1996CE LT1. Want to replace my plugs and wires as a preventive maintenance project. I want to go to red wires (for looks) and want a good durable wire. Research so far indicates this is no small task so I only want to do it once! Any advice on wire/plug brand would be appreciated. Also, the car is a daily driver with 115+K miles on it. Should I change the optispark cap & rotor at the same time? Again, research shows this is no easy project either. None of these items have ever been replaced. Thoughts? Thanks.

If the car is running fine, dont touch the distributor. Just leave it as it is. Do the leads for sure, but no point throwing away a good distributor. They are certainly no where near as bad as they are made out to be, and since you use the vehicle daily, the life span of it should be quite good. If and when you do replace it, use an MSD distributor rather than a GM replacement, the MSD is substantially better, and if youre going to that sort of trouble, you may as well do it right first go.

I think Taylor have some red LT1 leads, im not sure though.

Ive replaced LT1 leads a few times, and while its abit more time consuming than normal, its not a hard job by my standard. The right is infact quite easy, it the left that takes the time, and once you figure out where to put your hand to reach the left side distributor outlets, youll have it done in no time.

You dont need to pull any parts off to do the left, but if youre going to go to that length, take off the belt, then remove the belt tensioner assembly, that makes it abit easier to get into the left connections.

Use the Factory genuine service manual so you get the leads going to the correct plugs.

One bit of advice i will give you is flush and properly maintain your cooling system, and this includes using the pellets or a simular equivilant product, that along with good clean coolant will act as a seal lubricant which will help to keep your cooling system components in good shape for a long time to come. This in turn will hopefully reduce the chance of the water pump from weeping on your distributor, which will accelerate its failure for obvious reasons. It will also keep the heater core in better shape, and itll last longer. Some people seem to think its a bitch of a job to replace them.

Casey has given you some good advice.

If the Opti is known to have a lot of miles on it, consider replacing it with the MSD unit while you're in there. Otherwise, leave it alone.

The factory wires for the LT4 engine were red, are of good quality and will fit perfectly. You might want to look into acquiring a set of these.

Below is a set of tech tips I wrote up some time ago about swapping the plugs & wires on an LTx engine:

Changing the plug wires on an LT1/LT4 Corvette is not a lot of fun, but it can be done. Here are a few tips:

1. Raise the front end of the vehicle to a more comfortable working height.

2. Remove the inner fenderwell center panel on the driver's side. This will allow you to both see and do the job much more easily on the driver's side. You may also find it helpful to remove the wheel.

3. Unbolt the ASR bracketry from the frame, so that you can slide the ASR unit around to get it out of your way.

4. Unbolt the power steering pump so that you can move it forward around a half inch. This will make it much easier to sneak the plug wires in/out behind the pump.

5. Remove the serpentine belt and tensioner.

6. Use dielectric grease in the boots at both ends of the wires. Be sure to "burp" the air out of the boots after you get each of them pushed firmly into place, so that the trapped air doesn't try to push the wires off later.

Some guys report that they've had decent success accessing the Opti-end of the plug wires from underneath of the car, and that this saved them the trouble of removing the belt and tensioner. I haven't tried this, so I can't comment.

Take your time, work with care, and pay attention to what you're doing. The OEM replacement plug wires from your Chevy dealer are high quality parts, and will route (and fit into the wire looms) correctly. Run the new wires properly, and make sure they stay away from anything that moves, is sharp, or gets hot.

The passenger's side is not such a bad job. The driver's side is a Queen Royal Bitch (mostly because all of the belt-driven accessories are hanging on the driver’s side of the front of LT1/LT4 engines, and they leave little room for you to work or see what you’re doing). With plenty of patience, beer and Band-Aids, you'll get it done.

The spark plugs on the driver's side aren't so bad, when you've got things apart to do the wires. The passenger's side, however, is not so easy. The number 8 plug in particular can be a real headache, but with good tools and enough patience, you can get it done. Because there isn’t room for a ratchet on top of the spark plug socket, I use a plug socket that has a hex head on it so that it can be turned with an open end or box end wrench. It's useful to have more than one plug socket to choose from, as some will work better than others due to differences in length, wall thickness, etc.

Be sure to apply a small amount of anti-sieze compound to the threads of the new plugs before you install them so that they won’t seize in the cylinder heads in the future (this is especially important with aluminum heads). Just make sure none of the compound gets onto the electrodes or insulators of the plugs. I apply a very thin stripe of compound across the threads in one spot, and it spreads itself around the threads as I screw the plug into the hole. Also be careful that you don’t pick up any of the grunge that may have accumulated over the years around the spark plug hole in the cylinder head on the new plugs’ electrodes/insulators/threads while you’re installing them – try your best to get the tip of the plug straight into the hole on the first shot.

For OEM parts at great prices, contact Chris May at Superior Chevrolet (1-800-728-8267), and tell him you're a C4Guru forum member.

Live well,

SJW

Thanks for the help fellas. Tips like these really make the job go more smoothly.

No worries mate ;)