.027" or .035"

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

. . .IF it doesn't run well, try painting the coil a DIFFERENT COLOR.
Bill & Dog Hungry

Bill, excellent suggestion. Going from black to white will definitely reduce the radiant heat absorption and lower the overall operating temperature of the coil!

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

[QUOTE=MikeK;1656594][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=DarkRed]Bill, excellent suggestion. Going from black to white will definitely reduce the radiant heat absorption and lower the overall operating temperature of the coil!
MANY things are just "IN OUR HEADS"!--Like sex drive, even. Lay an ICE CUBE on your head & they'll GO AWAY!
Bill Cool

[Purdy Swoft]

Originally Posted by pgerhardt

The coil type can make a difference. I switched from the unknown brand 6V coil that was on my car, to a original slant pole coil that a friend spotted (I sent him picture of one, so he knew what to look for.) and picked up for me at Hersey, because it was more appropriate for my 29 tudor. Well you could practically hear my car sigh when I first started it with the slant pole! It started quicker, idled better, and generally had more pep. Like Model A Viagra!

I agree the original model A coils are stronger than mopst of the replacement coils that are offered by some vendors. The slant pole model A coil is stronger than the straight pole model A coil .The slant pole coil is somewhere around 20.000 volts . The Pertronix flame thrower coil at 40.000 volts gives power that even a dead ass would be able to feel . Faster starts and more power sure doesn't hurt and you don't have to be racing to appreciate it .

[Purdy Swoft]

Originally Posted by gustafson

unfortunately there are many errors in the Andrews books

Les was correct about the .035 spark plug gap . Ford changed the specs for spark plug gap as people that have read ter service bulletins will know .

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

Les was correct about the .035 spark plug gap . Ford changed the specs for spark plug gap as people that have read per service bulletins will know .

As stated back in post #6. Thanks Bob C and Purdy.

[Purdy Swoft]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

Has everyone "MADE UP" & back to figuring out, "WHAT'S FOR BREAKFAST"???----Who cares what kind of coil you're running??? as long as it runs GOOD!
IF it doesn't run well, try painting the coil a DIFFERENT COLOR.
Bill & Dog Hungry

Bill , I didn't start it and hell naw , I ain't made up !!!!!!! As for the coil, I only mentioned it because Pertronix recommends to go ahead and increase the spark plug gap. Lots of people on this site uses the same coil that I do and know this fact . If it didn't run good , I wouldn't be using it .

[Purdy Swoft]

Originally Posted by old31

J, i am curious. With a HC head wouldn't you use 35? Any reason to go to 27? I am asking because I have a hc head with 35.

I use a gap of .035 with all of mine whether they are 5.9 or 4.22 compression ratio with excellent results . The wider spark with a wider gap works for me . Spark plugs will still carbon up or foul out if the spark is too weak, no matter about compression ratio, whether it is 6 to 1 or 4.22 to 1 I read that Henry was afraid that higher compression would blow out the spark. When the model B engine came out with a low ratio of 4.6 to one , Henry was worried that a gap of .035 would be a problem . There was a note included with all of the new old stock Champion C4 plugs that I have bought . .The note stated if the C4 plugs were used with the model A engine that the gap should be set at .032 . I still set all of mine at .035 and am happy with the .035 gap . I'm not trying to be dissagreeable , its just what works for me .

[gustafson]

Then, it surely is a miracle that the cars started up at all in 1930

[Purdy Swoft]

Why would that be???

[Marshall V. Daut]

Interestingly, the Ford recommended spark plug gap for Model T's is 0.025" and there is virtually no debate on the Model T websites about this setting. Apparently it is accepted by the rank and file Model T owners as the best gap. Oh, sure, there are some who recommend wider settings for different applications, such as adding OHV conversions, external magnetos, modern distributors with modern coils, etc. But 0.025" works just fine on Model T engines with the stock magneto ignition system, as I have discovered over the years. 0.035" was too wide for the old T engine with its four wooden coils and internal magneto. After some experimentation, I found the 0.025" setting to be the best all around for Model T's. For me, 0.032"- 0.035" has worked best in my Model A's, some with stock cylinder heads, some with higher compression heads, and one with a Riley Two-Port OHV conversion.
I know we are talking here about Model A engines with their more "modern" ignition system, but the T and A engines are of the same basic design. It's the ignition systems that make the narrower spark plug gap more desirable in Model T's than the wider gap. I wonder if that 1928 recommended spark plug gap for the newly-introduced Model A wasn't simply a carry-over from the 1927 Model T during those hectic first few months when the factories were trying to get up to production speed? The 0.025" gap must not have worked out well, because Ford changed to 0.035", as has been stated here. I think that speaks volumes in itself.
No matter what Ford recommended, we should run what works best in our individual engines. Too many variables have sneaked into our engines in the last 90 years to force a standardized spark plug gap that works for everyone. One size does NOT fit all. Each engine is different and needs to run the gap that works best.
Marshall

[J Franklin]

I think the crux of the biscuit is we need to look at the condition of the plugs and performance of the engine, then pick a gap that makes it all work.

[Bill G]

I wonder why things that make so little difference are sometimes debated so heavily.