with no boot.

Kev, I don't have the PI guide, but your understanding (straight connector, no boot at the plug) is the same as mine.

A bit of a discussion between our correspondents on how one verifies such details might be interesting. I always put factory photos taken on the assembly line or at dealer's showrooms as prima-facie evidence but unfortunately such pictures can be few and far between. I'd rank older photos of truly unrestored and unmolested cars as second, but in the case of ignition wires and the like that's not of much use as they would have most likely been changed during the car's life. Thirdly I'd use pictures and information from the parts manual, though with the illustrations we have to realize that they may have been taken before the cars actually went into production and thus may not represent actual production practice. Illustrations in shop manuals likewise have the same shortcoming. Dead last would be pictures in sales literature, again for the reason that it may include "display" engines, and even if not, was designed for visual impact and not for accuracy.

Other thoughts?

The PI judging guide says no spark plug boots until 53.