OK Glenn, I'll chuck out the one I just made for you
Nah, only joking. I didn't make any yet. However, while rummaging around last nite, I found a couple I prepared earlier from long reach plugs. Must have made them for people who never collected them (buggered if I know who - I've made a bundle of 'em over the years). So if you still want one I can chuck it in the mail. Postage for small items to UK is about $15 I think.
I'll send one to Motoddrob as it's only domestic mail between Tassie and WA.
If you have access to a lathe, it's dead easy.
The easiest way to get the ceramic bit out of the spark plug is to put the plug in the lathe with the ceramic end sticking out (you can grip it by the hexagonal part in a 3-jaw chuck and it'll be centred well enough) then machine off the top edge of the metal part where it crimps over a shoulder on the ceramic core. Be careful not to hit the ceramic core with the cutting tool though. That stuff is as hard as the hobs of hell and will take the edge off your cutting tool before you know what's happened. You may want to do the final bit with a file or hacksaw just to be safe if it isn't your lathe.
Once you've gotten rid of the crimp, just chop off the earth electrode and bash the centre electrode and ceramic core out from the bottom. You'll be left with the tubular metal part of the plug.
A minor issue is that the hole through the metal tube is stepped from about 12mm diameter at the top to 7mm at the bottom end. That's why you can see a plastic sleeve in the top end of my spark plug tool. It's just there to keep the central bolt er, well... central.
If you drill and tap the inside to M8, the thread will pick up a few mm of the metal part at the bottom end of the plug.
My advice would be to use a short reach plug, just so it's quicker to screw in and gives a greater range of depth adjustment on the central bolt.
Cheers,
Cam
