Old Shurhit spark plugs

delco1946

delco1946

Senior Member
When I bought my 1955 crown Vic with a 292, it came with so old parts including old Shurhit spark plugs # F4E, new in the box. I assume they fit in my car and Are probably what’s currently in there, but considering the previous owners also use duct tape on some trim I thought I’d better check to be safe.

When I Google that brand nothing pops up except for vintage memorabilia, so I was wondering if anyone knows first) is there anything wrong with using spark plugs that are probably at least a couple decades old? Seems better than storing these until I die for posterity and spending money on new And second) can anyone verify that this is indeed the correct spark plug for my engine?

Thanks!

Christopher
 
Shurhit was Borg Warner's spark plugs -- haven't been made in over 40 years...
They were a lower priced alternative , back in the day, but they were a decent spark plug. (Somewhere on the box you will see Franklin Park, Illinois)

If they are correct -- there is nothing wrong with using a N.O.S. spark plug -- they have an infinite shelf life...
 
Today has been one of those days. It’s ending better now though thank goodness, and I changed out my plugs. I feel really bad for my car as it has made a huge difference....�� clearly I waited too long. I removed autolite 46s on a side note, and gapped my Shurhits to .034 to .035.

I need to look at a chart to better interpret the story my old spark plugs have to tell, but right off the bat I did notice that the exterior of just about every plug had oil on it. What does this mean? I hope nothing too serious but at best I suppose that means I have two leaky valve covers and at worst…?

Also, the the third back cylinders on both sides were incredibly difficult to unscrew, much more so than any of the others and I wonder if that means these cylinders are doing something funky? Getting too hot and causing excessive expansion of the plugs?
 
I should add it cranks noticeably faster and it must be drawing less electricity now to maintain spark as i immediately noticed my accessories seem to be operating with a bit more oomph. I can actually hear my fan make noise more so from the movement of air/the air velocity, rather than the noise of the motor itself.
 
delco1946 said:
I need to look at a chart to better interpret the story my old spark plugs have to tell, but right off the bat I did notice that the exterior of just about every plug had oil on it. What does this mean? I hope nothing too serious but at best I suppose that means I have two leaky valve covers and at worst…?

Also, the the third back cylinders on both sides were incredibly difficult to unscrew, much more so than any of the others and I wonder if that means these cylinders are doing something funky? Getting too hot and causing excessive expansion of the plugs?
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delco1946 said:
I should add it cranks noticeably faster and it must be drawing less electricity now to maintain spark as i immediately noticed my accessories seem to be operating with a bit more oomph. I can actually hear my fan make noise more so from the movement of air/the air velocity, rather than the noise of the motor itself.
Click to expand...

See below a plug chart of your car's time period (pre-emiss - low volt IGN).

The oil you see on the insulators is most likely oil leakage (rocker cover gaskets most likely). The FYB was designed with a rust preventive feature which coated the engine with oil.

As hard to remove, who knows how long the plugs have been in there. There is a spark plug hole thread chaser available to clean the threads. A very slight application of anti-sieze on the plug threads will make the install easier and future removal easier. Do not use too much as it will interfere with the torque setting install.
 

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delco1946 said:
I should add it cranks noticeably faster and it must be drawing less electricity now to maintain spark as i immediately noticed my accessories seem to be operating with a bit more oomph. I can actually hear my fan make noise more so from the movement of air/the air velocity, rather than the noise of the motor itself.
Click to expand...
back in the day that was the same story when you washed the car.it would run better and get better mileage or whatever came to mind.its called power of suggestion:Das to the oil on plugs that was fairly common as you surmised leaking valve covers it did not take much
 
My plugs seem to be mostly in the ranges of 1,2, and 5, so I will take the small blessing and add new valve cover gaskets to my list. I've never done that, so its good to learn something new!
 
It may be rocker cover gaskets.

The early FYB had poor crankcase ventilation and a lot of fumes came out of the oil filler tube and was also prone to blow gaskets and seals.

Maybe a good pressure wash and study it over time? Has the ventilation system been serviced since you have had it? Do fumes/smoke come out of the oil filler tube/breather after shut-off?

Plugs seemed to show normal wear with your description.
 
KULTULZ said:
. . .
The FYB was designed with a rust preventive feature which coated the engine with oil.
. . .
Click to expand...
This optional feature also works quite well on various frame and sheet-metal areas below and behind the engine.:rolleyes:

.
 
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It was also useful when at a DRIVE-IN MOVIE if the mosquito count got too large, you could fire her up and it would give you a short period of relief.

Also useful in a police chase, you opened up the secondaries and it would throw out an oil sheen on the road surface and combined with the trooper being blinded in an exhaust smoke cloud might cause him to spin out. That's why Henry put the breather pipe far down on the block.
 
Awww come on guys. Give the modern built Y's just a bit of a break here. It use to be the FYB was simply marking it's territory. Or show me a Y that wasn't leaking oil and I would show you a Y that was out of oil. Gee that last one sounds like a Norton 850 MC I had. But now with modern gaskets and piston ring technology for the FYB, I hope those days are past us. Ted Eaton.
 
The Y-block came out just as British cars were becoming popular here, so maybe Ford thought they should go with the flow, so to speak. As we all know most Brit cars of the period were fierce leakers. British engines leaked oil, British soft tops leaked water, British Intelligence leaked secrets.
 
dmsfrr said:
This optional feature also works quite well on various frame and sheet-metal areas below and behind the engine.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
TedEaton said:
Awww come on guys. Give the modern built Y's just a bit of a break here. It use to be the FYB was simply marking it's territory. Or show me a Y that wasn't leaking oil and I would show you a Y that was out of oil. Gee that last one sounds like a Norton 850 MC I had. But now with modern gaskets and piston ring technology for the FYB, I hope those days are past us. Ted Eaton.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I've been scraping 100,000+ miles worth of oil, grease & dirt buildup from the underside of a '57 Bird the last couple days, to get it clean / ready for paint and the rebuilt engine & transmission to go back in. The paint and metal under the crud actually is in much better shape than other areas.
 
... :o ...

... uh ... oh ...

Got in trouble again.

I respect the Y. I just got caught up in the moment.

No disrespect intended.
 
Dobie Gillis said:
The Y-block came out just as British cars were becoming popular here, so maybe Ford thought they should go with the flow, so to speak. As we all know most Brit cars of the period were fierce leakers. British engines leaked oil, British soft tops leaked water, British Intelligence leaked secrets.
Click to expand...

And the electrics leaked electrons...:)
 
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