Early 1968 Shelby GT500 & KR Smog Spark Plug Wires

[nate]

Has anyone seen a set like these? Notice the thin tight fit plastic tubing, not thicker loose fitting rubber tubing.

[Special Ed]

I found these wires at Dearborn ford swap meet years ago and recently found them in my parts stash. The guy had all old ford parts out of the plant or wherever he found them. I have never seen smog plug wires with polyflex heat shrunk plastic tubing and u cant slide it around as its tightly fitted in correct position as to protect wires from touching the hot smog tubes. The more common wires we see with smog tubing is much bigger and slides around and has thicker wall plastic tubing then later went to rubber tubing. Also note the different angle dist cap boot in first photo as its #3 only and unique (not like repos) and this is another way of identifying original wires VS repos besides the printing differences and the dist cap end boots are all moulded onto the wires so they stay in place when pressed on to the cap. I think these wires are first version smog tube big block wires and I don't remember seeing this date wires with this type smog tubing anybody else have original wires like these?

[Bob Gaines]

My first thought since I am unaware of that usage is that someone after the fact put the heat shrink tubing on since you can't put the typical tubing over the sealed on spark plug boots .67 thermactor wires had the typical thick wall tubing. That would indicate at the very least that the thick tubing was in use during 67 production and would pre date 68 production wires.

[Special Ed]

Nobody added these thin tubings they are factory as the crimped on ends are all factory and they are heat curved formed to fit around the smog tubes and have small melted spots on them from smog tube heat and you can barely slide them on the wire as a very tight fit so nobody could have added them later as no way they would slide over the metal spark plug clip and the C spring clip wrapped around the terminal end of which is a bigger diameter than the wire.

[Bob Gaines]

Weird. I don't think heat shrink would fit over the boot and still shrink that tight/small. They may have been assembled that way as you say. I can't imagine why they would be done that way given heat shrink tubing is very heat sensitive and would be terrible as a heat shield .

[cbrown]

Ed,  I don't think they are useful for anything.  I would send them to Missouri  and I will dispose of them for you..   

chris

[J_Speegle]

I've not see any with printing on the insulator outer jackets Wonder if they are service pieces produced by a sub contractor that were used for service not assembly line like the back and forth (even or odd year supplier difference) supplier agreements we see on some other parts