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OK, so I've changed plugs in my '55 many times in the 30+ years I have owned it. Several of those times provided me with learning opportunities 
Today was one of those days 
The last time I changed plugs I installed new plug wires and it seems that the bakelite plug insulators are sticking to the plug wires. I've been able to change six of the plugs but on the two plugs closest to the firewall I cannot loosen the insulator to move it off the plug allowing the wire to disconnect from the plug. I've been trying to gingerly twist the insulator off the plug using pliers and have already chewed up one insulator doing so. Of course the bakelite chips fell into the plug tube. I've been soaking the plug wires with WD40 in hopes they would free themselves from the insulator. Any help regaining my sanity and causing me to stop cursing would be appreciated.
I always wonder how the local garages did this back in the day? The service manual is of no help; all it says is "remove spark plugs"...
That reminds me of looking up torque specs on really old cars. The available manuals of the day usually say "tighten the nuts..."
I have always assumed the insulator is supposed to stay with the wire and act something like an "extension" so that you can firmly install or pull off the wire from the plug.
Dealing with the decaying insulator material is frustrating and I don't know how to help except to offer my empathy. Once the wire is out of the tube I would suggest sticking the shop vac hose in there to vacuum up the remnants prior to removing the plug to prevent the pieces from working their way down into the combustion chamber.
It's supposed to be fun!
1949 De Soto Custom Convertible (project)
I contacted a local club member who is a retired GE Appliance engineer. He once owned a '55 New Yorker and does most of his own repairs. He still has a special set of pliers he created to remove the insulators. He also has some special lubricant to use on the wires so the insulators should not stick the next time. If all this works I'll take some photos of the pliers and post the results.
Mark
Well the special pliers did not work. One set was a standard set of universal spark plug boot removal pliers currently on the market. They are angled and too large to fit into the tube to grab the insulator. The set was a rubber tipped set designed for bulb removal. It fit deeper into the tube but slid off the insulator.
I'm taking the car into the show working on Rosy's '57 this Friday and will let them deal with the last two plugs unless somebody has a brainstorm in the next few days.
Mark
For years, I drove Peugeot cars: 403, 404, 504, and 505. They had hemi heads and came with a plug wrench. It was a steel tube, about an inch in diameter and a foot long, with a hex end to fit the plug and a hole drilled through the other end. A Phillips screw driver from the tool kit fit through the hole for torque. The wrench would fit over the insulators I now use on my S-23 motor. I think if you threaded the whole plug wire through the wrench tube you could back out the plug with insulator attached.
Years later, 20 years ago, I bought an after market version with a pivoting cross bar attached. That one won't let you thread the wire through, but it could be modified with a saw and a drill.
John Boyd
San Diego, California
Member National Desoto Club and Airflow Club of America
drjohn96@me.com
1936 S2 Airflow sedan (1)
1937 Chrysler Airflow sedan (2)
