auto(but nothing to do with brains)zone?

[remy]

i found out over the course of three days, today, that AC Delco R44T is not the correct sparkplug for the 350 in my truck, even though the morons at my local autozone have it listed ... seem to be too short, so i put my old ones back in...

now the new cap, rotor and wires i just bought feel like they really work...


so, what plugs does everybody recommend? bosch +4 is too expensive(but they work)...


later

[raceman6135]

For my truck's 350 (1986 C20 with the 'M' engine), the emissions/tune up decal under the hood and the parts books all recommend an AC R44T.

They work well because the vehicle is quite heavy (long box, crew cab, 8600 GVW), but in my cars and light trucks, they like the AC R45TS. The R45TS is a little hotter and stays cleaner longer.

I like the AC brand, but I've also had good luck with NGKs. My big block drag engine really likes the NGKs best.

As for Champion, I don't even put those in my lawn mower, but that's just my personal preference.

DJS

[toytruck]

I like NGK's v power too.

[bigd65]

I got the same plugs from the same people. AUTOZONE. only thing is, my daughter works there. I just have to get the right part no. before i go in there

[swervin ervin]

Best plug I've ever ran is NGK. I won't put any other brand of plug in my truck.

[mike reeh]

Can anyone explain (and I mean really explain) spark plug heat range and what it means and why it matters and how they change it? Its one of those grey areas. Ive always ran a R44T or equivalent and dont see how a different plug would make any difference.. but apparently it does matter

mike

[swervin ervin]

Mike,

here's about as good as it gets when it comes to explaining spark plugs.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/techinf...31000&country=

[1FaastC10]

R44T's wont fit your truck, and it's Auto Zone's fault? sounds to me like the problem lies behind your ratchet, not the counter. i've run R45T's in my 350s since '97 and never had a problem, they're dimensionally the same.

[76HighSierra]

Originally posted by 1FaastC10
R44T's wont fit your truck, and it's Auto Zone's fault? sounds to me like the problem lies behind your ratchet, not the counter. i've run R45T's in my 350s since '97 and never had a problem, they're dimensionally the same.

He said they didn't seem to be the right sparkplug for his truck, he didn't say they wouldn't fit . Why the perpetual attitude, C10? Relax and enjoy life.

[PHOENIX]

I use the AC Delco R45TS.
Standard Resistor - Gap .045"
Cost about $1.69 each
Have not failed me yet.
Always check the gap though, they say pre-gapped, which 7 out of the 8 are. But always check them anyway!

Mike, which NGK plug do you run?
NGK 6630 ($1.99)?
All the other NGK plugs are $$$

[remy]

which ratchet were you using?
haha
and i didn't say it was their fault. i said they were morons...


anyway, yes the threads are the same, but no they aren't long enough, so they do fit but they are still wrong... when i put them side by side with my bosch plugs the boschs appear to go deeper into the cylinder, hence the r44t is too short... like i said before, the old ones work much better, but still wish they were new.

who sells ngk at my end of town?


later

[swervin ervin]

I run NGK's BKR5E, part number 7938, but I do have Edelbrock aluminum heads.

Eight plugs from Autozone cost me $17.33 back in December 2002. IMO, there is not a better plug out there for the street.

[79BIG10]

NGK's rock!! Mike got me to try them after he had mentioned them before and I was runnning Bosch Platinum before then. They made a difference. Not night and day but you can tell it's got more get up and go

[76bonanza]

I run the NGK 6630 seem fine to me.

[1FaastC10]

got me there, Remy, ALMOST

just because you think its not right, doesnt automatically mean that the parts guys are idiots. they rely on catalogs, both paper and computer, to give them information. these catalogs are not only written by the manufacturer of the parts, but believe it or not they've actually been helped, by guess who, THE MANUFACTURER OF THE VEHICLE! unless you've got some engineering degree, or are a custom performance engine builder, take what the man gives you and quit assuming things about his intelligence. are you 100% sure that your truck is completely and totally stock? if you havent owned it since the truck rolled off the assembly line in '84 or '85, there's a good chance some yahoo has been under the hood, and there's no telling what you've actually got under the valve covers. here's another excellent idea, if your old spark plugs work so well, have the parts guy cross refrence the existing part number to whatever brand you decide to run. you did gap them before you put them in right? contrary to popular belief, spark plugs are NOT gapped from the factory.

76HighSierra, i dont believe we've met before, i'm Jeremy the resident smartass. i'm also one of the few resident parts guys, or used to be at least. this board struck a very sore spot with me. i've been accused of being a dumb@$$ compter reader before, and it really pisses me off. 99% of the times that i gave the "wrong" parts, they were the right parts, just for the wrong vehicle. its not my fault someone comes in and tells me his 85 K10 has a stock 350 in it, when in actuallity it's got a '68 307 in it. we are dealing with a 20 year old truck here, not something that just rolled off the showroom floor. small block chevys from 1955 to 1986 are visually the same, save for a few minor changes. to the average shadetree mechanic, they all look the same.

[76HighSierra]

Originally posted by 1FaastC10


76HighSierra, i dont believe we've met before, i'm Jeremy the resident smartass. i'm also one of the few resident parts guys, or used to be at least. this board struck a very sore spot with me. i've been accused of being a dumb@$$ compter reader before, and it really pisses me off. 99% of the times that i gave the "wrong" parts, they were the right parts, just for the wrong vehicle. its not my fault someone comes in and tells me his 85 K10 has a stock 350 in it, when in actuallity it's got a '68 307 in it. we are dealing with a 20 year old truck here, not something that just rolled off the showroom floor. small block chevys from 1955 to 1986 are visually the same, save for a few minor changes. to the average shadetree mechanic, they all look the same.

Yeah, I hear ya. Myself, I was on the other end of the spectrum. As a mechanic, it was always my fault that the customer's POS car died. I put in front wheel bearings, the fuel pump quits two months later, and somehow it's my fault. LOL!! Forgive me for mistaking your smart-assedness ( ) for an attitude. I read a lot of your posts and sometimes, the internet is not the best place to percieve meaning accurately.

[swervin ervin]

No. You are right. He is a smartass.

Really starting to sound a lot like another smartass I used to know. :p

[1FaastC10]

hey now Mike, take it easy! i never made any fat bald comments did i? i didnt hit below the belt, why should you?

[swervin ervin]

Who you callin fat? I may be bald, but I ain't fat. :p

[mike reeh]

Originally posted by swervin ervin

Really starting to sound a lot like another smartass I used to know. :p

OUCH

[bigblock73]

You are all wrong, Jeremy is a smart-ass AND has an attitude.

Swerve, your statement hold more water than you may think.

[remy]

hey, now! whoa... the guys at my local autozone are morons. period. that has nothing to do with my sparkplugs. period. generally, i shop at advance, but they were way too busy so i went across the street. in my area, autozone is good for accessories and other stuff, but advance is good for actual important parts. so far, advance has had everything i've needed and if it isn't part of their stock, they get it pretty fast. as far as morons go, though, autozone wins by far. i go in there and go to the parts counter for whatever, and the three guys just stand there and look at me with a sort of bovine serenity about them. the guy who served me first went to get his candy bar and then stuffed his face before acknowledging me as a customer. now i don't know about you guys, but i don't want somebody with a mouthfull of chocolate and stuff all over his fingers picking parts for me while the other two guys are acting like monkeys in the background. yes they are morons, and yes, that is why i don't generally shop there.

but, enough b!tch!ng from me... as for the plugs, *I* looked them up and that's what i asked for when i got there, so that was my fault... but what i don't understand is why they would be physically the wrong size? like i said, i compared them to my old plugs and the old ones were longer from the seat to the tip of the electrodes. why would they both be listed for the same application if one is not adequate? were the same size engines from the same manufacturer that different internally, that there would need to be that much of a difference in the physical dimensions of a sparkplug?

and yes, i gapped and regapped them to .045 to make sure... when i took them out they were black...


does any body know if advance has ngk plugs?


sorry for the long post and the whining

later

[79BIG10]

I know O'Rilley's here in the South carries them but I don't think AZ does here. may be worng and wouldn't be the first time

[1FaastC10]

what plugs were in it to begin with?

also, with the candy bar thing. just like many people do, you are forgetting that the person behind that computer screen is human too. he needs to eat just like you do. sometimes behind the counter you have to do things that some dont feel are professional. so while it may not be professional in your eyes that he just downed a candy bar in front of you, he may not have had a choice. he may have been working the counter for the last 8 hours, and been swamped the whole time. since i know you werent at the store for the entire time the store was open, i'd say that that was probably the case. take your wrong plugs, which by admission were your mistake, and your little opinion of how the store should be run and be on your way.

[bigblock73]

Jeremy...what he did was plain rude and unprofessional. I have worked in CS for 14 years now..and i have NEVER been that rude or disrespectful. There are mandates set forth by the government that require employees to take or have breaks based on the number of hours worked. If there were in fact people in the background goofing around and the counter employee was stuffing his face...in front of a waiting customer...without acknowledging them, then he has time to step aside, eat his food, smoke, or whatever. The old saying goes...customers first...you should know that if you worked in CS as well. A business will never stay afloat with bad service like that...that is a fact. I see no need to defend people who act like that.