Light Aircraft Association

I'm in the final stages of getting a VP1 to fly agan and have hit a problem. I've fitted Leburg ignition to the engine and used the recommended modern Ford (Fiesta, actually) ignition coils mounted under the engine where the mags used to be on the Peacock conversion.

I now need some HT leads but these coils have modern HT lead connectors and all modern leads seem to come as kits of 4 leads, and relatively short ones at that. Some of the leads I need are going to need to be quite long.

Has anybody solved this problem?
I accept I may need to buy several sets of leads, but which sets?

Rob, A good motor factor may sell individual leads, so you can just buy the long ones you need. (My local one also used to sell the cable by the yard and the fittings to crimp on, so this might be another route to try -- though naturally you'd need to be confident of your crimping. )

I did just as Nick said with my Leburg and have had no problems. It can be hard to get the lead but often older traditional garages still keep some. If I remember, it has to be carbon type, not copper ... but I'm sure you know the details.
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Fairlane

If it helps, there is an NGK website that tells everything you ever need to know about plugs.

As for the leads, I went to a scrapyard and got a load of Ford leads, removed the end fittings and made new leads to the correct length. VehicleWiringProducts sell suitable crimping tools.
If you use resistive plugs then you can use copper leads. Resitive caps on non-resistive leads also works. You need 5000 ohms between the coil pack and the tip of the sparkplug. Caps are 5000, plugs with resistance are 5000 and carbon cored PVC plugleads are 5000 ohms per foot length.

Visteon coils are rated at 40,000 volts so you can fire over about 40 thou gaps if you reeeeealy want to.

I've been around most of the motor factors round here, big and small, and nobody seems to sell individual leads anymore, and certainly not to match the Ford coil unit, hence the question.

I've always thought that making my own would involve making copper cored leads which the Leburg blurb says is a definite no-no. Maybe I should have a chat with Dave Mickleburgh about it...

I've nosed on t'internet and found an outfit that makes leads up so I might try them.

Update: Just checked out Vehicle Wiring Products and ordered a couple of things. If it all looks OK then I'll invest in a complete set from them as they look to do most of the bits I need.
It's the connectors for the Ford coils that may have me stumped. Why do these manufacturers insist on changing things that the world has standardised on.

Hi If you google sparkplug company they sell solid core silicon covered HT lead at around £1.70 a metre and sparkplug caps! Will get the site address for you and post it!
John.

www.ignitionleads.co.uk can make what you need to order. I have a drawing and a set of lengths for a Tipsy Nipper set if that helps.

You can also try www.spark-plugs.co.uk

They have the copper strand core HT cable (the proper stuff!)

I've already found and contacted www.ignitionleads.co.uk and they reckon they can probably make me up a set.

The only problem is they are stainless steel cored so I'll need to discuss that with "Mr Leburg". Don't want to fry the ignition system before I even start.

Thanks, one and all! It all seems so easy when everyone is so helpful.

Rob

I have Magnecor leads on my Nipper with Leeburg System (which utilise a coiled stainless steel core) and they work fine. No noticeable radio interference (though I do get a tiny bit from the alternator).

www.magnecor.co.uk/

Does anyone have any good advice on using the different types of HT leads with the Lucas SR-4 mag set up? I'm using this set up in my taylor monoplane project.

David,

Thanks for the input on this. I'm using what I believe are the lighter, more modern coils and it's this, and their oddball modern connections, that are giving me the trouble. After all the trials and tribulations I encountered building up the engine etc it is so annoying the be floored by such a stupid thing as not being able to find ignition leads.