Grinding a Spark Plug Socket

[CaptainWho]

Ok, folks, in all of the discussions about spark plugs for IT7 12As, people keep mentioning grinding down a 13/16 socket so it will fit inside the "lips" on the rotor housing. Can anyone give any tips on actually doing the grinding? Can I do it with my bench grinder? If so, any suggestions on how to "hold" the socket while it's being ground?

[Quickshoe]

Sure, your bench grinder will be fine!

Take the socket and put it on an extension, wrap the socket/extension joint with duct tape (just in case they decide to separate).

The extension will keep your fingers away from the heat and stone. It will also help you keep the socket wall square to the face of the stone. With the socket resting on the perch and it square to the face; roll it as you grind. Rolling it will help you keep it semi-round. A couple of test fits and you'll know when you've gone far enough. Too far and you'll break through. You are going to end up with a pretty thin wall, it is best if you only grind +/-3/8" of the end (the width of the grinding wheel is fine).

Remove the duct tape, clean off the melted adhesive residue with some wd40 and you are ready to go.

[CaptainWho]

Thanks for the help, Quickshoe. I'd give it a try this weekend, but I'm working corners. I guess it'll have to wait till next week, but I've got about three that don't fit, so I'll have plenty to trash trying to get it right. :-)

use a black hardended impact socket or it will be very fragil, would recommend having some way to keep it relativly cool as well. Hows my brother Daryl doing?

[CaptainWho]

<font face=\"Verdana, Arial\" size=\"2\">Hows my brother Daryl doing?</font>

I'm sorry, but if that's directed at me, I don't know. I might know Daryl by sight but not by name.

quikshoe is my other brother Daryl A

I would be Daryl B

[Festus E. Simkins]

I took mine to a machine shop and told them to machine it down. I took about 3 sockets. A 12 pt and 6 pt. They charged me 10 bucks to turn them down all three. This was back in 1996. The tollarences get real close. I took a pair of inside calipers and measured the spark plug holes on the engine. I then had them turn socket a few 1000ths smaller. Works great. I can't remember if the 6 pt or 12 pt did better. Using an impact socket may be a good idea.

Drive well.

[Quickshoe]

I'd go with the tightest fitting cheap-o 6 pt. The tolerances are so close that if the socket isn't a fairly tight fit to begin with you won't be able to get the OD small enough without blowing through the wall. A 6 pt is only going to have 6 weak spots instead of 12. The cheap-o socket is less expensive if you screw up and easier to grind. You shouldn't be torqueing your plugs so tight that you need much strength in the socket anyway.

Brother--
I'm doing pretty well, thanks. I don't have much to post over here, but I still visit fairly often.

The FF is wounded...pulled the transaxle the other day. Now I have to strip it down and see what happened...the noise it developed sound expensive! I should be out there now, instead of typing, guess I'm not ready to find out yet.