Looking to replace the (already replaced for grey) HT leads on my Paul Smith with proper green ones, but as they're obsolete I'm going to have to get them specially made. Can anyone recommend somewwhere I can get this done?

Custom Ht Leads
#1
Posted 09 September 2014 - 11:16 AM
#3
Posted 09 September 2014 - 11:46 AM
Did the Mini every use green high-tension wires? I know several Triumphs did and you can buy plug wire sets for the TR6 and Spitfires from "The Roadster Factory" in the U.S.
If you really want the green wire sets look at the link below.
https://gar.zeni.net...esc_results.php
If the direct link does not work, go to the "Home" page and search the "parts database" for "green ignition wires" in the "search by description" field. You should find (3) matches and coincidentally... they are on sale through September 11th.
I have no experience with the green plug wires but have been told they do not perform as well as "standard" wires. However, it is your car to outfit as you see fit.
#4
Posted 10 September 2014 - 10:51 AM
Thanks, I didn't think of that. Only issue maybe be able to get the sleeving over the ends, would have to be less than twice the diameter factoring the shrink ratio. Will certianly consider it though.
Did the Mini every use green high-tension wires? I know several Triumphs did and you can buy plug wire sets for the TR6 and Spitfires from "The Roadster Factory" in the U.S.
If you really want the green wire sets look at the link below.
https://gar.zeni.net...esc_results.php
If the direct link does not work, go to the "Home" page and search the "parts database" for "green ignition wires" in the "search by description" field. You should find (3) matches and coincidentally... they are on sale through September 11th.
I have no experience with the green plug wires but have been told they do not perform as well as "standard" wires. However, it is your car to outfit as you see fit.
That's probably why they were replaced for grey ones! I think the green leads were unique to the Paul Smith. I'd need to look into more to see if they are the 'right' green, but thanks for the tip
Interesting that "The World's Greatest Brtish Sports Car Company," is in fact based in the U.S! Besides, personally I woud have said Aston Martin have that accolade.
#5
Posted 10 September 2014 - 12:19 PM
The Roadster Factory (TRF) will certainly have a lengthy "Bio" on their "about us" page. Regardless, they are a very large supplier of British car parts in the U.S. catering mainly to the TR crowd. They do support various MG models as well. Unlike some U.S. vendors like Moss, TRF uses factory part numbers which allows easy searching for items. That means if a part was used on an MG Midget and a Mini I can still buy it from them even though they don't have catalogs for the Mini. They are not always the best with their prices but they strive to have the niche parts no one else carries and have many remanufactured to their specifications (like Mini Spares). Their claim of "World's Greatest" is obviously a stretch.
Back on the green wire subject, if the wires need to be light green, the ones at TRF will not be correct. The TRF wires are sort of a dark olive green. Heat shrink may indeed work for you but do not focus on slipping the sleeving OVER the terminals, remove them. You are likely to find that the distributor cap end of the wires has a very simple crimp terminal attached. Those can typically be removed by prying them open with a screwdriver and re-securing them with a simple pair of pliers. Remove the dizzy cap terminal, slip the boots off the wires, apply the heat shrink tubing, then refit the boots and terminal. As long as the heat shrink does not wrinkle when the wire is bent around a curve it will look fine.
#6
Posted 10 September 2014 - 01:12 PM
I've used the heatshrink over all sorts of stuff, its brilliant and very cheap for colour coding engine bays.
#7
Posted 12 September 2014 - 10:57 AM
Bit reluctant to start pulling HT leads apart to be honest, but then again if I mess it up, they're not exactly expensive to replace. Will have to see if the green heatshrink is the right colour!
I've just spotted that you're based in the US, Doug. I presume you exported your mini out there? Are there a lot of minis in the States?
Edited by paulsmithlookerafterer, 12 September 2014 - 10:57 AM.
#8
Posted 12 September 2014 - 12:23 PM
Bit reluctant to start pulling HT leads apart to be honest,
I've just spotted that you're based in the US, Doug. I presume you exported your mini out there? Are there a lot of minis in the States?
Don't be afraid to pry the dizzy cap terminals "open" on the plug wires. They are not sophisticated components. Typically they are just brass cylinders with fingers on them that press against the metal sockets molded into the cap. If it does make you nervous, practice on an old wire first.
Minis were imported to the US from very early in the 1960s until about 1970. Minis are not "common" here but not impossible to find either. There were three owners within a 10 mile drive of my house... until this past weekend when one of the cars was sold. A number of later U.K. Minis regularly find their way over here as Re-VINs... you know... "1966 Mini rebuilt to 1991 specs". My car is NOT one of those. My car was "imported" however, not by me and not recently. My car was built for export to Switzerland where it spent a few years around Montreux. It found its way to Germany where in the late 1960s it was purchase by a U.S. serviceman. He brought the car back with him to the States around 1970. In an interesting turn of events, I bought the car from a guy in Virginia but the car had spent most of its time in the U.S. only a few miles from where I live in North Carolina. I knew three of its five U.S. owners before me. The two in Virginia didn't really count anyway! It was a real pleasure that when I finished my work on the car I was able to let the U.S. serviceman who imported the car from Germany drive the car again.
#9
Posted 15 September 2014 - 10:41 AM
Wow, its had quite a journey then. That's a good story to have.
So is it possible to export my 1999 model - which is actually not mine ,but belongs to my sister-in-law who moved out to California last year?
Edited by paulsmithlookerafterer, 15 September 2014 - 10:42 AM.
#10
Posted 15 September 2014 - 12:03 PM
So is it possible to export my 1999 model - which is actually not mine ,but belongs to my sister-in-law who moved out to California last year?
Sorry... absolutely not. California (in particular) has very strict import rules. If the car was not originally available in California at the time it was manufactured, the car must be at least 25 years old. Therefore, (in 2014) no Mini newer than 1989 is eligible. That being said, it is a thinly veiled secret that many newer cars are imported to CA. Those people risk having their cars confiscated by the DMV where after a legal hearing and the application of various fines and legal fees their car may be crushed (maximum penalty).
While the re-VIN topic is not common on this board, it is a frequent topic on the Mini Mania message board. I encourage you to read over some of the threads there for more information on the topic along with those associated with importation rules and cars labeled as one year when they are "newer". You will see these are topics with very strong proponents and opponents and the threads often dissolve into name calling and occasionally... threats.
#11
Posted 17 September 2014 - 06:34 AM
I see. Thanks for the info. She wouldn't take it out there unless it was all above board, not worth the risk or the money and hassle it would cost. Plus I don't think my brother would want her to drive it out there anyway, given the general size of some cars/wheeld houses in the US. They're own car is a Mazda CX-9 (I think) which I'm pretty sure you could drive the mini underneath it or fit it in the boot!
Looks like I'll just have to keep looking after it and driving it myself. Darn it.
#12
Posted 17 September 2014 - 12:13 PM
Too bad you'll have to take care of it for her. I can tell you are annoyed by the whole thing !
Cars were getting smaller over here for a number of years... even the SUVs. Then gas prices dropped (relatively) and the appetite for bigger vehicles increased. I am not confident saying it is all consumer driven though. I understand part of the taller, larger car sizes is driven by new safety standards. True or not, just look at how large new MINIs have become. Regardless, my Mini is a weekend car that I reserve for use on secondary, two-lane local roads. I really hate taking it on a busy, multi-lane highway at 70 MPH. Depending on where in CA your sister-in-law is she/you are likely to feel the same.
#13
Posted 18 September 2014 - 11:06 AM
They live bang in the middle of San Jose, so plenty of highways and multi-lane "A" roads about. I wouldn't want to drive it out there. It was unsettling enough getting to grips with the "no such thing as overtaking lanes" philosophy on the highways. Pick a lane and drive in it! The safety standards thing is certianly noticeable. When I was out there in May, I had a brand new Ford Taurus (hire car), but the visibilty was schocking because all the pillars were so fat. I did feel quite safe in it though and I lost count of all the airbags. Didn't have too many warning 'bongs' either which was good!
I noticed the octane levels of the petrol out there was a couple a few levels lower than over here, and thought that's probably why it's so much cheaper (apart from the tax of course). Having read up on it, turns it out it's just because it's measured with a different yardstick (RON vs MON). Every day is a school day!
#14
Posted 18 September 2014 - 11:43 AM
Yes, I believe we list an average of RON and MON while the U.K. does not. I will only own cars that can run on less expensive "regular" fuel which is always the "low octane" stuff.
The visibility issue with cars over here is not limited to those from the U.S. makers. I don't know if it is required here or globally but most newer cars seem to have side air bags which of necessity places one in the A pillar. That makes the A pillar huge compared to old cars. I find I am turning my neck a lot more to check for cars hidden in the blind spots of my daily driver Hondas.
I am sure that after learning to drive in the U.K.... having someone pass you on the inside lane on a highway was quite a shock. It makes checking those blind spots and rear view mirror much more important. As I mentioned earlier, I much prefer driving secondary, 2-lane roads as opposed to divided highways... particularly in the relatively small cars I drive.
#15
Posted 18 September 2014 - 04:58 PM
Visibility is way better in my old mini. I had plenty of close shaves in my Punto with the foot deep A pillars.
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