A crusty old timer in Bakersfield showed me his 40 year old spark plug socket and I finally get why my swivels kept slipping | Auto Mechanics - Pinecone Attack
A crusty old timer in Bakersfield showed me his 40 year old spark plug socket and I finally get why my swivels kept slipping
Stopped by a shop in Bakersfield two weeks ago to help a buddy pull the heads off a 5.4 triton and the owner there, guy named Dale, watched me fight a rear plug for about 15 minutes. He walked over with this beat up socket that had a wobble built into the base and just handed it to me. Plug came out in maybe 20 seconds and I felt like a total rookie. Turns out he's been running those on every job since 1984 and keeps 3 of them in his box at all times. I ordered a set that night and have used them on 6 cars since, no more universal joint flop. Any of you running a specific extension or socket setup for tight rear plugs on these trucks? I'm wondering if the swivel style holds up on aluminum heads long term.
Remembered I had the same problem with a 5.4 back in 2011 and bought one of those fancy swivel sockets for like 30 bucks. Used it twice, dropped it into the abyss behind the intake, and never saw it again. The wobble style Dale showed you is a whole different animal though, that built in play at the base is the trick. My old man ran a regular u joint on his 302 for years and never snapped one. The aluminum head thing is worth thinking about since the plug threads strip easy if you get crooked on them. I'd say the swivel setup actually keeps you straighter than a floppy u joint ever would, so it may be easier on the threads, not harder.