Hooking up a spark plug to a battery and activating a switch is bad. I get that. If one was so inclined, could one splice a spark plug wire to not only run to a cylinder, but a plug in the tailpipe as well? That way the sparkplug in the tailpipe sparks, and doesn't just arc continuosly?

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What's that fuzzy blue thing being hurled this way?
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BOOSH!!!

i think if one *were* to do that it would be a push button style switch so its on long enough to spark and no longer. i think that cutting into spark plug wires for any purpose besides repair seems like a bad idea....i have not done this, so i dont know any of that for sure, but its my 2 cents...

yes i forgot to mention that a switch would be necesarry in the wire going to the tailpipe plug.

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What's that fuzzy blue thing being hurled this way?
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BOOSH!!!

as the average spark at the plug is capable of jumping an inch or so,would'nt a switch just arc out internally and be useless?
IMO the whole idea sounds a little odd. why bother?

regards,Rod

Actually, not a thing will happen. A spark plug is an open, as far as 12vdc is concerned, and the voltage is too low to jump the gap. It would require the condensor and coil to work together to create a spark through the plug. As the points open, the condensor stops being charged by the 12vdc, and between it and the collapsing magnetic field in the coil, we get enough voltage to jump the gap in the plug.

Hmmm....That might work, but I suspect what is more likely is that now you have two plugs that the coil has to power at that moment in time, and you would end up with a weak spark, or none at all at both plugs. If you really want flamethrowers, spend the coin to get one of the electronic boxes that will do the job for you.

Personally, I suggest you could find better things to spend your hard-earned bucks on.

Roger

You could run a 12 volt switched line to the trunk and mount a complete heI unit there. Mount the plug in the tail pipe then when you switch it off it would ignite. Im not sure I would run a trigger line that far from the distributor.
Frank

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Scrapple: Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
73 Duster - Race Car
66 Dart Wagon - DD
178" FED
82 D150
All Slant powered

yeah i think if i want this, ill drop the coin for a kit.

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What's that fuzzy blue thing being hurled this way?
::stick::
BOOSH!!!

You do know that you rev the engine and cut the normal ignition so that you actually have fuel to burn at the tail pipe right?

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Joshua

Uhm, find an old points distributor, and a small electric motor...coil, and so on...

Or a 100 Hz oscillator, HEI module and coil and have it 1/4 the size and weight.

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Joshua

As Joshie said be sure to rev it up...you need the fuel AND the flow to keep it from burning backwards up and causing one hell of a backfire =x.

It takes practice (and RPMs prior to cutting the main ignition) to execute the tailpipe burn without the backfire.

I think you ought to split the wire from the sparkplug and use one of those old metal pushbutton switches in the dash. That way you would know when the plug fired. Sorry I couldn't resist. I would go with the ready made kit.

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Thanks Mike

I know a guy who did this back in the sixties when muscle cars were new. He had some old piece of crap and he had the tailpipe pointing out the side. When some local rich kid in a new muscle car wanted to do some stoplight drags he would flame them once they got going. Kind of a jerk, but a true story.

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Grandpa's 1974 Dart Custom 4 door 225 auto, Aluminum Radiator, 1920 Holley.

My Barracuda has a flamethrower on it. I got the kit from http://hotlicksexhaust.com/ It works really well.

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Kustom because stock sucks!

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3295246

Well, that's one way to win a stoplight drag race.