[RatPin]

Well I'm at the wiring stage on my 3 year project truck. I am finishing installing the rebel wire 9+3 kit and getting all the ends terminated at there appropriate locations, but I am somewhat concerned about heat on the wires going to the starter, mainly from alternator to starter. I'm running Hooker block huggers on an sbc with Vortec heads. I have my plug wires routed up and out over the valve covers so they are pretty safe. The only real risk I see of burning would be that alternator to starter wire that will run between the block and headers. My question is: has anyone encased electrical wiring in a length of small diameter rubber hose to give it added protection from heat? Are there any risks in doing this? There would also be a fusible link installed on the starter side of this wire. My other idea was to use some rubber splicing tape to beef up that wire.

Any thoughts?

[EOD Guy]

I put some asbestos sleeving on it, not really sure it's asbestos but it heat shielding like goes on spark plug wires only smaller in dia...... I think I got from ebay.

[75gmck25]

Do you have the stock metal tube that attaches to the back of the engine and provides a channel for the wiring? I found one on a newer engine that was a little bigger than the stock one on my '75, and it seems to protect the wiring very well. I have 3 wires coming up from the starter (charge wire, power to fuse box, and starter solenoid to ignition), so the stock tube was a little tight.

If its the alternator charge wire you can also run it directly from the battery positive over to the alternator BAT terminal. Most of the newer Vortec GM vehicles have this exact setup from the factory, so they use a battery cable with the alternator wire and fusible link molded on. The charge wire is very visible, but its also a long way from the exhaust heat.

Bruce

[dogwater]

I used some of the Russel brand heat sheild flexy silver stuff that Advance auto has hanging on a peg board.Its around 2 ft long.Ran it down from alt. to where fuel pump used to be then thru the motor mount to the starter.

[leverhead]

Ditto on the sleeving. I use this guy ....good people and good prices.

Connectors, Ignition Accessories items in PERFORMANCE PLUS CONNECTION store on eBay!

[timothale]

When I was in Californis I bought a spool of fiberglass braided sleeving like some of the older Fords used on the auto choke heat tube. You used to be able to find all kinds of stuff in those computer,electronic salvage stores

[RatPin]

So what I ended up doing was shrink tube wrapping the entire length of wire, followed by encapsulating that in rubber splicing tape followed by a length of painless powerbraid and finally another length of shrink tubing. Hopefull that is overkill.

[EOD Guy]

The air gap is what will keep it from melting.... not how many layers you have.... if the layers are touching it just transfers the heat to what you are trying to protect.

[leverhead]

How much space between the wire and the exhaust....are they close to touching? Better to have a single layer of the correct product than building it up so thick that it is closer to touching something hot....

[RatPin]

It's still got about an inch crlearance to the exhaust collector, but right up against the block.

[leverhead]

Just keep an eye on it......it will most likely be fine. I cant see the block getting that hot where it would melt thru all those layers but you never know. Look for chafing too. You could always change it out later on if need be. Also, the wire should be gxl grade or better. Regards.

[EOD Guy]

I'd worry about it being against the block! Layers are good , but they need to be loose and of a material that resists heat transfer........ like the stuff made to protect spark plug wires. My spark plug protectors lay right on the header and I haven't melted a single plug wire since I started using them. The orig protector was a metal tube, the tube kept the wire away from the heat source and it wasn't touching anything but the firewall so direct heat transfer was kept to a min.

[leverhead]

The other issue would be heating the conductor...maybe not enough to melt insulation layers but enough to create high resistance in the conductor.