Spark Plug Choices

[Christopher J. Bunsey]

Which sparkplugs would you choose for a 1976 L-82? I am going to do a tune up and I have heard the delco plugs are terrible.

Thanks

[lyndon sharpton]

Re: Spark Plug Choices

I have used AC plugs for years in all of my cars an trucks. I have never had a problem with them. I know it is geting harder to find AC Delco parts in my neck of the woods though.

[Joe L.]

Re: Spark Plug Choices

Christopher----

Personally, I wouldn't say that AC spark plugs are terrible. They look better than most other plugs and they perform ok. I just like Champion better. It's not a huge difference, at all; just my own, possibly partially subjective, feeling about it. Anyway, for your engine, IF you go with Champions, I'd use an RV17YC.

[Christopher J. Bunsey]

Re: Spark Plug Choices

Thank You......I know that plugs can make a big difference....I will go with the champions you suggested....any insight on gap?

[William C.]

Re: Spark Plug Choices

With all due respect, given the power delivered to the plugs by the factory HEI system, any quality plugs will provide service that will probably last the next 10 years or so. I've never seen a set of AC plugs that would not go 50000 miles or more on a modern unleaded fuel HEI ignition system.

[Joe L.]

Re: Spark Plug Choices

Bill-----

Yes, ALL of my experience is with pre-75, point type distributor applications. It may well be that for 75+ an AC plug will work as good as any other.

Even in my experience, though, I don't have the opinion that AC plugs are short-lived or perform badly. Not at all. I just always felt that the Champions performed a little better.

[William C.]

Re: Spark Plug Choices

No Offense Joe, I expect you are one of the few people who know that "AC" stands for Albert Champion, half of the Champion Sparkplug company. Also, in the early HEI era, AC had the advantage of working with the rest of GM engineering on the system, where other car (and Sparkplug) manufacturers had to play catchup with the power levels generated the HEI and subsequent copycat systems. We noticed very shortly that the combination of HEI and unleaded fuels totally obsoleted the old sparkplug replacement guidelines, and eventually went to 100000 mile ignition systems in some models.

[Joe L.]

Re: Spark Plug Choices

Bill-----

Yes, Albert Champion founded AC Spark Plug and then sold it to General Motors (or, one of the companies that eventually was absorbed by General Motors). Thereafter, he founded Champion Spark Plug. I've always wondered about that. I guess in those days they didn't make folks that sold their companies promise not to start new companies that were in direct competition with the companies they sold. Or, he waited until whatever period was specidfied in the sales agreement had passed.

That reminds me of a situation that I became aware of some years ago. It seems that about 20 years ago, or so, Texaco sold off all of their Northern California marketing organization to Exxon. The sales price was in the hunderd of millions of doillars. So, at the time, all of the Texaco stations in Northern California became Exxon stations. Well, about 10 years ago I started to see Texaco stations start to appear here-and-there in Northern California. I happened to know a high level executive with Texaco so I called and asked him about it. He told me that in the original sales agreement with Exxon they had only agreed that they would stay out of the Northern California market for a minimum of 10 years and now, he said, "10 years is up". Maybe that's what Albert Champion did, too.

Back to the spark plugs, though: I've always thought that AC spark plugs were the best looking plugs on the market. They have a very finished look and a very "all business" look too, with their "smooth-and-sleek" black oxide finished body. I love the AC logo on them, too. Champion spark plugs have a somewhat "funky" look. Cheap, phony looking zinc plating and a side electrode that looks like it was chopped off with a chisel. Nevertheless, I always felt that they ran better in all my Chevrolets, including my 1966 L-34 Chevelle SS, 1968 L-78 Chevelle SS, and my 1969 300/350 Corvette. It pained me to use those funky looking things from an appearance-perspective (like, who can see the spark plugs, anyway, but it still used to bother me), but I loved the way they worked.

[Duke W.]

Re: Spark Plug Choices

My only beef with AC (and Autolite) plugs is that the black oxide outer shell finish is a lot less corrosion resistant than the various "bright plated" finishes that are found on most other brands.

Duke

[Joe L.]

Re: Spark Plug Choices

Duke-----

No doubt about that, at all. But, when they're NEW, I think they look better.