There are two clips to hold the plug leads, and they are mounted on the flywheel bolts.
While we are on important matters does anyone know why engines rotate clockwise, looking from the front? My guess is to make it easier for left handed people to crank start.
Or indeed why convention is that turning the steering wheel clockwise turns the car to the right? Occasionally someone has made one the opposite way.
The bracket on the left side is taller than the bracket on the right side.
The rubber grommets were also used on early XK120.
Hand cranking I think was derived for right handed people, the 90% of us, so that if it backfires, and you remember to leave your thumb loose, the crank will just pop harmlessly out of your hand. If you don’t remember to hold it loose, like my mother didn’t while cranking her 1933 Pontiac in about 1941, you can get a broken arm.
Steering wheels come from ships, but believe it or not there was once a thing called the Motor Horse that was controlled by levers that the driver pushed, pulled and lifted. It looked like a horse with a big wheel inside, and could be attached to the shafts of any carriage. It was built by Joseph Barsaleaux of Sandy Hill NY about 1897. The idea was that he was already familiar with controlling a horse, so he didn’t need to learn a new driving technique. I saw it in a museum in Wisconsin.
He also patented a steering gear. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/0691519.pdf
Thank you once again for the helpful photo’s and information.
I’ll have to look at my car and see if it’s necessary to fit the two different types of brackets as both are available. It looks as though yours needs to clear a cable on the plug side of the motor, hence the change of angle?
Please ignore my speedometer cable dangling where it shouldn’t be and trying to get itself in the picture.
Both my brackets are original and match several photos in the Service Manual.
The cables take a turn there to head over to the spark plugs.
The copper tube below them is from the brake reservoir on the right to the master cylinder on the left. I have a LHD car.
Hi Rob, great to see the Packard cables in your car. Packard Electric is now about 128 years old. Parts of the company went into what is now General Electric. And General Motors bought a main portion of the company which is now separated from GM as Delphi Packard Electric Systems. The Packard cars are out of production but the electric company portion has an impressive continuing track record.
Now that I have the correct HT lead mounting brackets and grommets I noticed that on Page B.20 of the Service Manual Plate B.12 “Drain Tap. Cylinder Block” it shows what looks to be some sort of heat sheath for the HT Leads. Does anyone have one? Have seen one? Or know where to buy one?
No ignition wire sleeve like that are in my reach. Ignition wires, the clips, and grommets shown in plate B.20 are listed on page 24 of the Spare Parts Catalogue, but not that item. I can’t recall ever seeing this pictured sleeve/carrier (or whatever is the correct term). Does anyone know parts listing details for it?
I also was aware of that enigmatical photo, and two other things guide me to the tentative conclusion that it is a photo of a pre-production bodyless chassis, those being the starter solenoid mounted on the starter which is characteristic of Mark IV but not Mark V, and the angle of the shot showing the brake and clutch pedals which couldn’t be achieved with the body in place.
So I am inclined to believe that this sleeve was an idea that was contemplated but not carried through to production cars.
Another photo in a Jaguar book shows the plug wires held together with rubber rings, which I believe dates from the SS era.
A similar conduit sleeve was used on XK engined cars; in fact there were a couple of versions which have been investigated by XK archaeologists.
Hello everyone,
For the record, original Lucas sidewire distributor caps had a top cover attached with 3 Brass screws to access removal or replacments of plug wires.
Clockwise rotation of the engine (looking from the front) started back to early cars used for racing.
Rotation counterbalanced the drivers weight sitting on the right side. As told to me by an old
proffessional race driver. Phil Hill.