How do I flash lights when plugs fire?

I am building a 49 Buick sedanette. I want to put lights in the ventports that flash when the spark plug fires. Short of buying 8 timing lights, what can I use to do this cheaply without affecting performance. I was thinking of wrapping a wire around the plug wire with some sort of light that would flash by inductance. Any ideas?

 

No.

 

How long is a rope.

 

Even if you get it to work you will get a ticket for a distraction if you have them on the street. And yes I know first hand! Gary

 

Way back, so I might be fuzzy on it.
I read an article about a GM engineer that did that to replicate his WWII fighter plane.
GM liked the Idea and put the vent ports on the next models but not the lights.

I'll see if I can find it

 

http://m.motortrend.com/cl***ic/features/1006_buick_ventriports_the_early_years/index.html

Here ya go

1948: Claiming fighter-plane inspiration, Buick designer Ned Nickles cuts holes in the sides of his personal 1948 Roadmaster convertible and installs amber lights attached to the distributor. The lights flash on and off to suggest an unusually powerful engine with exhaust flames. GM executive vice president Harlow Curtice orders ventiports (sans lights) on 1949 Buicks just seven months before production.

 

I've never understood the need to put stupid novelty type stuff on cars just so the m***es of people that don't know **** about cars can look at it in awe...

 

Interesting

 

May be look in to LEDs , they are cheap,many colors and can be shut off when you don't want attention.

 

neon bulbs? (small neon lamp bulbs available at Radio Shack)...

Back in the 50's we'd check the tank output of a ham transmitter by soldering a wire to the base terminal of a neon lamp and touching it to the final tank coil...

maybe worse you can do is blow them out....

 

Some tuner shop should have kid that could put some lights in it and make them flash for you....

 

Ive seen plug wires on motorcycles that do this..

I wouldnt do this to a HAMB inspired vehicle..too hokey

http://www.chrome-addiction.com/g-parts-unlimited-flashing-spark-plug-caps-54300.php

if you must..maybe these can be adapted..or gutted to use some how

 

just put some sequential lights in there that start working when the motors on, who would notice that it is not timed to the motor?

 

Ha ha that's true !!!

 

Check that link, the only reason any Buick has them at all is because some guy did it in 1948

 

Interesting..very interesting..but still Hokey

I see that later on GM also thought it was hokey

 

Hmmm. Maybe mud flaps will come back, too??

 

Think about LEDs. They are cheap, available in many colors and can be shut off
When you don't want the attention. IMO a cool glow coming out of the vents would beat blinking lites. Try oznium.com I used them for switches and LEDs for my jeep rock light project. Great service. Good luck.

 

How does a timing light work, I've never had one apart ?
I know how they work, just not how you would build one..

 

well i suppose if you took some of those induction clamps they use on in car alternator testers (one per wire) and then had each one going to each "porthole" it would work. seems like a lot of work though for not much enjoyment

 

There's your answer right there. Not the answer you asked for but the right answer non the less. In other words what has this got to do with "tradtional rods and customs'?

Frank

 

might be better to build a "timer" like a model t that mounts on the back of the generator, or make it belt driven.

 

It was done in 1948 by a GM engineer and I have seen it on Buicks back in the 50's. Isn't that traditional? Just because a person doesn't like something doesn't make it non traditional.

 

just because you can twist an idea in your mind and call it traditional that does not make it a good idea.

 

I might be able to round up a couple of those old rectangular yellow fog lights for your front bumper.

 

ah yes. i'd like to wire up some neon beer signs to lite up with my plug wires and then switch to power up 8 hair dryers. how, as a car person, can this be done?

 

As has been said, neon lights and your idea of wrapping wire around the plug wire should work. You'll have to experiment with how many windings to use and connect each end of the wire to the terminals on the bulb socket. Many control systems used neon indicator lights before the advent of LED.

 

The lights are next to the rubber rats, skulls, 3 foot shifters, black primer, expanded metal, and carb block off plates...

 

a small neon tube, one in each port, the exciter. Not sure if that is the correct name, it's the little electrical part in the end. The leads will need to be w****d around the correct spark plug wire. When the hi voltage charge p***es the leads, it will fire the lamp.

I used to have an OLD timing light that worked this way. it had an inductive pickup that wraps around the wire and was self powered, no wires to the battery. Keith

 

Can you say Ghey?